New Michelin Star Restaurant in Denver aims to transform perceptions of Mexican cuisine

Chef Johnny Curiel watches his crew prepare, slicing meat and brunoising peppers. That's where the soul of his restaurant is, in the work that people don't see. That work is often done quietly and hours before the doors open. 

"This is Mexico through my lens," said Chef Curiel.

The son of restauranteurs in Guadalajara, Chef Curiel has worked in top kitchens locally and beyond but has never wavered from his roots. 

"It's just sharing everything about Mexico," he said. Sharing little by little what it means to me, what it means to my wife, what it means to my family."

That's why it meant so much when his restaurant — Alma Fonda Fina — received a prestigious Michelin star. Worldwide recognition of its' quality. 

"At 7:30 [a.m.] we refreshed the app of Michelin and Alma was one star and that's how we found it," he remembered.

As of this last cycle, it's the only Mexican restaurant in the state to earn such an award and joins a rising number of Mexican establishments that are making their mark in the high-end culinary world. 

"The Michelin star gave us kind of a stage," Chef Curiel said. "It put us on an international map now. And the way I see it helping is that. If people say hey you got a Michelin star, tell me about it. And that allows us to earn the guests' trust."

To Chef Johnny, the restaurant represents something bigger than himself. With the star rating, it now becomes part of an elite class of a Mexican culinary revolution that is trying to change the perception most have of the culture: that the food is inherently cheap and not high-end.

"I think it's just people being more open to 'Hey, Mexican food can be and has techniques that are just like French, like Italian, like any other big cuisine,'" he explained.

Citing the transformational chefs that paved the way before them, Chef Curiel and his crew have a keen understanding of what they now are: something aspirational for kids of all cultures who want to make their food unapologetically. 

"The kids that are 18 and planning on going to culinary school and they want to be proud that they're Mexican or Hondurans or Ecuadorians or Chinese or Vietnamese, whatever it is," he said, "They can say yes I can do what I grew up eating and share it with the world."