Restaurant industry celebrating its workforce during Denver Food + Wine Festival
The Colorado Restaurant Association holds the Denver Food + Wine Festival as a fundraiser for the Association's foundation. But, it's also designed to highlight the diverse culinary scene and to celebrate all of the folks who keep our restaurants running. The restaurant industry got slammed during the pandemic. And, just as diners came back, food prices skyrocketed and workers were hard to find. Restaurant workers are in need of a little appreciation, and one owner threw a party for her staff.
"This is amazing," said Chelsea Jones, the party she attended with her Comida co-workers.
Jones has worked at Comida for six years as a bartender/server. She was thrilled when owner Rayme Rossello announced she was hiring a shuttle to bring her staff of 40 to her home in Boulder County for an afternoon of food and fun.
"It just makes people feel more important, and that their job isn't just a job, it's more than that," Jones told CBS News Colorado.
Rossello hired Chef Jeff Stoneking to provide an Asian inspired spread, so that her staff didn't have to lift a finger.
"It's nice to be taken care of, instead of having to take care of other people," Jones said with a laugh.
"I just want them to feel connected. And, being able to gather outside of that space, where people work so hard, and actually let your hair down and have some fun, I think that's really important," Rossollo explained.
Comida Cantina weathered the pandemic with the help of government grants and loans, but now the business model has changed.
"I gave everybody raises," Rossollo said. "I'm now paying for a week's paid vacation for everyone in the kitchen."
She's dedicated to making sure her workers feel good about walking into work every day, and she wants them to see that food service can be a life-long career.
"It can be that thing that you do on your way from here to there, but it can also be the thing that you do for your whole life, that's completely respectable, and can pay your bills, and have a good living," she said.
Most of all Rossollo wants her staff to know just how much she appreciates them.
"I love Comida. It's a great community. It's an awesome business," Jones said.
LINK: Tickets & Information about Denver Food + Wine Festival
The Denver Food + Wine Festival held a Yoga + Bubbles event on Tuesday specifically for restaurant workers. The money raised during Dining Under the Stars will be used to make mental health care available to industry workers. The mission of the Colorado Restaurant Foundation is to enhance career development for anyone working in food service.