Dining at the Botanic Gardens Organery for 'Gather'

How does a diverse dining experience in the middle of a garden’s orangery sound?

That is exactly what you get at Gather, an event at the Denver Botanic Gardens, where a four to five course meal is served quarterly on a family style on an outstretched table.

Each event is unique with a secret menu and limited to seventy-five attendees.

The last event that took place November 18^th, featured chef Dana Rodriquez, who served up salmon fritters with jalapeno aioli and crispy plantains. Also on the menu, cochinita pibil tacos made with fresh corn tortilla, slow cooked pork, and pickled salad. Can’t you just smell the pumpkin beignets with warm bourbon-nutmeg eggnog?

Chef Rodriquez is the former executive chef of Bistro Vendrome and will soon be opening a new restaurant, Work & Class in the RiNo neighborhood.

The next Gather event will take place March 24, 2014. The chef has yet to be announced but is sure to offer unique fare…

Join me as I interview Dolores Trono, owner of Work & Class, for a little Q&A:

Carri: Of all the delicious menu items cooked at Gather, did you have a favorite?

Dolores: As a team, we all agree that the roasted goat with green chili and masa cakes was the best dish on the menu.

Carri: What was your impression of the Gather Event?

Dolores: A beautiful and intimate space with kind and genuine guests. We really enjoyed ourselves.

Carri: Why was it important for you to represent Work & Class at Gather?

Dolores: Gather came at a great time for us.  We’re close to opening and have been doing private menu tastings for months.  Gather was the perfect opportunity to showcase some of our dishes, let Dana shine, and get the word out about what we’ll be doing at Work & Class when we open in January.