Chef Profile

As a life-long gardener and a chef who started his career at 14, Chef Alex Seidel could be described as a culinary renaissance man. In addition to being a critically acclaimed chef, he has his hands in farming, animal husbandry, cheese-making and owning and operating retail-restaurant spaces.

Seidel is a Wisconsin native who attended culinary school at Western Culinary Institute in Portland, Oregon. He moved to California to work at Hubert Keller’s Club XIX at Pebble Beach Resort, followed by a sous chef position at Antoine Michelle and then a chef de cuisine tole at Carmel Valley Ranch. Seidel moved to Denver in 2002 and became executive chef at restaurateur Frank Bonanno’s fine-dining flagship, Mizuna. Seidel left Mizuna to launch his own Denver restaurant, Fruition, which opened its doors in February 2007. In 2018, Seidel received one of the industry’s greatest honors when recognized with the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest.

When not cooking at Fruition, Seidel can be found at Fruition Farms Dairy, tending to or milking a flock of 60 sheep. His ricotta won a first-place award from the American Cheese Society in 2011. He’s become well-known for a bloomy-rind, soft-ripened cheese called Shepherd’s Halo, as well as a hard, aged, farmstead cheese called Cacio Pecora, plus his newest addition: a sheep’s milk yogurt called Skyr.

Seidel also raises “large black,” a heritage pork breed, and has planted a 10-acre farm with fruits and vegetables to supply his restaurant kitchen. In the fall of 2014, Seidel opened Mercantile Dining & Provision, a restaurant and European style market located in Denver’s historic Union Station. With Mercantile, Seidel and his team further solidify the connection between restaurant, farm and market. His daily work in food production has reinforced his belief in letting seasonality and sustainability guide his cuisine.

“I want to support suppliers who use sustainable growing practices, and I like to know what ingredients are in abundance locally. That’s the best way to use local supplies and find creative ways to use what is available,” says Seidel.