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Less than four years after opening his own restaurant, Summit ¾Ã¾ÃÈȾ«Æ·ÊÓƵapp resident Matt Vawter is now in the running to receive one of the highest honors in the culinary world. 

Vawter, executive chef and owner of Rootstalk in Breckenridge,  award for best chef in the mountain region, which includes Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah and Wyoming. The award winners are set to be announced in Chicago on June 10. 

For Vawter, it’s a recognition for not just great cooking — but a great staff as well. 

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“It’s my name on the nomination but I really do believe it’s a team award,” Vawter said. “(The James Beard Foundation) noticed what we’re doing here in Breckenridge and Summit ¾Ã¾ÃÈȾ«Æ·ÊÓƵapp, and I’m really proud of our team and the work they put in and the trust that they have in me and my partners.”

, Rootstalk offers contemporary New American fare inspired by traditional French cooking techniques. Housed within a remodeled residence from the 1800s, the restaurant’s name refers to Vawter’s roots in the area, where he attended Summit High School and later graduated from Colorado Mountain College’s culinary program. 

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“I’ve been really fortunate to be surrounded by really great people throughout my career who are incredibly passionate about food and wine and service and hospitality,” Vawter said. “My time here in Summit, when I was in high school and then culinary school, really set the foundation and instilled my love for the business.”

Vawter  at age 15 when he shadowed chefs at the Keystone Ranch restaurant. Thrust into the fast-paced nature of the kitchen, Vawter became enthralled by a demanding, yet collaborative, environment. 

On a busy day at Rootstalk, Vawter may have 20 people working in his kitchen, “and everybody has to be completely on point to reach that goal for what we’re trying to achieve for that dinner service.”

“It’s a special dance, it’s adrenaline, high-pressure, high-stakes — while also trying to create a very calm and enjoyable experience for the people in the seats,” Vawter said. 

After graduating from Colorado Mountain College, Vawter landed his first job in fine dining at Fruition Restaurant in Denver, where he worked under the leadership of chef-owner Alex Seidel. 

Vawter “looked more like a ski bum than a cook when he first came in,” Seidel said, “but he proved quickly to be an excellent cook and excellent student of the culinary industry.”

But it wasn’t without challenge. 

“Quite honestly, Matt struggled a bit with food,” Seidel said. “I recall reaching out to other chefs in the community … and really asking them for advice for, ‘How do I develop this guy with food?'”

Vawter’s strength, Seidel said, was his desire to be the best at what he did. 

“What was so great about him is he took the information, he didn’t argue about it, he didn’t fight about it,” Seidel said. “He was young, he was hungry and he was very ambitious to continue to learn.”

And learn he did. Vawter eventually rose through the ranks to become Fruition’s chef de cuisine and, in 2014, partnered with Seidel to open Mercantile Dining & Provision in Denver’s Union Station which would become a fixture of the city’s fine dining scene. 

At Mercantile, Seidel saw Vawter hit his stride. Within the first two years of business, Seidel handed over kitchen operations to Vawter, who he said stepped up as a team leader for the staff. 

“When you learn about a team mentality and that it takes everybody … you look at a team differently,” Seidel said. “There’s a lot of chefs in this industry that are about themselves and about their own ego, and that was never the case for Matt.”

For Seidel, Vawter became family. The two spent a week-long stint in Europe together, Vawter’s first time traveling to the continent. There, they visited some of the great wine and food regions of the world, from Burgundy, France to Barolo, Italy. 

With talk of “chasing stars and drinking vino,” Seidel said he and Vawter made a point of eating at as many Michelin star restaurants as possible, seeking inspiration from world-class kitchens. 

Harnessing those experiences, Seidel said Vawter has gone on to create new opportunities in Breckenridge  in 2020 , a modern Italian eatery, in 2022. 

“Matt’s always been a tremendous leader and a tremendous mentor,” said Cameron Baker, Rootstalk’s chef de cuisine. “His goal was always just to bring up the best in people, and I feel like it shows in his restaurants.”

Baker said he first met Vawter during his own graduation ceremony from Colorado Mountain College’s culinary program. Vawter, who was working at Mercantile at the time, attended as a guest speaker. The two struck up a conversation and, before he knew it, Baker was working at Mercantile before later moving to Fruition. 

“He made a joke that one day we should go back home and do something in Breckenridge,” Baker said. “In July 2020, he called and said it was time and asked if I wanted to come with him.” 

Baker said Vawter’s nomination by the James Beard Foundation speaks to how much work has been done to build Rootstalk into a nationally-renowned establishment, likening the awards to the “Grammies of cooking, if you will.” 

“Restaurants are not an easy work environment,” Baker said. “You work long, hard hours and it can be overwhelming. When you get recognition like this it really shows how far the team has come since day one.”

Now, Vawter and his team , furthering the mountain town’s status as a place where residents and visitors alike can find great food. It’s a movement Vawter said he’s seen over the past decade as chefs eager to push their creative boundaries leave metropolitan spaces in favor of smaller, more rural communities. 

“I think that the impacts of that — our ability to utilize local farmers and bring in products from around the state — adds to the fabric of the town,” Vawter said. 

But food is only one part of making a restaurant great. From the way guests are spoken to on the phone when making a reservation to how they’re greeted at the door, Vawter said it’s all invaluable to the dining experience. 

“Without that all coming together, the food is just a plate of food,” he said. 

As someone who was once a leader to Vatwer, Seidel said he continues to be inspired by him. 

“Being a great chef is just really 20% about being a great cook, there’s so much more to it,” Seidel said. “He’s put his whole life’s work towards this — being not just a chef but someone who is respected in the field that he works.”

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