“Ask A Chef” is part of an on-going series in which we pose a single question to a local culinary luminary.

For this installment, we sought out Justin Brunson, the charismatic chef behind the two-month-old Old Major in LoHi and the co-owner of Masterpiece Deli. He also recently launched the Denver Bacon Co.

5280: If you could emulate any one chef’s career, who would it be and why?

JB: It would be Martin Picard [the chef of Montreal’s Au Pied de Cochon and Cabane à Sucre Au Pied de Cochon], because he doesn’t care about what everyone thinks. He cooks the food he wants to cook, and cooks with his own style.

Bonus: For more on Picard, read this Bon Appétit story. Then, make this recipe for maple syrup–soaked doughnut holes.

—Photo by Ryan Conklin