Behind the Scenes: Fruition Restaurant
Take a peek inside one of Denver's best restaurants. Photos by McCall Burau
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Fruition Restaurant: All hands on deck—it’s menu change night in the kitchen of Fruition Restaurant 
Fruition Restaurant: Morel mushrooms dry above the range. They’ll soon be truffled and paired with butter poached–Columbia River sturgeon 
Fruition Restaurant: The sound of metal on metal is a constant chime as knives are sharpened and sauté pans are run across the burners 
Fruition Restaurant: Josh Rathbun minds his saucepan. The kitchen staff has been at work since early in the morning, prepping their mise and learning the new dishes 
Fruition Restaurant: Potato straws, hot from the fryer, cool on the racks. Nearby the stand mixer is working double time whipping the meringue to the proper peak 
Fruition Restaurant: The small kitchen space keeps the heat from the line heavy on the backs of the chefs 
Fruition Restaurant: Blanched asparagus gets an envious ice bath in the sweltering kitchen 
Fruition Restaurant: As service time draws near, the crew crowds around head chef Alex Seidel. He plates each new dish for the first time, and his staff memorizes the blueprints 
Fruition Restaurant: The last item on the prep list is checked off as the sweet smell from the smoker wafts through the back door, bringing with it a cool breeze 
Fruition Restaurant: Ramps wait in the window to get charred. An aimed snap of a kitchen towel results in a momentary ease of the tension 
Fruition Restaurant: Tender Belly Farm’s porchetta rests before it is slow roasted 
Fruition Restaurant: Fruition Creamery’s Pecora tops the olive oil-smashed fingerling potatoes. The battle-hardened, callused, and burned hands of the chefs delicately maneuver their knives 
Fruition Restaurant: As tickets start to crowd the window, the team of chefs quickly fall into a routine, crossing over each other in a coordinated dance of sauté, season, and garnish 
Fruition Restaurant: Head chef Alex Seidel (right) works closely with chef de cuisine, Matthew Vawter (left), putting the finishing touches on the evening’s plates 
Fruition Restaurant: Framed on a clean white plate, each dish departs the kitchen as a compilation of imaginative flavor combinations, quality ingredients, and hours of hard work 
Fruition Restaurant: The smell of fresh thyme, parsley, and chives fill the air of the back room as pork belly is rubbed down with curing herbs 
Fruition Restaurant: “Hands please!” is yelled as the marinated beef carpaccio hits the window. The request queues the servers to give the plate one last wipe before they deliver it to the table Fruition Restaurant: All hands on deck—it’s menu change night in the kitchen of Fruition Restaurant Fruition Restaurant: Morel mushrooms dry above the range. They’ll soon be truffled and paired with butter poached–Columbia River sturgeon Fruition Restaurant: The sound of metal on metal is a constant chime as knives are sharpened and sauté pans are run across the burners Fruition Restaurant: Josh Rathbun minds his saucepan. The kitchen staff has been at work since early in the morning, prepping their mise and learning the new dishes Fruition Restaurant: Potato straws, hot from the fryer, cool on the racks. Nearby the stand mixer is working double time whipping the meringue to the proper peak Fruition Restaurant: The small kitchen space keeps the heat from the line heavy on the backs of the chefs Fruition Restaurant: Blanched asparagus gets an envious ice bath in the sweltering kitchen Fruition Restaurant: As service time draws near, the crew crowds around head chef Alex Seidel. He plates each new dish for the first time, and his staff memorizes the blueprints Fruition Restaurant: The last item on the prep list is checked off as the sweet smell from the smoker wafts through the back door, bringing with it a cool breeze Fruition Restaurant: Ramps wait in the window to get charred. An aimed snap of a kitchen towel results in a momentary ease of the tension Fruition Restaurant: Tender Belly Farm’s porchetta rests before it is slow roasted Fruition Restaurant: Fruition Creamery’s Pecora tops the olive oil-smashed fingerling potatoes. The battle-hardened, callused, and burned hands of the chefs delicately maneuver their knives Fruition Restaurant: As tickets start to crowd the window, the team of chefs quickly fall into a routine, crossing over each other in a coordinated dance of sauté, season, and garnish Fruition Restaurant: Head chef Alex Seidel (right) works closely with chef de cuisine, Matthew Vawter (left), putting the finishing touches on the evening’s plates Fruition Restaurant: Framed on a clean white plate, each dish departs the kitchen as a compilation of imaginative flavor combinations, quality ingredients, and hours of hard work Fruition Restaurant: The smell of fresh thyme, parsley, and chives fill the air of the back room as pork belly is rubbed down with curing herbs Fruition Restaurant: “Hands please!” is yelled as the marinated beef carpaccio hits the window. The request queues the servers to give the plate one last wipe before they deliver it to the table
