Here’s a longish read for the weekend. It’s from an archive I call “Travels with Reshan.” I’m offering it, with Reshan’s encouragement, because anyone in a classroom is about to “start from seed.” Here’s an excerpt to whet your appetite:

At one point, [Mason] looked up and he said, “You’re gonna want to watch this next preparation, because it takes 75 touches.” We immediately wanted to understand if the dishes in Rioja were all thought through on that level. Second, we noticed the interaction with the chefs and  the people on the floor. They were great about popping in to the meal, almost right after we had tasted something great, as if to punctuate — with an exclamation point — the experience. When we pointed out these nuances to Chef Tim, he explained the ways in which they are deliberate but unplanned, coining one of our favorite new expressions in the process: “one-of-a-kind, one-at-a-time experiences.”

And here’s the rest of the interview / article. Thanks again to Rioja Denver for hosting us and telling us some of their secrets.