Colorado Springs pizza kitchen has new chef and lunch hours | Table Talk
Mar. 8—Fillmore Pizza Kitchen, 3150 N. Chestnut St., in the lobby of Best Western Plus Fillmore Inn, just west of Interstate 25, has a new executive chef and there are new lunch hours.
Melissa Alarid is helming the kitchen where pizza is the signature menu offering. But the menu doesn't shy away from calzones, lasagna, meatball sliders, Italian sub sandwiches, salads, garlic knots, wings and spinach artichoke dip either. She has recently added a third dessert option to the original two: the cannolis and a giant chocolate chip cookie baked in a skillet. Her new creation is a caramel apple calzone with cream cheese dipping sauce.
"I've worked five years on my apple pie filling," she said. "And when I started cooking here, I decided that the filling would make a great calzone."
It was a good idea. The steaming, cinnamon apple filling is delicious with apples that are al dente (read not mushy and overcooked). And the vanilla cream cheese dipping sauce is amazing.
Alarid attended culinary school in Portland, Ore., and has worked at The Broadmoor. From the looks of the packed dining room and the constant flow of to-go pizza boxes being picked up, it looks like the Fillmore Pizza Kitchen is catching on.
Dine in or order online at DoorDash. Hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Enjoy a full bar with daily happy hour specials running 4-6 p.m. Details: 719-635-5955, fillmorepizzakitchen.com.
New chef on board
The French Kitchen, 4771 N. Academy Blvd., has a new pastry chef instructor, Nate Potter, who came to Colorado Springs for a culinary externship at The Broadmoor Hotel, which turned into 18 years of employment where he became the pastry chef manager.
Blandine Mazéran, owner of The French Kitchen, is over-the-top excited to have Potter on board.
"This is the news you've been waiting 10 years for," she announced in her January newsletter. "We have macaron classes. It's true. But we're not stopping at just a macaron class. We have added 12 new classes on our calendar, mostly for adults, but some are for kids. This is the first time in the history of The French Kitchen that we have a pastry chef on our chef instructor team."
In February, Potter started doing his Macaron 101 classes. Having attended one, I found Potter to be highly talented in leading a group through the process of making the famous French cookies. Each class member successfully produced 14 of the treats to take home. Macaron 101 is a requirement before moving on to Macaron 202.
"Our first class you will learn the basic technique of making the macarons," he said. "In the second class, you will refine the techniques you have learned today to produce a professional-looking macaron."
In Mazéran's February newsletter, she announced The French Kitchen will start delivery to areas in Pueblo and Canon City on Wednesdays, Larkspur, Castle Rock, and Lone Tree on Thursdays, and Woodland Park, Cascade, and Divide on Fridays.
Hours are 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, and 7 a.m. — 3 p.m. Saturdays. Details: 719-528-6295, tfkcc.com.
Sweet shop move
Sweet Addict Bakery has closed the Stetson Hills location and consolidated operations to 327 N. Tejon St., formerly known as Crafted Colorado where the bakery got its start 18 years ago. There was a grand reopening of the shop on March 1. Hours are 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sundays.
Visit sweetaddictbakery.com.
Passport to global cuisine
The American Culinary Federation Pikes Peak Chefs Chapter will have its popular Culinary Passport at The Broadmoor Cheyenne Lodge, 4199 S. Club Drive, 5:30-8:30 p.m. April 1. For $67.76 you enjoy global cuisines from the following chefs:
— Jay Gust, Ascent Restaurant Group — Cajun
— Susanna Maestas, Susanna Comfort Cuisine — Mexico
— Ashley Brown, Brother Luck/Four by Brother Luck — Spain
— Supansa Banker, Chefs Roots — Africa
— Matt De Laurell, Springs Rescue Mission — Jamaica
— Matt Richardson, Cheyenne Mountain Country Club — Ireland
— Kelley McCann, Garden of the Gods Resort & Spa
— Ian Dedrickson, Ephemera — Puerto Rico
— Nathan Dirnberger, Royal Gorge Route Railroad — USA
— Richard Carpenter, Pikes Peak State College — Italy
— Michael Paradiso, Pikes Peak State College — Italy
— Kevin Baker, Castle Pines Golf Club — Netherlands
— Jacob Cheatham, Homa at Kinship Landing — Ghana
An endowment from the fundraiser will be awarded to CHOW, Culinary Hospitality Outreach and Wellness. More information and tickets at www.pikespeakchefs.com/ culinary-passport-2023/.
Contact the writer: 636-0271.
