WHO WE ARE - Arugula Restaurant

 THE ARUGULA TEAM Chef Proprietor Alec Schuler WHO WE ARE Chef/Proprietor Alec Schuler was born and raised in the suburbs of New York by immigrant European parents. As a teenager, Alec began bussing tables and became captivated by restaurants, the food industry, and the creativity that goes into preparing food. After graduating from CU Boulder, he again landed in the restaurant scene and the spark was re-­‐kindled. In his late 20's Alec enrolled at Manhattan’s nutrition-­‐oriented Natural Gourmet Institute and fell even more in love with inventing innovative dishes and putting flavors together. His extensive world travels have strongly influenced his outlook on world cuisines. After eating his way around the world for a few years, he found his culinary interests resonating most with the cuisine of Italy. Thanks to his half-­‐Italian wife, Gabriella, and her extended family in Italy, some of their travels included many amazing Italian feasts. Thus, the seed of Arugula Restaurant was sown. After spending time in the kitchens of Boulder's famed L'Atelier and Niwot's Treppeda's Italian Ristorante, chef Alec Schuler opened Arugula, his first Boulder restaurant. Gabriella and Alec are proud and busy parents of four young sons. Alec is a graduate of CU Boulder (1995) and Manhattan’s Natural Gourmet Institute (2001). As an avid biker (and bike commuter), skier/boarder, mountain lover and qigong practitioner, he is mindful of the importance of a wholesome and healthy diet. His nutrition-­‐oriented culinary training, culinary passions and lifestyle all come through on the innovative menus he creates at his award-­‐winning restaurants – Arugula and Tangerine. Executive Chef Sven Hedenas Executive Chef Sven Hedenas grew up in Stockholm, Sweden, where he studied art and music. In 1995 he came to Boulder, CO where his family owned the 14th Street Bar & Grill. Sven joined the family business learning the intricate details of running a restaurant and very busy kitchen. He spent 22 years as the executive chef at the 14th Street Bar & Grill, where he served the traditional American fare the restaurant was famous for, as well as the cuisine and wine inspired by his travels and extensive reading. French cooking is his first passion, but he also finds inspiration in modern and traditional cuisine from his native land of Sweden. Arugula -­‐ 2785 Iris Ave, Boulder, CO 80304 -­‐ 303.443.5100 -­‐ Arugularistorante.com At Arugula, Sven manages the day-­‐to-­‐day kitchen operations. He works with local farms and purveyors to ensure fresh seasonal ingredients are used to carefully curate each menu. He uses his culinary creativity and inspiration from Boulder’s local farms to create a new menu for the restaurant twice per week. When not cooking, he enjoys staying in shape, classical music, good wine and people. General Manager & Wine Director Ari Karra Originally from Greece, Ari came to the U.S. in 1998, fulfilling his dream of becoming part of the culinary community. During his early years he traveled extensively throughout Europe, working in Austria, Germany and Italy along the way. Inspired by the diversity that the European cu lture offered, he quickly learned the local languages, and adopted the philosophies and cultural values, giving him global perspective above and beyond his background in Greek culture. Ari started working at a local restaurant on the beautiful island of Santorini, Greece in the early 90s, where he learned the ins and outs of the restaurant world. Soon after, he moved to Austria to study at the Culinary Art Institute in Innsbruck. There, he worked with some of the greatest cooks and Austrian sommeliers, fine tuning his culinary craft and wine knowledge. He spent time at Hotel Central, a five-­‐star hotel in Solden, which specialized in cooking and fine dining service. His passion and knowledge for wine led him to study at ISG, where he graduated with a sommelier diploma. After spending 10 years at L’Atelier in Boulder, Ari joined the Arugula team in 2012 as the General Manager. Here he manages the daily operations of the restaurant, taking the Arugula dining experience to the next level with his warm and friendly hospitality. When not at work Ari loves running, biking and cooking with family and friends. ABOUT THE ARTISTS OF ARUGULA Javan M. Stackley Arugula’s elegant interior is home to unique selection of art hand-­‐crafted by Javan M. Stackley. Each piece was commissioned by chef/owner Alec Schuler and came to life through the master craftsmanship of Javan Stakley. These original installations have been curated with antique culinary tools that Alec has collected over the years creating a captivating and authentic setting for local foodies at both Arugula and it’s private dining space, Amaro. Arugula -­‐ 2785 Iris Ave, Boulder, CO 80304 -­‐ 303.443.5100 -­‐ Arugularistorante.com Father, Artist, Chef, Javan, has been in love with this mortal coil, fascinated by the visual and tactile record of our human narrative for almost half a century. He is still thoroughly engrossed in his classical education, traveling extensively, perpetually learning; from two early apprenticeships, his elders, and from many great books. Javan has worked on collaborative projects with other artists around the world, from the Shona and Ndebele artists in Zimbabwe to the Maori and Kiwi in Aotearoa, and of course with Alec Schuler on the Arugula project. Stackley is currently residing in Longmont Co. carving stone and casting bronze editions. Bryce Widom Arugula’s newly renovated dining room is home to a beautiful wall of original food and wine related chalk art created by Bryce Widom. Bryce is a self-­‐taught chalk-­‐pastel artist and oil painter, staking his home in Boulder, Colorado, at the edge of the Rocky Mountains. Most of Bryce's artworks are directly influenced by the current season. A growing awareness of the cycles of nature -­‐ of nurturing and cultivating, budding and blossoming, fruiting, harvesting, and letting go -­‐ has served to soften his lifelong (and maddening) obsession with perfectionism. Bryce also finds this letting go to be available in the surrender of one’s inhale into the exhale, the falling away of every thought and sensation and emotion, the inevitable death of every loved one, every being, every moment. Whether creating a temporary chalk artwork and erasing it at the end of the season, or birthing permanent pieces to be framed behind glass, Bryce’s awareness is increasingly illuminated by the temporality of the artwork he is breathing life into, and the undying source beneath each creative act. Inspiration for his work rises from the soil of experience. Engagement and depth of vision is cultivated through silence, meditation, qigong, kung fu, filipino blade fighting, time in nature, entheogenesis, husbanding, fathering, authentic-­‐relating, and free-­‐drawing. His philosophy is that doing the work, daily, increases artistic vision and skill. Arugula -­‐ 2785 Iris Ave, Boulder, CO 80304 -­‐ 303.443.5100 -­‐ Arugularistorante.com