Rooted Craft Kitchen

Nicholas Kayser has always had a love for cooking. Growing up, his mother worked in the front-of-house restaurant industry, inspiring an interest in the culinary world that never disappeared for Nick. After attending undergraduate school at University of Arizona, Nick assimilated into the restaurant business and realized he wanted to take it to a higher level by attending culinary school. After graduating, he bought a one-way ticket to New York where he worked in fine dining, white tablecloth restaurants.

Following New York, Nick lived and worked in Las Vegas and Hong Kong before returning home to Denver. “Food is a universal language,” said Nick. “The culinary industry has allowed me to travel all over the world. However, as my parents got older, I decided to move back closer to my family in Colorado. After working in Denver for several years, I decided to embark on the next chapter of my journey -entrepreneurship.”

Rooted Craft Kitchen began as a concept in 2019. “Contemporary American food has always been some of my favorite to create and consume. My co-founder Scott Ericson and I decided to focus on a combination of American food with local food and a sense of Americana for our restaurant. We wanted to take the American burger and source it better, make chicken non-GMO and non-hormonal and create recognizable food for our guests with quality local ingredients.”

As a proponent of the slow food movement, Nick developed the Rooted mantra of ‘small food done fast.’ “I want to provide the same quality food that someone would get in a fine dining restaurant while eating in a more casual atmosphere. When it comes to local ingredients, we have really strong relationships with many of the vendors at the Boulder County Farmers Market. We’ve even started a blog about what foods we see at the market and give recipes and suggestions on what to do with the produce.”

In addition to serving up local ingredients in classic American style, Rooted also offers zero-proof non alcoholic beverages. “In the spirit of full inclusivity, we wanted to create a beverage program that provides the full flavor of cocktails without the added element of alcohol. All of our beverage flavors are designed to pair well with our food.”

When deciding where to open Rooted, the decision to come to Boulder was the best fit for Nick’s business. “A lot of our company philosophy is community-focused, so it was very appealing to me to open this in conjunction with other vendors at Avanti Boulder. The city itself has a strong sense of community, and we believed that our brand would resonate with the audience here that appreciates farm-to-table food. Since opening in 2020, the Boulder community has rallied around us with support.”

To support the continued success of Rooted, stop by Avanti and try something new. “We love to hear people’s feedback and see familiar faces returning. Be sure to follow us on social media (@rootedcraftkitchen) for the most up-to-date information on our menu and offerings. And catch us walking around the farmers market on Saturday mornings!”

After traveling the world, Nick landed in Boulder as his next home and the start of his entrepreneurial journey. If you’re interested in locally-sourced versions of your favorite American comfort foods, stop by Avanti Boulder and say hi to the chef. Nick would love to meet you!