Chef Daniel Asher's obsession with local agriculture, sustainable sourcing and food justice has been at the heart of his almost three decades in the food and beverage industry. As Chef/Founder of EcoChef Culinary, a multi-faceted consulting and ideation company, he utilizes organic and locally-grown produce, ethically-raised meats and sustainably produced ingredients to conceptualize and execute events and bespoke leadership experiences all over the world.
Chef Daniel Asher's obsession with local agriculture, sustainable sourcing and food justice has been at the heart of his almost three decades in the restaurant industry. As the founder of Ecochef culinary and chef/co-founder of Working Title Food Group with Josh and Kate Dinar in Boulder, CO, Chef Asher is able to share the culmination of his experience and passions, while expressing the joy and inspiration that comes from gathering at the table. In both restaurant and food product industries, Chef Asher thrives on seeking the next level of dining excellence and community engagement. It’s a passion-driven mission that continues to grow.
In Spring of 2022, Daniel became radio cohost on the one-hour culinary-inspired Kitchen Table Talk on 88.5 KGNU. In 2016, Chef Asher co-founded River and Woods restaurant, on Pearl Street in Boulder, CO. Located in a century-old miner's cabin, Chef Asher's culinary focus was on providing Colorado Comfort Food in a cozy, nature-inspired setting. In Feb 2018, Chef Asher opened Acreage CiderHouse in Lafayette CO, in collaboration with STEM Ciders and Id Est Hospitality to much acclaim and success. December 2018 brought his restaurant Ash’Kara into the spotlight of the Denver culinary scene as a fresh, modern interpretation of Israeli and Middle Eastern cuisine in partnership with the Culinary Creative Group. February 2019 was the launch of Mother Tongue, a Turkish inspired Doner Kebab and falafel stand inside the new Broadway Market food hall. August 2019 brought the opening of Tributary Food Hall in Golden CO, a collective of eight local food artisan stalls anchored by an exceptional cocktail bar. February 2020 was the Sun Valley, Idaho opening of Chef Asher’s taco and tequila lounge Barrio 75, an homage to Mexican and Latin American cuisine using regional ingredients and handmade nixtamalized heirloom corn tortillas. April 2021 was the unveiling of Ash’kara’s second location in the heart of downtown Boulder CO, which was awarded Best New Restaurant Boulder County. June 2021 was the launch of Driftwind at The Reservoir, a public/private partnership with the City of Boulder at the iconic Reservoir Nature Preserve and Park.
As the former Culinary Director of the Edible Beats Group, one of the most successful independent hospitality brands in the region, Daniel helped to define true farm to table cuisine in Denver while co-conceptualizing the launch and operations of five wildly successful restaurants from 2008-2016, including Root Down, Linger, Ophelias, Root Down DIA, and Vital Root. His recipes & philosophies have been featured in Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, Gourmet, Plate, Conde Nast Traveler, Vegetarian Times, Goop, Thrillist, FSR, National Culinary Review and local news media including 5280 Magazine, The Denver Post, Westword and Local Food Shift. He has been a promotional chef for companies such as Whole Foods, Great American Beer Fest, Lundberg Farms, Santa Cruz Organics, Green Fest and Farm Aid.
When eco-conscious cooking is your passion, the bounty of Colorado’s wonderful terroir proves incredibly provocative. Chef Asher is a certified Raw Foods Chef from the Living Light Culinary Institute in California, a Chef Ambassador for the American Lamb Board, Global chef liason for Colorado Tourism Board, Co-Chair for the Chefs Collaborative Colorado Chapter, Chef Ambassador Albert Bartlett Potatoes, board member of EatDenver, Colorado liason for World Central Kitchen Chef-Corps, and the recipient of the 2015 Philanthropist Award from the Colorado Restaurant Association for his work with dozens of non-profits in Colorado and beyond.
Daniel enjoys sharing his love of Slow Food and being a catalyst for food system change with the James Beard Foundation (2019 Chefs Boot Camp Alum), Chef Action Network, and the Slow Food Chefs Alliance. Chef Daniel has spent time advocating on Capitol Hill in Washington DC with the 2018 Farm Bill thru Plate of the Union, Food Policy Action, the Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic, and the Environmental Working Group.
Served at intimate tables or to hundreds through events, corporate talks and education, Chef Asher’s love of ethically driven, relentlessly beautiful, celebratory food is a movement of it’s own in Colorado- a movement that, like the meals he imagines and creates, is whole-heartedly intended to be shared.
Chef Daniel Asher
