Chef Keegan Gerhard has a way with words.
“You can have the most exotic, crazy-ass dish. But what really matters, is the end product f$#@*%g delicious?”
Chef Keegan Gerhard of D Bar Denver is a familiar face and household name amongst food lovers and food TV lovers. Chef Keegan spent a dozen years on the Food Network in various capacities – most of it focused on his expertise and abilities as a pastry chef. He also continues in TV as a guest judge, most recently in Top Chef Colorado 2018, where he judged dishes from the likes of local chef talents Carrie Baird and Brother Luck.
Keegan has been a long-time supporter of Denver’s food culture and influencer of how Denver’s food scene is perceived nationally. He partnered with the 100’s Organization and Visit Denver (denver.org) for years to promote our fair Mile High City. The idea? To show that in Colorado, the food scene is as important as mountains and skiing, and worthy of national attention.
Keegan continues to partner with organizations he feels are passionate and excited about the local Denver food scene. He’s a member of Eat Denver (formerly DINR), “Denver’s Independent Restaurant Network” and wants to work with people who vote “non-corporate” on food and restaurants.
For Chef Keegan Gerhard, all of these accomplishments are the natural result of his core food belief: make food delicious. That phrase is so intrinsic to his culinary approach that he is known as M.I.D. Keegan, or “Make It Delicious Keegan.”
Whether he’s serving delicious food at his local eatery D Bar Denver, or on TV representing the Colorado food scene, Chef Keegan is known for his culinary passion and deep desire to elevate and highlight true local Colorado dining.
Chef Keegan at The Modern Eater’s Summer Dinner Series
This local focus is why Chef Keegan is partnering with The Modern Eater for our Summer Dinner Series 2018, and is a frequent guest and collaborator on the show. “The Modern Eater is blowing the horn for local food, and they’ve been doing it for years. And they’ve taught me things I don’t know – like I didn’t know we had hydroponic operations in Colorado. And I’m grateful for that knowledge.” Speaking of the Summer Dinner Series, he says, “I’m super psyched to be a part of it, and I think we have a really great menu planned.” Chef Keegan and his crew are paired with South River Aquaponics and is serving up a spectacular meal on July 10th, so get your tickets now.
What does Chef Keegan have in store for the Summer Dinner Series?
He has six courses to fill, and fortunately for all of us, two of those are going to be dessert courses! As someone who loves all food – but especially sweets – I was especially excited to hear that.
For the 1st course, Keegan and his team will be preparing a white corn waffle with charred pork belly. The waffles are gluten free courtesy of Gluten Free Things. The next course will be a melon, greens, pruscioutto, and kulfi dish; kulfi is an Indian ice cream, and will be a first for me. There will be a whole roasted lamb for a main course. And again, TWO desserts. One will be a soft-serve roasted peach ice cream over brioche french toast, and the other a smokey chocolate and cherry dessert using extra-special Eureka chocolate from the Guittard Chocolate Company and Laphroaig Scotch whiskey.
This is a dinner you don’t want to miss. Come dine with other local modern eaters for an intimate “chef’s table” experience with Chef Keegan and his crew!
D Bar Denver: Why the “D”?
“I’m really excited to show that D Bar is more than a dessert place. D Bar was always about 3 D’s: drinks, dining, and dessert,” Chef Keegan shares.
Although being owned by two pastry chefs (Chef Keegan and his wife, Chef Lisa Bailey) D Bar Denver has a robust savory program. My favorite is their “Things We Like To Eat” menu section, focusing on multicultural comfort food. On this part of the menu, you’ll find dishes like Chicken Fried Steak, Northern Noodles and Homemade Gnocchi. There are plenty of other styles of food on the menu as well, but one thing is consistent: they are all delicious.
Talking to Chef Keegan, it’s easy to see why: Chef Keegan is focused on creating delicious food, truly serving every diner with a special experience, and continuously striving to be better. He reflected on that moment a chef has when honing his or her culinary craft, “Sometimes you have a dish that is almost perfect. You could feel it. When a plate is perfect, or almost perfect, you can literally feel the energy going away from you when you send it out. I could have two out of three hundred plates go out that are just almost perfect. And it is all worth it, because you’re so close to perfection.”
Food Philosophies: “Take what God gave you and try to not mess it up.”
“We need to change the way we think as cooks, and have an ingredient focus,” Keegan says. “I was taught that quality [dining] start at the back door. You quickly realize that you’re responsible. It’s easy to say, ‘I don’t have the time’ and it’s just not true.” While many chefs would likely agree with Chef Keegan’s words, putting it into practice is another thing. But Chef Keegan and his team are hyper-focused on their ingredient’s quality.
One of the other iconic words-of-wisdom Chef Keegan dropped in our conversation was this: “Just take what God gave you and try to not mess it up.” The D Bar Denver menu, and The Modern Eater Summer Dinner Series menu, are good examples of this. Focus on seasonal flavors, show casing quality natural ingredients so God-given flavors shine through in the best way possible.
As Chef Keegan says, “Yes, it should be beautiful. Yes, it should be local. But above all, it should be delicious.”
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Visit D Bar Denver at 494 E 19th Ave, Denver and check out their menu here
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