Tupelo Honey Cafe to open

After several years of luring Colorado breweries to the Blue Ridge Mountains, NorthCarolina is exporting something to Denver.

Tupelo Honey Cafe, an acclaimed restaurant specializing in creative takes on Southern Appalachian fare, is opening a room later this year in the Platform, a luxury high- rise near Denver Union Station.

This will be the restaurant’s first foray outside the Southeast.

“Growing outside of the Southeast and joining the Denver community is a very exciting time for us,” said Steve Frabitore, Tupelo Honey’s founder and CEO. “We are thrilled to be in Denver, create good jobs and bring our unique version of Southern Appalachian cuisine to downtown.”

Tupelo Honey launched 15 years ago in Asheville, N. C., and now has 12 locations and plans for an outpost in Atlanta.

The kitchen is helmed by executive chef Brian Sonoskus. His crew is knownfor eclectic, scratchmade dishes that are forwardlooking but tip their hat to traditional Southern cuisine.

The restaurant will offer daily brunch, plus a nightly dinner starting at 4 p. m. It will be a 5,870- square- foot room seating 212 patrons, plus a full bar and outdoor patio.

The announcement of Tupelo Honey’s jump to Denver is the latest in a subtle but interesting crosscultural vibe going on between the Front Range of Colorado and western North Carolina.

Several Centennial State breweries have Tar Heel operations, including Oskar Blues, which has a plant in Brevard, and New Belgium, which brews in Asheville, the beer capital of the Southeast.