Food Fraîche: A True European Kitchen Comes to Niwot
By Michelle Gilles
Photos by Erin Lundquist

Heap and his wife, Carol Vilate, have been fortunate enough to come across a gorgeous restaurant space (formerly Le Chantecler, in Niwot) at a time when focusing on sustainable and organic menus makes sense. Located on a corner lot of almost an acre, with towering cottonwood trees, it will soon be surrounded by a large garden to support Heap’s goal of using local, organic ingredients for his Southern France- and Northern Italy-inspired menu. The name Colterra comes from Latin words meaning “cultivate” and “earth.”

Not more than 15 minutes from downtown Boulder, the restaurant occupies a refurbished barn—the dining room—attached to a smaller, historic 1875 house, which is used for catered parties. Both buildings are warm and inviting, with wooden chairs, white tablecloths, and oil paintings—landscapes and portraits—that create an air of easy European elegance. Patio seating overlooking the garden is set to open by June.

Classically trained at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., Heap left for the West Coast after graduation and worked at L’Orangerie in Los Angeles before moving to San Francisco and the wine country. He then went to France to work in the Michelin three-star kitchens of Alain Ducasse and Georges Blanc to sharpen his skills and learn the nuances of French cooking. His time in Europe left a deep impression on Heap. He has embraced the way European chefs procure and prepare the freshest possible ingredients of the region and the season, as opposed to the more menu-driven American approach.

Chef and owner Bradford Heap

Buying Local

After his travels, Heap moved to Boulder in hopes of working here or in the nearby ski resorts. Seventy-five résumés later, he took a chef position at the Pearl Street Inn. Soon thereafter, Heap became a chef/partner at the Full Moon Grill before simultaneously taking on the same position at the Chautauqua Dining Hall. Now, 17 years after culinary school, Heap is the proud owner of his own restaurant.

Ownership brings a higher level of responsibility, though, especially now that he and his wife have 2-year-old twins at home. The reward is in “allowing my morals to work in concert with my business,” Heap says, “and the chance to serve food procured outside of the industry food chain.” This, to him, is the core concept behind a sustainable, environmentally conscious restaurant. He buys directly from Long’s Family Farm, Oxford Garden, Red Wagon Farm, Haystack Mountain Goat Dairy and other producers.

Perfect for a summer lunch or dinner are Colterra’s small plates—about 20 of them—which lend themselves to sampling and sharing. A recent selection included duck-liver pâté with brandied figs and warm toast; an array of artisanal cheeses; roasted Marcona almonds; salads like warm goat cheese with local greens, bacon and mustard vinaigrette; and Lasater Ranch skirt steak with French Roquefort and crisp onions. Smaller dishes are also conducive to experimenting with wines. The restaurant serves at least 16 by the glass, keeping opened bottles impeccably fresh with a cuvinet system that dispenses a layer of nitrogen to prevent oxidation.

Symphonies of Flavor

In addition to small plates, Heap has developed a menu of eight to 10 main courses nightly. Summer choices include grilled Colorado lamb T-bone with balsamic-roasted onions and fingerling potatoes; pepper-crusted ahi tuna steak with garlic mashed potatoes, herb-roasted Roma tomatoes and roasted asparagus, served with a balsamic brown butter; the risotto of the evening; and pan-roasted Alaskan halibut with local greens, avocado, citrus, shaved fennel, and shallot-roasted potatoes. When dessert time rolls around, chocolate fiends should know about the Chocolate Symphony, a top-selling combination of dark chocolate mousse, pot de crème, biscotti, ganache and ice cream. Heap says not to overlook the Provençal citrus and almond tart with crème fraîche.

Colterra’s chef de cuisine, Kevin Kidd, says he is excited about the opportunity to work with Heap at his new restaurant, and he loves the creativity that comes along with ultrafresh ingredients. Kidd expects the outdoor patio and garden to be a big hit with diners, too, because they’ll be able to see where some of the inspiration for the menu comes from. Another admiring employee is general manager Micah Nushawg, who honors Heap’s expertise in “knowing what to pair together.” Like Heap’s truffled chèvre polenta with basil whipped potatoes, for example: “You don’t think to put those [flavors] together,” Nushawg says, but Heap’s loyal, enthusiastic following—both patrons and staff—suggests that the pairings work, deliciously.

From the day Bradford Heap climbed the cupboards in his mother’s kitchen, found the bitter cooking chocolate, and turned it into a sweet pot of fudge, he has known he has an affinity for food. And now, after years of training, traveling to taste the cuisine of his heart, and taking the leap into buying his own place, Heap has found that the rewards are sweet when you’re surrounded by the food you love in an environment that literally supports your passion.

| Michelle Gilles is a freelance writer and diner who loves nothing more than sampling Boulder County eats. She lives in Boulder with her husband, who happily allows her to drag him to every restaurant in town.

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