Gattara, the cheeky cat-themed Italian restaurant located inside the Warwick Hotel off 17th Avenue and Grant Street, welcomed a new chef in April, and he's been busy. “We saw a need to not only revamp our existing menu, but to address a need in the Denver market — offering a truly authentic Italian experience,” says David Breeden, the restaurant’s general manager and director of food and beverage for the hotel.

And there's nothing more authentic than bringing in "an Italian from Italy," Breeden adds, so the restaurant recruited chef Mimmo Faid, who is originally from northern Italy and most recently worked in New York City. After arriving in the Mile High, he immediately got to work on revamping the menu and imparting his culinary philosophy.