When Matt Vawter, a Summit High School graduate, saw an opportunity to move back up to the mountains and take over a restaurant building in Breckenridge, he seized the moment.
His new restaurant, Rootstalk, features fine dining menu options without feeling stuffy, Vawter said.
Vawter was previously working as the executive chef at Mercantile Dining & Provision in Denver, where he met Patrick Murphy, now the general manager of Rootstalk. After working with Murphy for the past four years, Vawter said he’s always appreciated his knowledge and professionalism. And when Vawter he said he was headed for Summit County, Murphy jumped on board.
On November 20, Mercantile Dining & Provision closed its Union Station dining room, just like every other restaurant in Colorado counties designated Level Red by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. But chef/owner Alex Seidel didn t switch to serving food to-go or in heated domes on the restaurant s patio. Instead, there was just a note on Mercantile s website stating that the kitchen was closed until further notice.
And that day has come: Mercantile is opening for takeout today with new team members who will help Seidel guide his six-year-old restaurant through the winter and into an eventual full reopening. Mercantile s previous executive chef and partner, Matt Vawter, left earlier this year to open his own restaurant, Rootstalk, which debuted in Breckenridge on December 10. Vawter had been with Seidel for more than a dozen years, starting at Fruition, Seidel s first eatery.