Kawa Ni and Don Memo

Invoice Taibe is about to be an empty-nester and when thinking about where he’d like to expend the 2nd 50 percent of his lifetime, Denver tops the record.

The 46-12 months-outdated chef is obtaining prepared to expand his cafe chain to Denver from Westport, Connecticut.

Up coming yr, Taibe and his business enterprise associate Massimo Tullio are opening Kawa Ni, a Japanese pub, in the drop of 2023 in a former fireplace station at the intersection of west 32nd Avenue and Erie Road in LoHi. In 2023, the associates purpose to open Don Memo, a creative acquire on Mexican fare, at 1804 S. Pearl St. in Platt Park.

“We’ve fallen in really like with the metropolis and point out and all the things they have to supply us,” Taibe mentioned. “These two concepts have been developed to increase and, when contemplating about exactly where we required to take them, we resolved as a team that we’d significantly desire to devote our time out in Colorado.”

Taibe and Tullio commenced For the Food stuff restaurant group in Westport, Connecticut, in 2012 with their to start with restaurant collectively identified as The Whelk, an oyster bar. They’ve due to the fact opened Kawa Ni in 2014 and Don Memo in 2020.

Tullio’s stepson lately moved to LoHi for his vocation, and his stepdaughter briefly went to the University of Colorado Boulder.

“My partner’s travels about the previous couple of many years truly struck a chord with him,” Taibe stated. “He’s been talking about undertaking small business and generating a private shift out to Denver. It really begun to spark my interest, and I am an avid skier, so that plays a big portion in wherever I want to shell out the second part of my existence.”

Taibe’s son is in school in Alabama and his other son is about to head to CU Boulder in the slide.

Tullio is obtaining ready to shift to Denver, and Taibe stated he will finally do the very same.

The duo leased Kawa Ni’s 3,500-square-foot house for 10 yrs previous 7 days. They prepare to total a $1.5 million renovation on the area, which include introducing partitions of cedar, tile, wallpaper and classic Japanese artifacts. Rocco Dileo, a New York-dependent architect who made Bar Taco and Barelona’s restaurants, will style and design equally of Taibe’s places.

Broker Ken Himel with David/Hicks & Lampert represented Taibe and Tullio in equally their bargains, and Kelly Greene and Lara Silversmith with Legend Companions represented the LoHi landlord.

Kawa Ni, which is encouraged by Taibe’s travels to Japan, has a relaxed placing and serves smaller, shareable plates, like temaki hand rolls, noodles and ramen, dumplings and salads. Drinks consist of Japanese whiskey, bourbons, sake and cocktails.