Cliff Young bids Colorado au revoir.

• Author: Castaneda, Eliza
• Position: Q and A - Interview with the Colorado restaurateur - Interview

COLORADO'S STORIED RESTAURATEUR SAYS GOODBYE, FOR NOW, WITH SOME PARTING WORDS OF ENTREPRENEURIAL ADVICE

Cliff Young has been a maverick among Denver's independent restaurateurs for 30 years, with a stellar list of successes and two disappointing failures. After working at Le Profil for 12 years, he opened his own restaurant, Cliff Young's in 1984. It was instantly successful, and in the late '80s he opened three more. He formed American Concepts Restaurant Consultants Inc. in 1987, and sold his four successful properties between 1989 and 1993.

The public was not as kind to Young in the '90s. He racked up two flops, Bibelot in 1991, and the Napa Cafe in 1995. Young is now a partner in and consultant for Bobby Rifkin's Pacific Star supper club. It looks like a winner.

Last year, Young, his wife, Sharon, and partner Michael Seeley purchased a chateau on eight acres in Beaune, a small town in Burgundy, France. Young now is raising capital to develop the property as a hotel, restaurant and wine-tasting room. And he has entered into a cooperative venture with Novato, Calif.-based Kalin Cellars winery to produce wine on the property.

Young said he and Sharon plan to live in Beaune eight or so months per year, and spend the rest of the time in Colorado. So ColoradoBiz bids au revoir, not adieu, to one of the state's top restaurateurs.

Cbiz: What led to your decision to develop your next project overseas?

CY: I would call it an epiphany. Sharon and I were sitting outside at a restaurant in Beaune, and I was considering what could be a culmination to my 30 years of work. I thought it would be hard to exceed Cliff Young's in terms of reputation and timing, and therefore my destiny in Denver would be to un-exceed myself. And then we looked out at the vineyards and said, how about doing something right here? We spent the next few years finding and acquiring the property.

Cbiz: How would you describe your vision for the project?

CY: The hotel will be small and personal, with just six extraordinary suites. It will be exclusive and expensive. We'll have an intimate, 25-seat restaurant serving fabulous food, complemented by wine-tasting room. We'll bring in guest chefs from time to time, and I want to do tastings in the area and seminars. Guests can ride horses, play croquet, stroll the fruit orchards on the property or simply relax in the garden.

Cbiz: Will you serve French food?

CY: No, we won't attempt French food. What we serve will be purely American...