Vegan eatery makes most of golden opportunity

FORT COLLINS — September is a golden month in Colorado, as locals and tourists alike flock to the high country to marvel at hillsides ablaze with yellow aspen leaves. Seasoned leaf-peepers know, however, that the time to enjoy that golden aspen glory is fleeting, since a strong storm can blow those quaking leaves away and leave nothing but bare branches.

In September two years ago, a strong financial storm nearly meant the end of The Gold Leaf Collective. The five-month-old vegan restaurant was beset by costly repairs or replacement of kitchen equipment. Its finances couldn’t keep up,…