Western Daughters Kitchen to open at CSU Spur

DENVER – Western Daughters Butcher Shoppe, which has been operating for a decade in Denver’s LoHi neighborhood, will launch a second location called “Western Daughters Kitchen” on Jan. 6 within the new Hydro building in the CSU Spur campus, adjacent to the National Western Stock Show complex.

“We are focused on transparency in both sourcing ingredients and in our recipes, reflecting the transparency that the CSU Spur campus is heralding in with its programming,” said Kate Kavanaugh, founder of Western Daughters, in a news release.

All the meat processed at Western Daughters Butcher Shoppe comes from within 200 miles of its shop at 3326 Tejon St. in Denver and is antibiotic and hormone-free. Fifty cents of every dollar spent at Western Daughters goes back to the rancher.

According to Colorado State University, Western Daughters’ presence in the Hydro building will offer an opportunity to explore Colorado’s ecosystem and what it means to bring food from regenerative farms to tables with an emphasis on looking at water inputs, sustainability, raising practices, impacts on health, and beyond. The café will flip from breakfast items and coffee in the morning to healthy grab-and-go items for lunch, then to drinks and happy-hour offerings. All items will reflect the company’s regenerative-agriculture approach.

“When we founded Western Daughters in 2013 it was with a mission to build a bridge between urban and rural communities by bringing in 100% grass-fed and grass-finished beef and lamb and pasture-raised pork and chicken from small local regenerative farms,” said Kavanaugh. “The National Western Complex historically embodied that connection between urban and rural, a bygone time when livestock meant for the food chain entered the city, strengthening our connection to our food, where it comes from, and the people who raise it.”

The first-of-its-kind CSU Spur campus is free and open to the public and meant to connect visitors to educational experiences and careers in food, water and health. Western Daughters commitment to sustainable, regenerative agricultural practices made partnering with this local storefront a perfect fit for CSU Spur, said Jocelyn Hittle, associate vice chancellor of the Spur campus.

“Western Daughters’ commitment to educating and training is a critical part of its contribution to the Spur community,” she said. “We are excited to welcome it as a partner engaged in all steps of the food journey.”

Like CSU Spur, Western Daughters has proven commitment to outreach and inclusion efforts with its neighboring communities, and plans for local hiring, supporting local catering companies, and offering paid externship opportunities as well as complimentary workshops and training courses to local entrepreneurs.

Focus Points Family Resource Center, which operates in Denver’s Elyria-Swansea neighborhood, will connect people in its social enterprise offerings, such as Comal, with Western Daughters and CSU Spur.

“We are excited for our partners at CSU Spur on its new initiative with Western Daughters,” said Jules Kelty, executive director of Focus Points Family Resource Center. “Locally owned family businesses align with and support our mission. We hope this partnership expands opportunities for families and the community in the future.”

During the National Western Stock Show, Jan. 7-22, Western Daughters will operate at CSU Spur from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., daily. For the remainder of the year, the location will operate from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

CSU Spur focuses on engaging pre-K through 12th-grade students, families and visitors around food, water and health. CSU Spur showcases the work of the CSU System’s campuses in Fort Collins and Pueblo as well as CSU Global. It offers degree programs that originate from the campus offerings. CSU Spur brings together scientists to collaborate, puts science on display, and showcases career paths. The CSU Spur campus provides immersive learning experiences and research across three buildings: Vida, Terra and Hydro.

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