Kelly Liken, one of Colorado’s most influential and critically lauded chefs, was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her mother, an outstanding cook, was constantly exploring new recipes and seeking out fresh products at the local farmers market, which led Kelly to develop her love for cooking in high school. At 18, she landed a job preparing salads at an upscale seafood restaurant.
Kelly attended University of Boulder, majoring in physics and cooking at night to help pay the bills. However, she knew her true passion was in cuisine, so she left Boulder and enrolled at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. She interned at the renowned Inn at Little Washington, outside of Washington, D.C., and graduated first in her class in 2001.
After graduation, Kelly headed west to work at Splendido at the Château in Beaver Creek, Colorado. Her year-and-a-half tenure at the restaurant was significant, not only from a culinary perspective, but also because it was where she met her soon-to-be husband, Rick Colomitz, who was working the front of the house.
Despite offers from establishments like Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago and New York City’s Restaurant Daniel, Kelly felt, at the age of 27, that it was time to open her own restaurant in Colorado to share her own recipes and culinary perspective.
In 2004, she opened Restaurant Kelly Liken, which quickly became one of the state’s most sophisticated dining destinations. The menu reflected the incredible bounty of Colorado and a reverence for the seasons, incorporating Colorado ingredients that were sourced by family and artisanal farmers, changing with the seasons.
After more than a decade of serving guests in the finest restaurant in Vail, Kelly sold the restaurant space in May of 2015. In June 2016, Kelly and Rick opened Harvest by Kelly Liken, in Edwards, Colorado, in the heart of the Vail Valley. Harvest by Kelly Liken is a community centric, neighborhood restaurant focusing on approachable seasonal American cuisine that embraces a Rocky Mountain essence, along with an inventive cocktail and beverage program.
A James Beard nominee for Best Chef Southwest (2009, 2010 and 2011), Kelly has garnered national recognition for her creativity in the kitchen as well as her commitment and passion for her craft. She has been featured in Food & Wine and was named one of Bon Appétit’s “emerging female chefs to watch.” Kelly has also appeared on the Food Network’s Iron Chef America, NBC TODAY Show, and was a contestant on Bravo’s Season 7 of Top Chef D.C.