A good kitchen respects its sources. Good service at the table respects the kitchen, linking it to the diner and keeping the comfort and relaxation an enjoyable meal needs.
Paul Warthen
executive chef, owner
Paul grew up on a 500-acre dairy farm in western Maryland, milking 300 cows twice a day. His Granny fed the family and all the farm hands three meals a day and ran the kitchen for the biggest restaurant in town. Around those tables he began to understand kinship and community.
His cooking has taken him to every coast: the Patina Group in Los Angeles, Roy Yamaguchi and Marc Vetri in Philadelphia, 10 years in New York City, and 2 years in the Shenandoah Valley managing the culinary side of an 800-acre organic farm. Everywhere Paul has gone, he has worked with the farmer. That's what brought him to Potager.
Eileen Warthen
wine buyer, director of operations, owner
A native New Yorker, Eileen did her research before moving to Denver and kept finding Potager at the top of her list. After stints in fashion production, preschool teaching, vineyard work and race car driving, her passion for wine kept pulling her back to hospitality.
She became a certified sommelier in 2017 and still loves being on the floor. In her spare time she walks her boxer, Butcher, suffers through marathon training, adds to her vinyl collection and roots for the Yankees. In November 2019 she and Paul welcomed a baby pterodactyl they call Gardy.
Teri Rippeto
opening chef, original owner, artist
Teri cooked professionally for 35 years and opened Potager with her dad, Tom, in May 1997. She established the belief that the meal is at the center of human experience. She now paints from her home studio in coastal Maine. See her work.
and everyone else
Potager is made up of a team of incredibly hardworking folks committed to the beliefs and philosophies of the restaurant. None of this would be possible without each and every one of them, past, present and future.
We're hiring. If you're an interested professional, email Eileen for more information. Serious restaurant people only.
