12 November 2025
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Two MICHELIN Stars, five restaurants and one unstoppable partnership — Chef Johnny Curiel and his wife and business partner, Kasie Curiel, are charting a new course for modern Mexican cuisine from the Rocky Mountains to the beaches of South Carolina.
For Johnny, it’s a full-circle story — a lifetime in the making. Born and raised in Guadalajara, he moved to Denver as a teenager, chasing opportunity and an education that would eventually lead him home again — at least on the plate. Twice he enrolled in culinary school — and twice he dropped out — when real-world opportunities with Richard Sandoval and Troy Guard proved too valuable to pass up.
In just two years, Fonda Fina Hospitality has evolved into a restaurant group grounded in intention, community and passion. It began in 2023 with Alma Fonda Fina in Denver’s LoHi neighborhood — named for his mother, Alma, and meaning “fine eatery” in Spanish — which earned a MICHELIN Star in 2024 and retained it in 2025. Soon after, its lively sibling Mezcaleria Alma opened next door — a “love letter to Mexico City” — and collected a Star of its own, while Cozobi Fonda Fina in Boulder earned a 2025 Bib Gourmand for its homage to centuries-old corn traditions.
Most recently, the couple debuted Alteño inside the Clayton Hotel & Members Club — a polished yet playful tribute to Johnny’s Jaliscan Highlands roots that lets Denver diners drop in without a reservation, a welcome reprieve from the months-long waitlists at their MICHELIN-Starred hot spots. Earlier this fall, he brought that same spirit to Mexico’s Riviera Maya for a guest-chef collaboration at Rosewood Mayakoba, extending their philosophy of sharing his heritage beyond Colorado.
The next chapter is already underway with an out-of-state opening slated for Charleston in summer 2026— a restaurant marrying coastal Mexican traditions with Lowcountry culture, or as Johnny calls it, “Alteño meeting a Southern belle.”
Behind the accolades lies a partnership as intentional as their food. The Curiels first crossed paths through the restaurant industry years ago, but reconnected in 2022 — this time merging professional connection with personal chemistry. Their shared mission: creating opportunity for others.
“I don’t want anyone working for me today to still be working for me in 10 years,” Johnny says, meaning it as a promise, not a threat. “We want to help everyone grow into their own success stories.”
Before launching Fonda Fina Hospitality, Kasie spent more than a decade with Hillstone Restaurant Group, where she learned its signature gold standard of service that’s become the backbone of her young company’s ethos.
Their combined paths have powered remarkable growth. What began as a 12-person opening team at Alma Fonda Fina has expanded to more than 160 employees across four restaurants, with notably high staff retention and a company built on gratitude and pride.
Following a whirlwind year, the duo sat down with The MICHELIN Guide to talk leading with love, building a brand rooted in authenticity, and what’s next for their growing family empire.
Your cooking is deeply rooted in family. How did your childhood influence the
chef you are today?
Johnny: Everything I cook goes back to Guadalajara. My mom taught me that food isn’t just sustenance — it’s connection. I grew up in my family’s restaurant kitchen, washing dishes, watching my uncles cook and learning what hard work really meant. That experience taught me discipline — to show up, to pay attention, to respect every ingredient and every person in the kitchen. When I came to Denver as a teenager, I carried that all with me. Naming my first restaurant after my mom was my way of saying thank you — she’s the reason I fell in love with food in the first place.
How did you set the foundation for Fonda Fina Hospitality’s rapid growth?
Johnny Curiel: From the start, Kasie and I knew we weren’t just opening one restaurant — we were building a movement. Alma Fonda Fina was proof that we could tell a deeply personal story through fine dining without losing its soul. Every concept since adds a new layer to that story.Kasie Curiel: For us, it started with alignment. Johnny had the creative vision; I focused on the
foundation—people, systems, culture. The goal was always to build something that could grow without losing its heart.
Your team’s service has become a signature. How do you maintain that across so many concepts?
Kasie: My years at Hillstone shaped everything. They taught me that genuine hospitality isn’t about perfection — it’s about anticipation. You can teach technique, but not warmth. Hillstone drilled in that every detail matters — from how you greet a guest to how you make them feel seen. We hire for heart, not just skill, and that’s what keeps the experience consistent.Johnny: The food brings people in, but the hospitality brings them back. Our restaurants feel real, not rehearsed. The energy when you walk into one of our restaurants — that’s all her.
With back-to-back Stars, what do you think resonated most with not only
inspectors, but critics and guests?
Johnny: Authenticity. You can’t fake flavor—you can taste when something comes from the heart. Alma [Fonda Fina] was built on memory—family, childhood, Mexico. I don’t chase trends; I chase emotion.Kasie: Connection. People can feel when something’s real. I think Inspectors recognize when a
restaurant isn’t just serving food, it's creating belonging. That’s what makes the experience special.
Your annual MICHELIN Awards after-party has become legendary among Denver’s culinary crowd. At Mezcaleria Alma, one of your chefs has the MICHELIN logo tattooed on his arm —quite the souvenir. What do those moments mean to you as leaders?
Johnny: That night was about our team, not about me. When we got the first Star, I wanted everyone to feel like they owned that moment. We brought in a tattoo artist, a mariachi band, a ton of mezcal — it was pure joy. Everyone who helped build Alma [Fonda Fina] got to mark it together.Kasie: It really did say everything about who we are. We’re a family. We celebrate as one. Our loyalty isn’t luck — it’s built through moments like that. When people feel seen and valued, they give their best back.
You’ve expanded from Denver to Boulder, and soon Charleston. How do you approach
growth while keeping it personal?
Johnny: We never open unless there’s something meaningful to say. Cozobi celebrates corn — the soul of Mexican cuisine. Alteño honors my father and our Jaliscan Highlands roots. Charleston will bring together the warmth of Mexican hospitality and the rhythm of the South. Every project starts with heart and ends with purpose.Kasie: Growth for us isn’t about chasing markets — it’s about alignment. Charleston came onto our radar after meeting Nikko Cagalanan and Paula Kramer, the husband-and-wife team behind Kultura and Baguette Magic, at an event, and it just clicked. We connected immediately — they invited us to visit, and by the end of the trip, we’d basically become family. The city’s buzz — the food, the welcome — felt instantly familiar. We already see it as a second home.
How does your partnership work behind the scenes?
Kasie: He’s the dreamer, and I’m the doer. He’s creativity in motion; I’m structure in motion. But we meet in the middle — that’s where the magic happens.Johnny: She’s my compass. Without her, none of this would stay on course.
Yours is a partnership built on timing — first as colleagues, then in life. How does that shape your dynamic?
Kasie: We met working together, then reconnected three years later at just the right time. We realized we shared the same drive and values. From day one, there was trust — we already knew how to work side by side, but this time we got to build something of our own.Johnny: It’s rare to find someone who understands your world and pushes you to make it better. That’s Kasie. She makes everything stronger — our business, our family, our life. And because we started with respect before anything else, that’s still what holds everything together.
How do you define success today?
Johnny: Success isn’t a Star or a headline — it’s walking through our dining rooms and seeing our people proud of what they’ve built. That’s when I know we’re doing something that matters.
Kasie: For me, it’s the sound of it — the laughter, the conversations, the flow of service. That’s what keeps me going. If we can hold onto that, we’ve already succeeded.
This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Hero image: ©Shawn Campbell/Alteno - Johnny & Kasie Curiel
