Jake Connolly was born and raised in Arvada, Colorado where he had a background of family and friends sharing, and cooking fresh food as a community. He started his Culinary career at Johnson and Wales University, Denver campus where he excelled and graduated with honors. Towards the end of his degree, he acquired an internship at Mercantile Dining and Provision where he worked through the ranks learning from Chefs Matt and Cameron until he became the lead line cook. After a few years of working for Chef Matt, Jake went his own path to further study the making of fresh, handmade pasta. With the opening of Radicato on the horizon, Jake was reunited with Chefs Matt and Cameron to take on his first sous chef role and help to head the pasta program at their new endeavor. Jake's passion for food and hospitality drives his desire to help lead the kitchen to create the highest quality of food and service possible, while sharing the knowledge and experience that he has gained to begin to train the next generation of chefs.

Josh Sutherland grew up in Nashville, Tn. Over the last 14 years he has seen all sides of the industry. Developing a true passion for food and beverage while attending the University of Tennessee for business management. After moving to Denver he found a home at Mercantile Dining & Provision in 2018 with Matt Vawters team. Josh moved to Breckenridge with the team to help open Rootstalk in 2020. Josh left Rootstalk to help open Radicato in 2022 as the manager. With a passion for all sides of the business he continues to develop the team at Radicato to offer genuine hospitality in a comfortable environment. Josh wants the restaurant to excel in creating memorable experience for all guests in a team-oriented environment. Josh continues to believe in our motto of “Better every day” and always push to learn, grow, and help the team to offer the best food/service that they can.

Madison Church was born and raised in Naples, FL. She began working in restaurants as a teenager and soon found a passion for great food and beverage. It wasn’t long before she fell in love with wine. ‘It’s the cross section of my favorite things; art, history, science and travel in liquid form.’ After moving to Denver, CO in 2018 she began working with Chef Matt Vawter at Mercantile Dining and Provision. With the help of many incredible Denver wine professionals she fully committed to a life of swirling, sniffing and sipping wine and became a Certified Sommelier (CMS-A) in the fall of 2019. She has travelled to Tuscany, Piedmont, Napa and more striving to connect with the people and sites that produce the some of the worlds greatest wines. Now the Wine Director at Rootstalk and Radicato she can be found pouring delicious, thoughtfully made wines with a sense of place for our guests.

Matt Vawter was born and raised in Summit County, Colorado. After graduating Summit High School he attended the Colorado Mountain College Culinary Apprenticeship Program in Keystone, Colorado. After completing the program at CMC he was encouraged by his mentor to leave Summit County and gain more experience in the burgeoning culinary scene in Denver. Matt joined the culinary team at Fruition restaurant led by Chef Alex Seidel. During their time together Alex and Matt proved to be a powerful duo leading Fruition to nationwide prominence and eventually partnering to open Mercantile dining & provision in Union Station at the heart of Denver. Despite the collective success of Mercantile and Fruition, Chef Vawter felt the urge to return home to his mountain roots and raise his children in Summit County. In December of 2020 he opened Rootstalk in Breckenridge with the intention to provide approachable, technique and ingredient driven food to the local community. Rootstalk is built to feel like coming home, channeling Matt’s own experience of returning back to the place that he loves so dearly. Eighteen months after Rootstalk’s opening Matt and his partners opened Radicato in the center of Breckenridge. Radicato speaks to the feeling of being deeply rooted in a place and a desire to devote your energy there. Radicato is a gathering place for both the Summit County Community and visitors to this special place

Cameron Baker was born in Exeter, New Hampshire, where he spent the first twelve years of his life. In 2002 he moved to Summit County. In 2006 at the age of 15 his culinary Journey began working at Food Hedz World Café under chef David Welch. After spending 6 years in David Welches kitchen, he left to continue his culinary education and started attending Colorado Mountain College studying culinary arts, and hospitality management under Kevin Clarke. After graduating in 2014, Cameron moved to Denver. He joined Alex Seidel and Matt Vawter’s team at Mercantile dining & provision. During the 3 ½ years at Mercantile Cameron refined his craft and worked his way up to Sous Chef. After departing Mercantile, Cameron moved to Fruition Restaurant as Sous Chef where he continued to learn and develop as a chef under the guidance of Alex Seidel. In November of 2020, Cameron returned back home to Summit county to help Matt Vawter open Rootstalk as the Chef De Cuisine. Now Cameron is the Chef De Cuisine of both Rootstalk and Radicato as well as a partner in both businesses. Being a chef is challenging. It takes perseverance and determination. He believes it’s important to create an environment where everyone is passionate, excited, and constantly pushing forward to better their craft and provide a memorable dining experience for guests.

Patrick Murphy was raised in Broomfield, Colorado. After graduating from Regis University in Denver he spent 10 years working in various restaurants in the metro area. He joined Matt Vawter’s team at Mercantile dining & provision in 2016. Acting as bar manager for four years Patrick refined his craft as a bartender, honed in his style of hospitality and grew as an effective leader. Patrick moved to Breckenridge in November of 2020 to help open Rootstalk as the general manager with Chef Vawter and Chef Cameron Baker. He is now the Director of Hospitality for both Rootstalk and Radicato and is a partner in both businesses. Under his leadership the service teams provide a genuine, caring, and team oriented style of service and hospitality. Patrick believes restaurants and hospitality can provide a peaceful reprieve from the stresses of daily life. Creating memorable dining experiences for his guests motivates him to continue to seek excellency for his service team and himself.