This week, we caught up with Chris Mosera, owner and chef extraordinaire of Denver restaurant: Aiko – A Unique Eatery. Aiko is a small counter service offering homemade popsicles and colorful sandwiches made with unique ingredients. Check them out if you haven’t already!
Q: How about a quick background on you: the man, the myth, the legend, Chris Mosera?
A: I am a native New Yorker, born and raised. I have been working in restaurants since I was 13 years old.
Q: How did you get started with Aiko?
A: I started out with one cart at a local farmers market making some cool flavored popsicles. Then I got a second and a third cart, then the shop. We never wanted a shop, but we ran out of hours at the facility that we were producing them at, so Aiko – A Unique Eatery was born.
Q: What does Aiko specialize in making?
A: We specialize in our Gourmet PoPs and our artisan Sandos. –> (sandwiches)
Q: What’s the best and worst part of owning your own restaurant?
A: I can’t speak for anyone else, but the best part of owning a little shop like mine is our customers. The worst thing is the long hours, but with great customers you hardly feel it.
Q: Why Colorado and why Denver?
A: Why not? This place is the best lifestyle city in the country and the best place to live in the world.
Q: How have you seen the Denver resto scene change over the years?
A: It is becoming world class. With all the new transplants it is bringing a whole new element to the scene.
Q: Let’s say I was coming over for a special dinner. What would you make?
A: Not sure, my mind doesn’t really work that way. I would go to the market and start seeing what was super fresh and groovy and I would start painting in my mind the ingredients that are in front of me. I can tell you this that dinner parties at my house are a lot of fun
Q: If you weren’t a kickass restaurant owner what would you be doing?
A: Well, I think that I would be a barber. It’s creative and you get to interact with your customers. Kind of like it is at Aiko.
Q: What has your experience with Foodee been like?
A: All of the Foodee peeps are great to work with. I love working with Foodee and they are helping me grow my small little empire.
Homemade popsicles, are you kidding me?!