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When Top Chef: Colorado filmed an episode in Boulder in spring 2017, chef Hosea Rosenberg (EngrPhys鈥�97) served as a guest judge.

The experience elicited strong feelings from when he competed 鈥� and won 鈥� the show in New York in 2009.

鈥淚 was super glad to not be a contestant,鈥� said Rosenberg, who lives听in Boulder and owns two restaurants, Blackbelly Market and the newly opened Santo. 鈥淚 know how stressful that show is. I would have nightmares about it when I came home.

Stress aside, Rosenberg said the show opened opportunities for him.

鈥淚 got to cook for some of the best chefs in the world,鈥� he said 鈥� Jacques P茅pin, Lidia Bastianich and Marcus Sam- uelsson, for instance. 鈥淚t proved to me I can accomplish a lot in a short amount of time if I鈥檓 forced to.鈥�

Nearly a decade later, Rosenberg 鈥� a married father of a one-year-old 鈥� has firmly established himself as one of Boulder鈥檚 own top chefs. Santo opened in late 2017 off Broadway and Alpine streets to positive customer reviews, and Blackbelly is, to many, a Boulder staple and is especially well known for its meat dishes.

With Santo, Rosenberg is tapping into northern New Mexican cuisine, a tribute to his childhood in Taos, N.M.

鈥淗ere, it鈥檚 all about green chili,鈥� he said.

Growing up, Rosenberg, 44, often visited Boulder, where his half-sister lived. When it was time for college, CU was front of mind.

鈥淚 liked the idea of going to college somewhere in the Rockies, close to my home, but far enough away that I wasn鈥檛 reminded of it every day,鈥� he said.

He majored in engineering physics and worked his first college job at the Boulder Salad Company, then located near McGuckin Hardware. Throughout college, Rosenberg worked both kitchen and engineering jobs, including a stint at CU鈥檚 planetarium. After graduation, he and a friend took time to travel.听

鈥淒uring our travels, I decided that I wanted to become a chef and not be an engineer,鈥� he said.

He was accepted into the Culinary Institute of America, but a mentor encouraged him to forgo culinary school.

鈥淢y chef mentor told me, 鈥楪et a job where you鈥檙e going to get paid to learn, rather than pay to learn,鈥欌�� he said. 鈥淚t was good advice.鈥�

Rosenberg worked at Denver and Boulder restaurants and became head chef at the now-closed Dandelion on Walnut Street at age 26. In 2008, he was selected for season five of Top Chef. His $100,000听winnings allowed him听to stay in Boulder, run a catering company, food truck, farm and, eventually, his restaurants.

All the while, he鈥檚 prioritized quality, local听ingredients and seasonal, creative menus.听

鈥淗osea knows we could make more听money if we sold commodity food听but refuses to take the easy way out,鈥� said Ian Reusch, Blackbelly and Santo鈥檚 director of operations. 鈥淭hat type of devotion is hard to find in such a cut-throat industry, and it makes all the difference.鈥�

For Rosenberg, he鈥檚 challenged to strive for more.

鈥淵ou鈥檙e only as good as the last plate of food you鈥檝e put out,鈥� he said.听

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Photo by Rachel Adams Photography

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