Aspen’s Peach’s breakfast dish competes in national competition
The Aspen Times
Jeremy Wallace/The Aspen Times |
Peach’s Corner Cafe owner and chef David Roth’s love for cooking started as soon as he could reach the stove.
Born and raised in New York, Roth said his childhood memories and nostalgia fuel his culinary creations — such as Peach’s signature dish and breakfast brand competitor, the Open Face sandwich.
The Thomas brand, best known for its classic English muffins, selected Peach’s Open Face dish to compete in its first-ever national chef recipe contest this year.
In honor of Thomas’ 135th anniversary, the Hometown Breakfast Battle is the largest national chef competition of its kind, featuring 135 chefs from 135 cities competing “to create America’s best breakfast” with Thomas products, according to brand spokeswoman Colleen Lynch.
With poached eggs, peach jam, bacon, heirloom tomatoes, arugula, extra virgin olive oil and shaved Parmesan on a toasted English muffin, the Open Face is Peach’s most popular dish.
Roth said he crafted the unique recipe before the cafe opened while trying to come up with breakfast dishes that he could make with eggs.
“I’m not a breakfast cook,” Roth said. “But one of my favorite things growing up were BLT sandwiches,” which he said he fondly remembers his grandmother making for him.
“I wanted to make something that had that flavor and really to deconstruct a BLT but make it for breakfast.”
And voila — the breakfast BLT was born. Peach’s Open Face is one of three breakfast dishes in Colorado competing in the Hometown Breakfast Battle.
While Roth said accolades and awards were important to him in his early years as a chef, after 35 years in the industry, he said they mean nothing to him.
“What excites me is being able to open a restaurant like Peach’s,” Roth said. “I just like to make people happy with food.”
Roth said his and Peach’s co-owner Lisa Haisfield’s goal with the restaurant was to create a place where people really felt comfortable and felt a sense of community.
“You always remember how people make you feel,” Roth said. “Especially being where we are, being so centrally located and a part of the community, to have that returned and people be happy with it, that was our goal, and it was very organic. We listen to our customers a lot and let them guide us to what they wanted as opposed to what we wanted.”
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