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Contractor sues owners of Aspen Kitchen

Rick Carroll
The Aspen Times
File photo
C2 Photography/courtesy photo |

A local contractor is suing the owners of Aspen Kitchen and a company run by developer Mark Hunt for not making good on a debt of $255,384.

Basalt-based Summit Construction filed the breach-of-contract suit Tuesday in Pitkin County District Court, marking its latest legal effort to recoup the debt. It previously filed a mechanic’s lien on the property and also took steps to collect payment through the bankruptcy case.

Summit was the contractor on the development of the high-end Aspen Kitchen and the ’70s-style Rec Room nightclub, both of which opened in December following a series of legal disputes with Hunt over construction debts.



Located at 204 S. Galena St., the address was the former home to The Gap store before the property was redeveloped by Hunt.

The suit claims Rocky Aspen, owner of Aspen Kitchen and Rec Room, has ignored requests for payment and “refused and failed to pay Summit.”




Hunt’s 204 South Galena LLC, which owns the building, also is named as a defendant because it partnered with Rocky Aspen on the development. Hunt could not be reached for comment Tuesday. Summit’s attorney in the lawsuit, Robert Cavrell of Glenwood Springs, was unavailable for comment as well.

Summit is listed as a creditor in Rocky Aspen’s Chapter 11 case, which was declared March 11 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of Denver.

On Tuesday, attorneys for Summit Construction, 204 South Galena LLC and Rocky Aspen, among other parties, filed paperwork in the bankruptcy case saying they have failed to reach a resolution that would stop Summit from trying to collect the debt. The filing was made the same day the of the lawsuit’s filing.

“Efforts to finalize an agreement among Summit, the landlord and the debtor have not progressed,” said the document, which seeks a hearing over the dispute.

Among Rocky Aspen’s other local creditors are EBC Support ($14,760), Empire Drywall ($15,000), Lassiter Electric ($113,170), Marquez Maintenance ($20,187.50), Specialized Protective Services ($16,905) and Z Group Architects ($33,320).

Aspen Kitchen and the Rec Room continue to remain open through the bankruptcy.

Aspen Kitchen is part of a collection of restaurants in Chicago, Las Vegas and New York City, as well as Connecticut and New Jersey, under the management of Craveable Hospitality Group, which formerly had been known as the David Burke Group until July 13.

rcarroll@aspentimes.com