MediterraneanGrocery Wholesalers in Colorado Springs, CO

A festival born and bred in Denver is moving south to Colorado Springs.

After being a Denver staple for the last 39 years, the popular Colorado Indian Market and Southwest Art Fest will be held at the Colorado Springs Event Center this weekend.

The move comes after the closure of Denver Mart, the festival’s longtime home. Organizer Liz King went searching for a new location and ended up landing on a venue closer to her home. She moved from Denver to Colorado Springs about six years ago. Prior to moving, King said she doubted her new city’s cool factor.

“I thought when I moved here that I was going to miss Denver so much,” she said. “I love it here. There’s so much to do.”

You can now add the three-day Colorado Indian Market to that list of things to do.

For its 40th anniversary, the event returns with a juried selection of 150 artists and craftsmen, from painters to potters to jewelers, showing a variety of traditional Native American work as well as art inspired by Southwestern and Western themes.

The lineup also includes live performances by Bill Miller, a Grammy award-winning Native American musician, as well as Native American roots groups, Seven Falls Dancers and others performing pow-wow style dances in “spectacular regalia from local and regional tribes,” according to a news release.

Other attractions include an authentic replica of a Plains Indian teepee and the chance to see, or take photos with, live hawks and eagles.

This will mark the third year the festival was organized by King and her sister, Emily Murty, of the company Dash Events. They also put on the popular Cheesman Park Art Fest in Denver and Rio Grande Festivals in Albuquerque.

As a former resident of Denver, King visited the Colorado Indian Market each year. She was “honored” to take it over as an organizer.

“The show was so exciting to attend as a patron,” she said. “Being behind it and helping to orchestrate it, it’s very dear to me.”

The event typically draws up to 10,000 attendees over three days and draws people from across the state and beyond. King hopes to see that continue at its new location.

“We’ve always had a loyal following in Denver,” she said. “So it’s a big leap of faith to move a long-standing festival like this.”

If all goes well, she plans to hold the festival in Colorado Springs in future years.

“I hope Colorado Springs embraces the tradition of this show and makes it their own,” she said. “We’re excited about this new chapter.”

Coffee retailers have made their way to the Pikes Peak region from Seattle, Oregon and even Nebraska.

Now, one of the area's newest brands has arrived from Hawaii — via suburban Denver.

Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii late last month opened its first Colorado Springs-area location in The Shops at Meridian Ranch, northeast of Meridian Road and Stapleton Drive in unincorporated Falcon. It's the second Bad Ass Coffee in Colorado; the first opened in October in Denver.

The brand, founded in 1989 on the Big Island of Hawaii, takes its name from donkeys that gained a reputation as the "bad ass ones" because they reliably carried heavy loads of locally grown coffee beans down steep mountains, according to Bad Ass Coffee's owners.

Bad Ass Coffee made its way to the mainland when it was purchased in 1995 by a Utah businessman, who moved the company to that state. In 2019, Bad Ass Coffee was acquired by Royal Aloha Coffee Co. of Centennial, where it now has its headquarters.

Bad Ass Coffee specializes in 100% Hawaiian coffees and its menu includes international coffees, lattes, cold brews, espressos, blended drinks and teas. Among other items, a food menu features the Aloha sandwich made with ham, eggs, Swiss cheese, pineapple and sweet barbecue sauce served on King's Hawaiian bread.

Franchisee Lee Wilwerding, a veterinarian in the Colorado Springs area for several years who founded Powers Pet Emergency Services in 2005, said he's been a fan of Hawaiian coffees for years after visiting there.

"I love coffee and I love Hawaii and I love Hawaiian coffee," he said. "I just think it is the best coffee there is."

Competition, however, is fierce in the coffee world. Seattle-based Starbucks and Dutch Bros of Grants Pass, Ore., dominate the Springs' market, while Scooters of suburban Omaha, Neb., and Ziggi's of Longmont recently added locations in the Springs. Local favorites include Solar Roast Coffee, Story Coffee and The Perk Downtown.

Wilwerding said he's counting on the Hawaiian allure of Bad Ass Coffee to set it apart.

"Kona (an area of the Big Island) coffee is, people know it, they've heard of it," he said. "I don't know how many people actually get to experience it. Once you do, you get the smell of it, it just smells different. It's got a great rich smell to it. The taste of it is much more smooth and rich. It doesn't have the bitter (taste) that many other coffees do have."

Wilwerding, who lives east of Black Forest in unincorporated El Paso County, opened Bad Ass Coffee in The Shops at Meridian Ranch to take advantage of the fast-growing Falcon area northeast of Colorado Springs.

Once a rural area of large lots and multi-acre ranches, Falcon over the last 30 years has become home to thousands of rooftops in developments such as Meridian Ranch and Woodmen Hills.

Walmart, Safeway, Walgreens and several other familiar retailers, along with national restaurant chains and mom-and-pop eateries, all have opened locations in Falcon.

Bad Ass Coffee has indoor seating for about 20 people in its 1,800-square-foot storefront, Wilwerding said. There's also a patio with additional seats, though no drive-thru.

Wllwerding said he's eying possibly four Bad Ass Coffee locations in the Springs area, but wants to see how the first store pans out before he expands.

Bad Ass Coffee now has about 20 locations nationwide and owner Royal Aloha Coffee says it plans an aggressive expansion.

Over the last 18 months, Royal Aloha says it's sought to relaunch the brand nationally with a new logo, packaging and restaurant design.

As part of a goal to open 150 locations over the next five years, it's hired a dozen new full-time employees, while it seeks to add franchisees, move into more markets, expand online sales and establish a wholesale operation.

Halloumi burgers, shiitake “bacon” and potato milk. Have you ever heard of these foods?

I hadn’t until I started doing research for a story on recent food trends.

After I wrote the article, I spoke with David Cook, co-owner of Gather Food Studio & Spice Shop, to see if he was familiar with any of these.

“I could write an entire book about what I’ve been noticing trending in the food industry,” he said.

Many of the trends I’d discovered were on his radar, too — and halloumi burgers are actually sold at Burger King.

“Halloumi is a Middle Eastern cheese that can be grilled,” Cook said. “This sandwich, which I’m seeing ads for, is touted as two deep-fried pieces of halloumi with bacon, lettuce and tomato on a brioche bun.”

To make shiitake bacon, makethymeforhealth.com says to slice the mushrooms and place them in a bowl, then sprinkle with salt, smoked paprika and a touch of tamari. Lightly spray them with oil, toss until evenly coated and bake in the oven until crispy.

“I’ve been making it for years in restaurants,” said Cook, “and I know how easy it is to make and tastes good.”

Cook says mushrooms, in general, are a major protein source in vegetable-based foods.

“Mushrooms have a meaty texture, too,” he said. “They are versatile and take flavors and marinades well. They give you endless possibilities for dinner.”

Cook was very familiar with potato milk as well.

“Potato milk is a relatively new product to the market, though it has been enjoyed in Indonesia for a long time,” he said.

He explained that a Swedish scientist discovered a way to engineer boiled potatoes into an alternative, nut-free milk.

“There is a lot of concern about the CO2 emissions from nut milk production and waste of water,” Cook said. “Almond milk is the worst, using almost 400 liters of water to produce 1 liter of almond milk. ”

He added that when you take into consideration that potatoes grow twice as efficiently as oats and require 50 times less water than almonds to grow, “This new potato milk phenomenon might just be an overnight sensation.”

He also predicts other Middle Eastern foods will start appearing on restaurant menus and grocery shelves. They include (with his comments):

Kushary: “A vegetable grand slam mix of lentils, rice and pasta in a spicy tomato sauce”

Ful medames: “A fava bean stew garnished with all kinds of fresh herbs, peppers, tomatoes and hard-cooked eggs”

Fattah: “A dish similar to ful medames but made with chickpeas instead of fava beans”

Keep an eye on Gather Foods’ class offerings, at gatherfoodstudio.com, as you can expect to see some of these and other trends being taught in the future.

Contact the writer: 636-0271.

Just like the other offers to be a TV star, Tom Reber tried to ignore this one.

“I blew it off for months,” he said.

He didn’t even think it was legitimate. After gaining a sizable following on social media and through his podcasts and YouTube videos, the Colorado Springs-based home renovation coach is used to getting strange messages and offers that didn’t feel right for him.

So when a representative from a production company found him on YouTube, Reber figured it was a scam.

“This guy reached out saying, ‘We’ve got the idea for a new show,’” he said. “It was out of the blue.”

Reber responded with silence. That guy didn’t give up and eventually got Reber on the phone for 10 minutes. The pitch must’ve been convincing enough.

“Fast forward a few months,” Reber said. “And we’ve got a new show.”

He’ll be the face of “Unfinished Business,” an HGTV program that premieres Saturday. Each episode follows Reber as he helps families complete their failing home improvement projects. It’s not just about fixing the problems you can see, the kind that keep homeowners from inviting people over. Reber also hopes to uncover obstacles that you can’t see.

A description of the show on HGTV’s website puts it this way: “Homeowners try tackling renovations themselves until they are forced to give up their DIY dreams. That’s when home renovation coach Tom Reber arrives to offer the support, guidance and tough love they need to regain control of runaway projects.”

This kind of approach has a special place in Reber’s heart.

After serving in the Marine Corps, he launched a contracting company near his hometown in the Chicago area. He sold his business in 2012 and started The Contractor Fight, a home improvement coaching business.

It’s just one thing on Reber’s plate.

He’s coached football, including a stint as coach at Palmer High School for a few years after his move to Colorado Springs in 2015.

In 2020, he started Live Unafraid Apparel, a clothing brand that seeks to encourage people to “step up and squeeze everything you can out of each day.”

“The biggest thing to me is having an impact,” Reber said. “I’ve always felt like I’m supposed to impact people for the better.”

He does that with The Contractor Fight, as he trains contractors on how to run their businesses. He’s seen how that can lead to personal improvements, such as mending marriages or paying off debt.

On “Unfinished Business,” viewers will see how Reber makes an impact.

The first episode features a couple and their stalled bathroom and kitchen projects, which have been left unfinished for the past seven years.

“When a project is sitting there for a while, that causes stress, anxiety and chaos in the home,” Reber said. “We try to get to the root of what’s going on so we can get them back to normal.”

Or, even better than normal.

“I believe that the way you do one thing is the way you do everything,” he said. “It’s not just about a project. It’s about how you’re going to live your life and show up each day.”

He hopes his lessons will travel beyond the TV screen. He hopes to motivate viewers too.

After filming in late 2020 and early 2021 in California, four episodes are set to air. Reber said he hopes this is just the beginning.

“I’m excited to see what happens,” he said. “I know we did a good job, and we’re just getting started.”

DENVER (KKTV) -More Colorado employees now have paid sick leave. Starting Jan. 1, 2021, a paid sick leave law started applying to employers with 16 or more employees. Then on Jan. 1, 2022, it was expanded to include all employees, big and small.

This is due to Senate Bill 20-205, the Healthy Families and Workplaces Act. According to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, exceptions include the federal government, and some railroad employees.

Under the law, all workers will accrue one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked. They can earn up to 48 hours per year. Employees also get additional leave during public health emergencies or disaster declarations under the Healthy Families and Workplaces Act. Under the public health emergency leave, full-time employees get 80 hours and part-time employees get less. KKTV 11 News asked the department of labor how many hours of COVID pay a part-time employee can expect and they responded with:

“For employees normally working under 40 hours in a week, the amount of supplemental leave is the greater of the number of hours the employee (a) is scheduled for work or paid leave in the fourteen-day period after the leave request, or (b) actually worked in the fourteen-day period prior to the declaration of the PHE or the leave request.”

Example of part-time emergency leave: An employee regularly working 25 hours a week can take 50 hours’ leave, because that is 2 weeks’ pay. An employee regularly working 40 hours a week or more can take 80 hours’ leave. An employer cannot deem regular hours “cut” to a lower number due to an employee taking leave.

The public health emergency leave took effect July 14, 2020, and remains in effect as of Jan. 6. According to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, if you’ve already used up some of those COVID leave hours last year, you do not get 80 news hours this year. You can use the remaining hours you have left.

Sponsors and advocates of the bill held a press conference Thursday. They say before this legislation passed, 40 percent of Colorado’s workforce did not have paid sick leave. They highlighted why this change is so important.

“So they don’t infect their coworkers, so they don’t infect their customers. No one should have to choose between putting food on the table and doing what is best for themselves, their families and our communities and our Colorado Economy,” said Colorado Senator Jeff Bridges.

Bill sponsors say studies show when employees come to work sick, it costs the US economy $160-billion per year, and that was before the pandemic.

“We know with certainty that when people go to work sick that is bad for our economy. The best thing we can do to keep Colorado open, the best thing we can do to keep our economy moving forward is to make sure that people can stay home when they are sick,” said Senator Bridges.

According to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, “paid leave in a PTO policy, or a Collective Bargaining Agreement, can satisfy the Healthy Families and Workplace act,” if it covers all the same conditions or needs, at the same pay rate, and with no tougher requirements. Requirements can be found here.

Emergency leave is usable for a range of COVID-related needs, not just for confirmed cases. Covid-related needs include:

Employers can’t require documentation from employees to show that leave is for COVID-related needs. The emergency leave requirement remains ongoing, as long as a federal or a state “emergency” remains.

Accrued leave:

WHAT: One hour of paid leave per 30 hours worked, up to 48 hours per year. This requirement took effect January 1, 2021, and is permanently in effect, not just during the COVID emergency.Accrued leave is usable for a wide range of health and safety needs, not just COVID-related: Needs include:

For more information on the law click here. You can also call 303-318-8441, or email [email protected].

Copyright 2022 KKTV. All rights reserved.