🧑‍🍳 Denver’s 2025 James Beard semifinalists are…

🧑‍🍳 CO Nabs 14 James Beard Semifinalist Slots

Denver foodies won’t be surprised by the local names on the list, including Frasca Food and Wine, Sắp Sửa, Alma Fonda Fina, and Yuan Wonton. New to the lineup? Three more award categories to include contenders in the bar scene, like RiNo’s Yacht Club and Aurora’s Traveling Mercies. [Axios Denver]

• Mark your calendar: Finalists will be announced April 12.

🍄 Psilocybin License Applications Roll In

Applications for psychedelics-based healing centers and cultivation facilities opened up statewide at the start of the year. As officials work on fine tuning the rules and regulations, the applications received so far show a particularly high number of people and businesses in the Denver metro area interested in this new era for “magic mushrooms.” [Denver Post 🔒]

🏫 Promising Plans Envisioned for Historic Loretto Heights

Local nonprofit Commún has unveiled its vision for a community center — including a food hall, community services, child care, and a donation-based grocery store — on the former south Denver college campus. [Denver Post 🔒]

• Some context: The historic 72-acre property was purchased for redevelopment by Westside Investment Partners (of Park Hill Golf Course infamy) in 2018. The developers have since been hard at work constructing multi-family housing on the property.