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This week’s Nibbles is a total sugar horror with zero fiber as Boulder County culinary notables confess their Halloween candy loves. Plus: I warm up with chicken and gluten-free dumplings, and share news about new restaurants and a recipe for seared sausage with cabbage and apples.
— John Lehndorff
This isn’t just any downtown. This is downtown Boulder, where Boulder comes to life one bite at a time. With more than 85% of restaurants locally owned, every meal reflects the creativity, character and community that make Boulder, Boulder. From longtime favorites to fresh new flavors, spontaneous happy hours to nights out with friends, there’s always something worth savoring. And the views? Those come at no extra charge. Come hungry. Stay awhile.
A sparkling roster of chefs, restaurateurs and artisan food makers call Boulder County home. They seem to win awards every month. I often consult them about dining trends, ingredient sourcing and food pairings, and they lend advice on cooking techniques. However, they are not easy to reach, even when you have their cell number. When I recently reached out to some of them, the response was almost immediate, with multiple exclamation points.
I asked these local chefs, pastry chefs and food makers a simple, silly question:
“What candy did you love the most when you were a kid, for Halloween or otherwise?”
They may talk champagne, truffles and saffron, but deep inside, they are still eight-year-olds who adore Kit Kats, Dots, Junior Mints and 3 Musketeers.
I’d like to tell you I owe my food critic career to a gourmet upbringing. We ate well, but I consumed vast quantities of sugar on the designated candy holidays: Halloween, Christmas and Easter. Out of that sugar-glazed delirium percolated the writer you read today.
There was something to be said for Sugar Babies, Bit-O-Honey and the other candies that filled a pillowcase, but my favorite Halloween candy was candy corn, the sweet that folks love to loathe. The white part tastes best. Also, the kernels are better when they are slightly dried and aged.
Thankfully, candy corn is a low-fat food.
I am not alone in my preference.
When you celebrate National Candy Corn Day on Oct. 30, consider that candy corn is the top Halloween candy choice in Colorado, according to Instacart’s Halloween report. This is a distinction it shares only with Wyoming.
These days I am a responsible eater following a balanced diet with proper supplementation. However, since I took the accompanying images, I was forced to do a tasting. Candy corn is still king. Milk Duds are better when eaten with cherry Dots or Swedish Fish. The bars are tastier when frozen, but honestly, the chocolate is truly lame. They cheapened the formula, or my candy taste memories are blurry with time.
Here are the Halloween candies that Boulder County food notables voted as their favorites:
“My favorite: Frozen Reese’s or Whatchamacallits. I categorize candy in frozen and off the shelf. I also have a bizarre love of sour gummy candies mixed with peanut M&Ms. The freeze-dried candies around these days are really fun, too.”
Theo Adley
Chef/owner, Marigold (Lyons), Heretik (Denver); James Beard Award nominee for Marigold. Heretik is on The New York Times’ 2026 list of the 50 Best Restaurants in the U.S., and it also earned the Michelin Sommelier Award.
“Definitely Kit Kat!”
Natascha Hess
Chef/owner of The Ginger Pig, Boulder and Denver; Michelin Bib Gourmand award, 2023-2026.
“Maltesers, for me!” (Maltesers are chocolate malted milk balls.)
Melody Hu
Pastry chef, owner, Sweet Diplomacy gluten-free bakery, Louisville and Los Altos, California; Sweet Diplomacy’s Formosa Box was featured in the Food Network’s list of 39 Lunar New Year food gifts.
“Swedish Fish!!! Red! Hands down … but followed closely by Skittles and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.”
Aaron Lande
Sous chef, Academy Mapleton Hill, Boulder, which recently earned the Snail of Approval sustainability award from Slow Food Boulder County.
“My mom made this colorful hard candy at home. I remember there was a hammer involved and some serious shards that were very tasty. Seems dangerous looking back! Commercially, I would say Kit Kat.”
Marcy Miller
Owner, Organic Sandwich Company, Boulder and Louisville
“Now and Later and Blow Pops in the candy/gum category, Whatchamacallit in the chocolate bar category.”
Adam Bratter
Chef/owner, Falafayette, Lafayette; former social media manager, WhiteWave Foods
“Swedish Fish!”
Deb Britton
Owner, cheesemaker, Dolly Mama’s Farmstead Goat Cheese, Boulder
“Junior Mints. Loved them in those little white boxes for Halloween!”
Daniel Asher
Chef, co-owner of River & Woods (Boulder) and Ash’Kara (Denver); Ash’Kara is a four-time Michelin Bib Gourmand award winner; Asher was inducted into the Les Disciples d’Escoffier.
“3 Musketeers! I found the texture and flavor combo to be very clear and pleasant to chew. Ideally, lots of mini bars one after another, ha ha ha!!!”
Dakota Soifer
Chef/owner, Cafe Aion; winner of the Food Network’s “Cutthroat Kitchen.”
“As a kid, it was definitely the 100 Grand Bar. My own kids knew growing up that they had to set aside their Dots for me on Halloween.”
Rainbow Shultz
Chef/owner, Jamestown Mercantile; Shultz won the culinary competition at the 2026 Boulder International Film Festival.
“Milk Duds were de rigueur! I also loved candy corn, a.k.a. ‘chicken feed,’ but I feel I’m much more mature these days. I gravitate towards the chocolate candy corn!”
Adam Mali
Chef, culinary director, Levy Restaurants (Chase Center), San Francisco; former chef/owner, James Beard-honored Restaurant Kody, Evergreen; named one of Esquire magazine’s Five Chefs to Watch.
I voted for Just Be Kitchen’s chicken and dumplings
Exhausted after plodding through and then dropping off my ballot, I sought comfort at Boulder’s Just Be Kitchen. The place feels like the grandchild of Boulder’s early hippie health food cafes.
I settled in with Just Be’s version of chicken and dumplings, a bowl of serious chicken bone broth loaded with carrots, green onions and chicken breast. The dumplings were chewy gluten-free bread cubes that added to a satisfying soup dinner.
Just Be Kitchen in Denver and Boulder is a fast-casual eatery focused on organic, allergen-free and diet-friendly dishes, including kimchi fried rice with uncured bacon and eggs, a moist, sweet brownie and “Bullet” coffee blended with butter and coconut oil.
Fall brings a new pub, burger bar and plans to revive a historic eatery
Openings
Triple One Public House is open at 111 N. Public Road. Nearby, The Vaughn is serving burgers and cocktails at 206 S. Public Road, the former site of Community.
Coming Attraction
A historic Louisville eatery space at 816 Main St. will reopen in 2027 as Empire Public House Taphouse & Kitchen. The location was formerly home to Jim Cohen’s Empire Lounge and Colacci’s Restaurant.
Sign up for a barista brawl, a Diwali class and a big Hanukkah party
At the Oct. 29 Halloween Latte Art Throwdown at Boxcar Coffee, 32 baristas will compete to pour the best latte art in a bracket-style, single-elimination tournament. Proceeds benefit the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition. RSVP here.
Slow Food Boulder County is celebrating Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights, with a Nov. 8 East Indian cooking class taught by climate scientist and chef Atreyee Bhattacharya of Hundy’s Biryani. Tickets available.
Plan ahead: Pizzeria Alberico hosts its annual Hanukkah at Bubbie’s on Dec. 8. The multicourse feast includes matzo ball soup, challah, latkes, pizzas and sweet treats. Reservations here.
Market Meals: Stovetop sausage dish has links to the season
Local red cabbage, apples and sausage make a hearty entrée in this week’s recipe from the Boulder County Farmers Markets.
“There is something evanescent, temporary and fragile about food. You make it, it goes, and what are left are memories. The look, the smell and the taste of that food will endure for the rest of your life.” — Chef Jacques Pépin
Want more Boulder bites?
Inside North Boulder’s new French bistro, Cinq a Sept
Opened in July by the team behind Oak and Corrida, Cinq a Sept serves French classics, seasonal ingredients and an early-evening happy hour. Continue reading…
Check out recent editions of Nibbles:
🥡 How CU students are tackling Boulder’s takeout trash
🧂 Boulder’s pumpkin spice obsession (and my embarrassing spice cabinet)
📗 The Boulder restaurants you love (and miss), in one new book
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