From Montanya owner Karen Hoskin: About 5 years ago, I set a goal to steadily improve the quality of the food offered at Montanya Distillers so it would match the quality of our cocktails. Ten years ago, when we first opened, we offered Chips, Salsa and Crudité. That was all. As I began to reconsider our food menu, I was simultaneously getting to know Rose Reyes. Everything she fed me at special events and fundraising dinners made my taste buds sing. I had never experienced food better paired to my personal preferences. Our collaboration has been such an incredible blast. She is a highly trained chef and a true culinary artist with a flair for menu development. We are so blessed to have her working with us on food at Montanya Distillers, and we think you will taste the difference.

Rose's first stint with Montanya was for a month in September of 2014. She had been working in another local restaurant that summer but was let go - partly because her commitment to food quality was too high. Montanya needed a line cook for a month...a total blessing in disguise (for both sides!)! After that brief time on the Montanya line, Rose returned to Montanya all “schooled up” and full of ideas. She has worked with us ever since.

Rose grew up in Southern California and was trained in Denver at an accelerated culinary school, the Cook Street School of Culinary Arts.

Leading up to her time as a chef, Rose worked in a number of places. She worked as a pharmacy technician and as an assistant at a booking and management company. She also worked at Universal Music Group in New York City, as innkeeper for a bed & breakfast, and she made paint at Mountain Colors here in CB.

Outside of her life at Montanya, Rose has many loves. She loves her morning ritual of sitting and drinking tea and coffee, and she loves her one-on-one time with her dearest friends. She loves to listen to music, and she loves to learn. Not surprisingly, she loves cooking. Her hobbies include mountain biking, paddle boarding, cross country skiing and uphill skiing...most sports, really.

Rose is interested in learning about how to keep the mind and body happy and healthy. She hopes there is a cure for cancer, and she suspects it may come in the form of exceptional food. She hopes for a better understanding of mental illness to help prevent suicide. She also hopes there can be more research on the medicinal effects of cannabis.

Rose's favorite meal is a home-cooked Filipino meal and an In-N-Out burger, Animal style! Her favorite drink is Montanya's Ginger Mocktail. Rose grew up in a Filipino household with a mom dedicated to quality in the kitchen, which provided some of Rose's earliest inspirations. Rose is happiest and most fulfilled when she is channeling her mom's influences in her culinary creations.

Rose has collaborated with Montanya Distillers on many events both on-site (Mother's Day Brunch, Cinco de Mayo) and off-site (staff retreats, Tour de Forks).

Employee Spotlight: Rose Reyes

Montanya Distillers Original Cocktail Recipes