A few months later, in late 2018, the tasting menu-only, eighteen-seat chef's counter restaurant Beckon debuted in the space next door to Call, an upscale sister concept that became one of the hottest reservations in town. After shutting down for renovations in late 2019, Call never reopened post-pandemic. Instead, the team added Major Tom in February, a more approachable, dinner-only eatery that complements Beckon without the tasting-menu price tag.
Then, in September this year, Beckon became one of five Colorado restaurants — along with Frasca — to earn a Michelin star in the state's inaugural guide.
Next month, Holmes and his team will celebrate that accomplishment as well as Beckon's five-year anniversary with Five Nights of Sumptuous Feasts, during which Holmes will join forces with a lineup of guest chefs to create five collaborative meals. "Operating a restaurant of any style is already an immense achievement," he says. "It’s a great moment to reflect on the past five years and all of the people who have helped make Beckon what it is."
Ahead of this milestone, we caught up with Holmes to talk about the Michelin effect, how he plans menus, and where he likes to dine out in his downtime.
Beckon was the city's first chef's counter-only tasting-menu restaurant when it debuted.
Danielle Lirette
Duncan Holmes: My upbringing and family were certainly a part of it early on. We are definitely a food-driven family, and always have been. My mother has a cafe in Folsom, California, which has been open for over twenty years now. We were always part of that.
However, throughout my high school and college years, I was pretty determined to not have much to do with the restaurant industry. I always washed dishes at my mother’s cafe and did a variety of prep projects in both high school and college, but I was pretty set on being an investment banker after university. Unfortunately, when I went to study economics, I happened to graduate from Chico State in 2008, which made it very difficult — near impossible — to find a job at an economics firm. I ended up just going to a restaurant in Berkeley to work for the summer, and that ended up being the start of my professional culinary career.
How would you describe your cooking style?
Simply ingredient- and technique-driven. With respect to whatever is the feature of the dish, I was always taught to ask the question, “How do you make the ingredient taste more like itself?” This plays a pretty major role in the creative process, just keeping everything focused.
What is the menu planning process like at Beckon?
It ebbs and flows. We are a small team, so there’s definitely an effort to get the team involved simply because that’s an important aspect of what we do. However, it’s myself who is leading the charge. I collaborate with the sous chef and pastry chef as we go along, which I think is a pretty accurate representation of the menu planning process within a small restaurant such as Beckon. Ideas can’t always just come from one person all the time.
What's a recent favorite dish at Beckon?
We actually just took this one off, but it's celtuce, a local type of lettuce that is grown at one of our favorite farms, served with Kaluga caviar and cashew beurre blanc.
Favorite ingredient to cook with?
At the moment, the tomato.
How has it felt to be part of a team that received a Michelin star? Has the star changed anything about the restaurant and how it operates?
It’s felt great. It’s a conversation we have with our team and our guests every night. People are really excited, and so are we. There’s a lot of buzz around receiving the Michelin star, which is great for Colorado in general and the restaurant industry.
Has it changed anything? While we didn’t make any noticeable changes and things are the same as before, we operate the business based on the assumption that the Michelin inspectors are coming every night now. Has it changed what we do on a day-to-day? No, we still deliver the same excellent product we have been delivering this whole time, prior to receiving the star.
What are your favorite restaurants to dine at in Denver?
We love going down the street to Cart-Driver — that’s a great one. Tavernetta and Noisette are also some favorites. We also recently had an excellent meal at Sắp Sửa. For a more casual bite, I love La Diabla Pozole y Mezcal and Kiké’s Red Tacos.
Favorite fast-food restaurant and menu item?
Occasionally we’ll get Shake Shack at the restaurant after service — usually just a simple cheeseburger.
What do you like to do in your downtime?
I still like working with my hands and being creative, so I’ve been doing — or attempting to do — a lot of woodworking in my free time. That kind of sums it up. It is my hobby at the moment.
Beckon is located at 2843 Larimer Street and is open by reservation only from 5 to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. For more information, visit beckon-denver.com.
