Chopped Champion Chef Zuri Resendiz Opens Luchador, His First Restaurant

Chef Zuri Resendiz has had a long career cooking in Denver. "I can do it all. I'm not being cocky; I'm just saying it's true," he tells a group of diners at a preview for his new restaurant, Luchador, which officially opened on August 13 at 2030 East 28th Avenue in the Whittier neighborhood. "But I always worked at Italian restaurants, steakhouses — and I always worked for other people, thinking I was happy doing that. It wasn't until I went back to my country and Latin America and I went back to my roots — it touched something in my heart, and it told me to cook this food."

That food is a creative and upscale take on Latin fare, with a focus on central and southern Mexico. Resendiz, who is originally from Mexico City but moved to Denver in 2002, got his early cooking inspiration from his mother, grandmother and aunts.
In his professional career, he spent years working under chef Elise Wiggins, first at Panzano and later at her Central Park Italian eatery, Cattivella. In 2021, he took on the executive chef role at Shanahan's Steakhouse — and became a Chopped champion.

But by the next year, he'd decided to follow his intuition and lean into cooking Mexican dishes, with his own twists. Resendiz launched Luchador as a food truck in 2022, and late last year, he announced plans to open a brick-and-mortar version.

"It's about community and helping people grow. I want my team to grow, so that's why it's called Luchador Taco and More," he says of his first solo restaurant venture, named as a nod to his father, who was a luchador in the ’90s.
But he's not doing it completely alone: Resendiz gives plenty of kudos to his team, many of whom he's worked with for up to fourteen years. He's also brought in Sean Hathaway Casey and Aubrey Rager of Central Park bar Dirty Laundry to create the cocktail list, including options such as the Luchador margarita, which has an herbaceous edge thanks to the addition of cilantro and mint, and the cinnamon-spiked Luchador pineapple daiquiri.

As for the food, "I took the time for four months to travel to Mexico, Peru, Yucatán and Panama, and I came back with all these crazy ideas of how to incorporate these dishes here by being inspired but never saying it's authentic," Resendiz notes. "Why? Because I grew up here in Denver."
That outlook gives the chef full creative control when creating dishes like the Causa Tartare, which is "a fusion of my wife and me," he says, noting that she is from Peru. "My steakhouse [experience] is showing in there, too." This take on steak and potatoes includes a chilled potato cake with aji amarillo, a Peruvian chile, topped with tenderloin tartare and a nest of fried sweet potatoes for crunch.

The hamachi tiradito is a bright starter made with salsa chalaquita, which Resendiz describes as Peruvian pico de gallo, and leche de tigre, the Peruvian citrus-based marinade for raw seafood.
A dish featuring local roasted mushrooms over a polenta cake is loaded with fresh dill and bits of creamy goat cheese — a winning combination.

Price points vary, which is intentional. "The menu is designed for everybody; I have $12 items all the way to $30," Resendiz says. On that higher end are some large plates meant for sharing, including a pork shank created by sous chef Heriberto Sosa. It's cooked cochinita pibil style (though not in a traditional pit, Resendiz notes) with a cinnamon-spiced mole-like sauce and served with tortillas and habanero salsa.

Lomo saltado was the first Peruvian dish Resendiz tried with his wife seventeen years ago. Now his version is set to be a staple at Luchador, combining super-tender chunks of filet mignon with onions, potatoes and tomatoes and soy and oyster sauces.
As the name implies, tacos play a starring role. The early favorite is the pulpo al pastor, with avocado purée and habanero pineapple salsa.

Whittier's restaurant options have expanded in recent years, including the addition of Luchador's next-door neighbor, Point Easy, two years ago. "I feel people [in the neighborhood] are desperate for better prices and somewhere to hang out a little more often," Resendiz concludes. "I want them to come here and have a couple of tacos and a margarita. I want them to come here for a date on Friday and Saturday. We're here for everybody."

Luchador is located at 2030 East 28th Avenue and is open from 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 3 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. For more information, follow it at @luchador_taco_and_more on Instagram or visit Tock to make a reservation.