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The Peach Crease Club opens in Denver

A new cocktail bar opened up next to Denver’s Mission Ballroom last week.

The Peach Crease Club located at 4180 Wynkoop St. was founded by husband-and-wife bartending team Alex Jump and Stuart Jensen, creating cocktail drinks with a “culinary lens.” There are drinks inspired and named after borscht, papaya salad, jeweled rice and fattoush.

“We’re excited to share a menu that reflects who we are and the experiences that brought us here,” Jump said in a press release. “Each drink captures a moment in time, from flavors we savored in Copenhagen on our wedding anniversary to a brandy distilled the day we were engaged. This is our way of sharing these experiences with our guests, as we would with friends at a dinner party.”

The bar will also offer low-alcohol or nonalcoholic cocktails, wines from independent producers, uncommon sakes, espresso, tea and light eats. Food options include tinned fish, meat and cheese boards and toasts.

The Peach Crease Club also has a strong focus on music, similar to that of a listening bar, featuring a retro speaker, vintage records and a live DJ booth. 

“We want people to feel like they’re walking into our home for a dinner party when they come to The Peach Crease Club,” Jensen said. “We don’t want to be known as a cocktail bar or listening bar. Every detail and every touchpoint come together to create something bigger than any one part.”

Healthier Colorado will have a new executive director

Healthier Colorado, a statewide advocacy and policy group specializing in public health, has a new leader at its helm. 

The organization announced it hired Joshua Ewing as its new executive director. He will begin Jan. 5. 

Ewing will take over the role from Jake Williams, who has led the group since 2011 when Healthier Colorado was founded. Williams will lead a new umbrella organization as CEO to bring Healthier Colorado’s mission to other states, the organization said in a press release.

“We were built to be bold, innovative, and nonpartisan, and we’re fortunate to be handing this leadership baton off to someone who can capably continue that approach,” Williams said.

The incoming executive director has about two decades of experience in health policy on the state and national level. He graduated from Missouri State University with a bachelor’s degree in social work and received a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Colorado Denver.

“Throughout my career, I’ve worked to bridge communities, policymakers, and partners to advance practical, people-centered solutions,” shared Ewing. “I’m eager to bring that experience to Healthier Colorado and help strengthen its impact as we work to ensure every Coloradan has the opportunity to live a healthier life.”

Dio Mio’s owner plans to open new restaurant near Washington Park

Mamas + Papas Hospitality Group, the company behind Denver’s Michelin-recommended Dio Mio, is opening another restaurant this month.

Johnny Bechamel’s will be a full-service restaurant featuring Italian food such as pizza and housemade pasta located in West Washington Park at 81 S. Pennsylvania St.

The restaurant is set to open in December, Johnny Bechamel’s announced in a post on Instagram.

“We’ll keep dropping updates here as we go, behind-the-scenes chaos, menu hints, you know the drill,” the restaurant posted on Instagram. “See you soon. Like, really soon.”

Mamas + Papas Hospitality Group owns Dio Mio, Redeemer Pizza and Little Johnny B’s, the “little sibling” of Johnny Bechamel’s located inside of the newly-restored Urban Cowboy hotel in downtown Denver.