Chef Eric Skokan is the most ambitious farm-to-table restaurateur in America, growing most of the food for his two restaurants on his 425-acre organic farm in Boulder County, Colorado. Eric opened his first restaurant, Black Cat Bistro, in 2006, followed by Bramble & Hare in 2012.
Shortly after opening Black Cat, an exquisite fine-dining destination in downtown Boulder, Eric's small-scale, backyard gardening became a passion, expanding from a plot in the yard to the current operation, which grows 250 varieties of vegetables, grains and legumes and raises sheep, and heritage pigs.
As a chef/farmer with a keen palate, Eric grows specifically for flavor, and has experimented with hundreds of varieties of vegetables and breeds to find ones that deliver the most flavor to diners. He also farms for soil health and the environment, engaging with myriad regenerative agriculture pursuits and protocols.
In 2014, Kyle Books published Eric's book "Farm Fork Food: A Year of Spectacular Recipes Inspired by Black Cat Farm." The book was named a finalist for best American cookbook of the year (one of three finalists) by the prestigious International Association of Culinary Professionals annual book awards.
In 2021, Eric was a finalist for a James Beard Award, and in 2017 Eric he was a semi-finalist for a James Beard Award.
Today, Eric and his wife Jill co-own Black Cat Organic Farm, Bramble & Hare restaurant; Black Cat Farm dinners; a bustling farm store; and booths at three Boulder farmers markets, serving the community with organic produce across the growing season. They live on three acres in a farmhouse in Boulder County with their family and a whole lot of animals.