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Rasta Pasta originated as the brain child of a 23 year experienced Cordon Bleu Swiss Chef named Dan Gnos. Dan’s first attempt at restaurantuering was “Healthy Alternatives”, a delightful little place nestled just off Main Street Breckenridge that sold $13-$17 salads. This idea went over like a lead balloon. In May of 1993 Dan reopened the same location but as Rasta Pasta. Needless to say this transformation was a complete 180. To compare these two restaurants is like comparing a petite ballerina to a 350 lb. black man. Rasta Pasta serves mountains of food exploding with flavor while Healthy Alternatives served salads with delicate crisp flavors. No one really knows why Dan decided to go with a Caribbean theme, but speculation has it that since rasta rhymes with pasta, and Dan probably smoked a few joints in his day, it all just came together. Rasta Pasta was open under Dan from May-October 1993. It wasn’t a failure, but Dan had another passion he chose to pursue. He was a 2nd Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo who already had two small martial arts schools with a third soon to open. Running a restaurant isn’t a part time job and his love for the restaurant was overshadowed by his love for Taekwondo. Something had to give. All the while, working at a local Quiznos were two young men whose futures were about to be twisted into something they never could have foreseen. Dave Barger was a sandwich maker and Scott Lias was adrenaline fueled ski bum/delivery driver who terrorized downtown Breckenridge in his supped up Dodge Dart. Dave noticed that Rasta Pasta was on the market for a very reasonable price and approached Scott about a joint venture to purchase the property. So Dave and Scott, with only two days instruction, reopened Rasta Pasta the day after Thanksgiving 1993. They ran the location together for only that 1 ski season. Afterwards, Dave’s ambition drove him to expand the concept and hit the road in search of greater numbers of Trustafarians willing to invest in a munchie inspired mountain of Caribbean pasta. So Scott bought out Dave in Breckenridge and Dave resettled in the Hideaway of Hippies, the Grotto of Granolas, where there are as many dreadies driving beamers as there are Tibetan stores selling Nag Champa. Yes I’m talking about Boulder. Dave struck a deal with the owner of Flops bar on Pearl Street. He provided the food service to the bar under the name Rasta Pasta. As bad luck would have it, the owner of the bar decided to close for renovations. Dave was only open for three months before being chocked out of the restaurant business forever. Meanwhile, Scott was forging through his first summer in Breckenridge not knowing that business there in the summer moves about as fast as a ninety year old man walking through a foot of mud. But he survived his first full year, and four years later in the summer of 1997, he doubled the size of the dining room. One night during Scott’s first ever visit to Fort Collins under the control of several Rio margaritas he stumbled through Old Town and happened upon a seedy little Mexican restaurant whose property was for lease. Divinely or possibly chemically inspired he decided to open Fort Collins’ version of Rasta Pasta. Ever since, the two restaurants have served as compliments to each other, Breckenridge busy in the winter Fort Collins in the summer. Overall, a great success. |