Chef Scott Atchison has cooked for presidents (Bill Clinton), golf pros (Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer), and celebrities, including Paul McCartney, Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep. Formerly Executive Chef at The Stanley Hotel and Vail Resorts with their Breckenridge and Keystone Properties, his experience includes working with Prairie Dunes in Kansas, ranked among the top fourteen country clubs in the world. But he’s happy to have left the corporate world behind for the relaxed atmosphere and scenic beauty of Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch in Loveland, Colorado.
Located a short drive from Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park, the 3,200 acre ranch on the Big Thompson River attracts guests who are typically folks with mainstream tastes. Chef Atchison prepares delicious home-style dishes for them - classic Western food but with subtle regional influences. He always aims to put the “Wow!” in hearty ranch fare. He describes the food as “like what you get at Grandma’s house,” but it’s sophisticated comfort food with flair!
Scott believes one must start with good basics, such as locally grown fresh produce and meat, then add flavor to the food with seasonings and sauces to satisfy more upscale tastes. Some of Scott’s personal favorite “Wow Factor” dishes include smoked sirloin medallions in a red zinfandel bordelaise sauce, wild rice and pecan stuffed ruby trout, and elk steak with sweet potato venison stuffing.
Best known for his versatility in the kitchen, Chef Atchison has prepared everything from international cuisines for ambassadors to down-home smoked barbecue to regional cuisine for 17,000 at a Creole Fest in Wichita. He brings regional influences from around the world to his dishes. The menu includes bruschetta from Northern Italy, sauces from Southern Italy, Indonesian satays, and traditional Colorado fare, such as tender barbecued beef and freshly caught trout from Sylvan Dale’s famed fly fishing waters.
This authentic Colorado dude ranch serves up Colorado pride in two of its specialties – beef and beer! Most of the ranch’s meat dishes are made with all-natural beef from the ranch’s Heart J herd, which is fed a vegetarian diet of grains and grasses. The ranch’s beverage menu features moderately-priced Colorado wines and nationally-known microbrews. Wines are purchased from local Colorado wineries including Two Rivers, Plum Creek and Trail Ridge. Northern Colorado is renowned for its excellent microbrews, and Sylvan Dale features them prominently on their beverage menu, which includes Fat Tire, 90 Shilling, and Easy Street Wheat.
Hearty and delicious home-style food and personal service from the second generation of the Jessup Family have been attracting guests with “legendary hospitality since 1946!” Experience the “great fun, great food and great folks” at Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch!
