Kevin Saff was only 15 when he worked his first kitchen job washing dishes at a local bar and grill in Bradenton, Florida. While the now-chef and Ridgway resident can’t say the gig offered an immediate love connection for cooking, he was quickly enamored with the environment. Saff cited the fast-paced energy, loud music and “a slight undertone of immaturity while working a seriously hard job,” as the initial hook, line and sinker that propelled him into a career in the kitchen.

After two decades managing kitchens across the country, chef and Ridgway resident Kevin Saff is introducing his own mobile kitchen, Ungarnished Kitchen and Catering Limited.

 

 

Left to right: Un-Garnished founder Kevin Saff, wife Jamie, step kids Brayden Jenna and Avery, and son in law, Kade. (Provided photo/Kevin Saff)

Meet Kevin Saff

Q: Can you tell me about your background in the culinary world and what led you to this point?

A: I grew up in Bradenton, Florida. When I was 15, I got my first job washing dishes at a local bar and grill. I wouldn’t say that I had an immediate love or connection to cooking, but I loved the restaurant environment—the fast-paced energy, loud music, and a slight undertone of immaturity while working a seriously hard job.

I never went to culinary school. Instead, I’ve just grinded it out in the industry ever since that first job washing dishes. I cooked all over Southwest Florida and eventually took a seasonal job running a kitchen in Southeast Alaska in 2013.

There, I met my future wife, Jamie, who’s from Ouray County, Colorado. Needless to say, I moved to Ridgway after that summer. My wife and I got married in 2019. I have three awesome stepkids and two pit bulls—it’s a great life.

Q: You describe Un-Garnished as “a blank culinary canvas.” Can you walk me through what that means for clients and how it shapes your services?

A: By 2024, I’d been managing other people’s kitchens for 22 years. After that much time, you develop a certain perspective on the industry and how you want to represent it. That can sometimes clash with how an owner wants their business run. Sometimes they know better than you and vice versa, but a lot of times it’s not about right or wrong; it’s just perspective.

After a positive working relationship with John and Davina Pope of San Juan Brews, I decided it was time to put my money where my mouth is and offer my own perspective on food. So, in September 2024, I started Ungarnished Kitchen and Catering Limited.

Q: You mention “healthy ingredients, elegant flavors, no gimmicks” — what makes this approach unique in the catering world?

A: Everyone asks what my specialty or style is, and I don’t really have an answer. I’ve done so many different things over the years. My go-to answer is that I take classically heavier food and make it light and healthy. It’s fundamentally based cooking, the way bar and grills used to be before everything was pre-cut, cooked, and portioned. I pay more attention to the details of flavor and the quality of ingredients rather than how the food will look or fit an Instagram aesthetic.

Q: How do you balance the need for simplicity with the demand for creativity in your dishes?

A: I call my business “a blank culinary canvas to suit your catering needs.”

I know that sounds kind of corny, but it was just an eloquent way of saying “custom catering.” Restaurants that cater need a set menu and pricing to fit their daily operations, and large-scale caterers don’t have time to discuss specifics for every event.

I’m still in the early stages of my business, so I have the time and skill to ask, “What exactly are you looking for?” My attitude for writing a menu, whether for a restaurant or an event, is “let the space and customer demographic dictate your menu.”

Q: Can you tell us more about the ingredients you use and how you source them? Are there local or seasonal elements you incorporate?

A: “Healthy ingredients, elegant flavors, no gimmicks.” That’s not necessarily unique in catering, but it represents me and my food. I’m a healthy person, and my motto is, “If I wouldn’t eat it or feed it to my family, I won’t serve it.”

The flavors are elegant and clean because I focus on ingredients—no refined sugar, dextrose, fructose, or artificial flavorings—and I use quality proteins. There’s absolute crap in everything. When you remove that crap—what I call “flash flavors”—you get back to fundamentally well-developed, layered flavors. And there are no gimmicks because I believe in what I make and serve.

That’s the essence behind “Ungarnished.”

Q: What dishes or flavors would you say define Un-Garnished, or represent your style the most?

A: For me, the balance became easier when I stopped trying so hard to be creative. There’s so much pressure to be “creative” in the food scene, but sometimes the best approach is going back to basics, making sure the food tastes good, and that it makes you feel good after eating it. Ironically, a lot of chefs’ “creative” dishes are just their take on something they ate in Telluride.

Q: How important is using local ingredients to your business?

A: It’s really important to me. Local ingredients cost more, so if a customer is willing to pay for them, I’ll happily shop local. Fresh, quality products make my job much simpler, and there’s an abundance of quality produce, proteins, honey and more in the area. But if a customer has a strict budget, I’ll find the highest quality product to fit that price point.

What I won’t do is advertise “locally sourced, farm-to-table” all day, every day. That would be irresponsible and, in my view, disrespectful to customers and the community.

Q: Is there a particular dish that defines your style?

A: Last August, I catered my oldest stepdaughter’s wedding and made a taco bar. I think that best defines my style and the aesthetic I go for: approachable, casual and damn good when the fundamentals are done right. When everything is executed correctly, the flavors are fresh, vibrant and just pop in the best way.

Q: What’s your approach to customizing menus for events?

A: The most important step is to set realistic expectations for both myself and the customer. There’s a mountain of food knowledge that I don’t know, but I know how to make things function well in the kitchen.

It’s important to tell yourself and the customer, “That’s just not going to work.”

And it’s crucial to know your audience. I learned this the hard way when I catered a breakfast for 60 industrial water equipment mechanics. I served a light breakfast of fruit parfaits, banana bread and casserole bites, thinking it was a good choice. But the disappointment on their faces told me it wasn’t. Now I always make sure to understand my audience.