In a big win for Aspen, Meat & Cheese will carry on under new ownership
People enjoy dining at Meat & Cheese on Wednesday, July 19 in downtown Aspen. Owner Wendy Mitchell just announced she has sold the business to Aspen-based hospitality group Infinite Hospitality.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
Meat & Cheese and Farm Shop’s owner Wendy Mitchell had planned to close the shop and retire at the end of the summer.
Something of a collective panic broke out at the news in May among patrons who regularly flock to the eatery.
A sampling of comments around town overheard then: “Where are we going to eat now? What will I do without my favorite Vietnamese noodle salad? Will we ever know what’s in the dipping sauce that comes with the roast chicken? How can she do this to us?”
“I was definitely surprised by the response,” Mitchell said. “We’ve been open almost nine years, and I know people like it, but I was really like, really? It’s heartwarming for sure.”
At first, she did not intend to sell the intellectual property of Meat & Cheese, thinking that it might be better for something new to come into the existing space — but soon realized she was wrong in that assumption.
“There was just such an outpouring of support from the community,” she said. “People were so sad, and they’re like, ‘Why would you sell it?’ I guess my first instinct was to let someone else do a different concept there, something new for the community. But so many people wanted it to be the same. So we started working with the landlord, Jimmy (Marcus), who has been really great. And I think he got as much pressure as I was getting, like ‘You’ve got to make sure this stays Meat & Cheese.’”
She and Marcus clearly got the message because on Wednesday it was announced that Aspen-based hospitality group Infinite Hospitality, in partnership with Aspen Birchwood, will be taking over the restaurant and shop in the fall and continue the legacy of Meat & Cheese.
Wendy Mitchell and husband Todd, center, fill…..