Written by Amity Moore Joyce
Heat has been a theme in Jeff Steinhoff’s life since graduating from high school. He worked in the kitchens of several Chart House restaurants throughout Colorado and the Pacific Northwest, which is where he honed his culinary skills. While in Golden raising his family, he simultaneously worked at Chart House and as a volunteer firefighter for the city. He rose through the ranks, from firefighter to fire officer to operations officer, and eventually made a career at the Golden Fire Department. In the back of his mind, though, he saw himself firing up the stove and oven in a restaurant he owned.
And now he’s doing it. The culinary entrepreneur is opening The Alpine House inside Morris & Mae, a market and food hall located southwest of downtown Golden on Colfax Avenue. “My skills as a cook, firefighter, officer and administrator have given me the foundation needed to run a restaurant from an operations and admin side,” he says.
He’s already gotten his feet wet by cooking out of a commissary kitchen to cater breakfast to large organizations like Coors, the City of Golden, and the Golden Fire Department.
“I had to take that next step and keep rolling forward,” he told Erin during an interview at the Middlemist floral design studio of his decision to open The Alpine House. They sat down together at the Golden flower shop to talk about their mutual involvement in Morris & Mae as well as what it’s like to launch a new business.
Jeff admitted that having a routine keeps him motivated. “In the fire department, we were constantly busy,” he says. “When I retired from that, I fell into a slump because I didn't have that routine. Waking up at the same time, doing a certain exercise routine and spending time with family keeps me motivated.”
His advice for new entrepreneurs is to reach out to people who have started a business before. “Find a mentor,” he encourages. “Someone you can confide in and share with. I have a few mentors from the fire service. I had to go back and reach out to some restaurant friends I knew from 25 to 30 years ago. I leaned on all of them for information and guidance. Definitely follow your dreams but have mentors along the way.”
The Alpine House will open at 7 a.m. to serve breakfast: handheld breakfast burritos, smothered burritos, biscuits and gravy, waffles, and egg salad sandwiches. At 11 a.m., Jeff and his crew close the restaurant to customers and will transition to making prepackaged meals to sell in the Morris & Mae Market. At 3 p.m., the restaurant will reopen to serve elevated bar bites and shared plates, including French dip sliders, steak sandwiches, chicken sandwiches, beef and chicken bits served with garlic bread, chicken salad sandwiches, a dish featuring fresh seafood of the day, and boiled artichokes when in season. Baked potatoes, seasonal vegetables, and sauteed mushrooms are available as sides. The heat is on for Jeff and The Alpine House!
