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Dana Rodriguez
James Beard Award winner
- Discipline
- Other
i. Biography
The Climb
Training at Casa Bonita and within Denver’s defining culinary voices gave Dana Rodriguez a base in local, working kitchens rather than a single formal track. The line from dishwasher at Panzano to consulting chef at Que Bueno Suerte! At 1518 South Pearl Street, Denver, from 2016, marks a career built by repeated entry points into the same trade. Co-ownership of Work & Class and Super Mega Bien followed as the next step in that progression.
Today
Current work spans Casa Bonita in Lakewood, Work & Class and Carne RiNo in Denver, and Rioja. At Super Mega Bien in Denver, Dana Rodriguez works in a modern Latin American, Spanish, and Portuguese register built for service flow: small plates move tableside from a roving dim sum-style cart, while family-style entrees are set for sharing. Mole sits among her specialties, and it helps explain why the food is read as grounded without being narrow.
Recognition
Dana Rodriguez has received James Beard Award nomination, Outstanding Chef (2023). Recognition for Dana Rodriguez reads less like a single prize and more like cumulative standing across Denver kitchens. The throughline is the range of posts she has held, including culinary partnership at Casa Bonita in Lakewood, which places her work inside the city’s everyday restaurant fabric rather than outside it.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Dana
What is Dana Rodriguez's current role?
As of 2026, Dana Rodriguez is Culinary Partner and Executive Chef.
Where did Dana Rodriguez train or study?
Dana Rodriguez trained at Casa Bonita and Casa Bonita.
What is Dana Rodriguez known for?
Mole.
