Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson

The Climb

Technique, not self-expression, is the throughline in Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson’s work at Frasca Food & Wine in Boulder, Colorado. The line, “He taught me about practicing to get something right, as opposed to creativity for the sake of being creative,” fits a career built on repetition used as a tool: returning to a method, a flavor, a place, until the work clarifies. At Frasca, that discipline shows up in Friulian-inspired food and wine, where elegance is tied to exacting practice rather than ornament. Service first framed the work, beginning as a cook at Old Warson Country Club in St. Louis, Missouri. Formal study followed at École Grégoire-Ferrandi in Paris (from 1999), where the standards tightened, and an apprenticeship at Jamin added another layer of precision to the foundation already in place. The line of kitchens continued through La Taupiniere in Pont Aven, Brittany, then to The French Laundry in Yountville, California (from 2001). Each stop added to the same discipline: not a list of credits, but a steady refinement of taste, technique, and judgment. Partnerships then expanded the scope of the work. Today, Lachlan is partner of Frasca Food & Wine (since 2004), partner of Scarpetta Wines (since 2007), partner of Pizzeria Locale Boulder (since 2011), partner of Pizzeria Locale Denver (since 2013), and partner of Tavernetta (since 2017). Taken together, they mark a career that stays both focused and broad, moving from one concept to the next without losing the thread of craft.

Today

At Frasca Food & Wine in Boulder, Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson is partner and executive chef, and founder and partner of Frasca Hospitality Group. The work here is built on respect for tradition and on the patience to let technique carry the plate. Friulian-inspired food and wine define the house style, with kitchen and cellar operating as connected parts of the same discipline. Frico caldo makes that approach visible in one dish. It lands as something familiar in form, but more specific in lineage than its appearance suggests. The value is in restraint, texture, and timing — the kind of cooking that asks for attention from peers who know what that means.

Signature

Lachlan’s signature dishes include Frico caldo and Frico Aperto. They show the same working principle that runs through his broader portfolio: regional reference translated into something direct, carefully made, and exact in its simplicity.

In Their Words “Frico caldo. It’s a kind of hash browns with potatoes, onions and cheese, whose roots lie in northeastern Italy and Friuli.” “He taught me about practicing to get something right, as opposed to creativity for the sake of being creative.”

Recognition

Lachlan’s honors include Food & Wine Best New Chef (2005).