The Butcher & the Baker

The line for The Butcher & the Baker is intimidating at first, but it goes quickly, and the staff is friendly and accommodating. As we get closer, we see more things we want in addition to all the delicious items on the menu. There are pre-made salads, huge 12-inch-high cakes, fresh granola and coffee, a full bar, pastries on pastries and a fridge with bagged salad greens. There is also a $24 grapefruit juice that I’m sure is life-changing. It’s the best breakfast spread I’ve seen in a minute.

Start with dessert

We order a few produce-forward cocktails that are extremely fresh and not-too-sweet. Otherwise we stick to breakfast, and start with an incredible Apricot Cheesecake we see while in line and simply can’t resist. The gorgeous sliced apricots are sweet and slightly tangy, cutting the rich creamy center and pairing nicely with a buttery graham cracker crust. A single blueberry rests on top.

We also get the Cindabun, which is like an inside out cinnamon bun with a narrow top and wider bottom. It has a crumbly cinnamon texture that’s powdery but not dry, with caramelized edges and a yeasty dough.

Layer on the carbs

The Breakfast Burrito is technically a grab-and-go item, meaning it’s ready to roll the minute you order it, and one of my favorites of the morning. It’s a nice size, not too big, and stuffed with perfectly cooked sweet potato mash, black beans and corn, salsa, cheddar, eggs and rich breakfast sausage from Happy Hog Farm. 

I’m not a huge omelette person, but the three-egg Summer Omelette is gorgeous. It’s thin but not overcooked, gently folded over roasted heirloom cherry tomatoes, spicy arugula and a local, buttery chevre.

The Day Maker Sandwich comes on a fresh-baked English muffin spread with a thin layer of homemade pepper jam. White cheddar, sausage, arugula and two eggs complete the picture. Its simplicity allows the ingredients to shine through.

Straight from the farm

Owner Megan Ossola is a long-time local who has been in Telluride for 25 years but spent many of her younger life in Wisconsin, where she learned how to get creative with dishes from her mother and father. Her grandmother, a farmer from Illinois, taught her to prioritize fresh and organic ingredients. 

In 2018, The Butcher & The Baker bought a farm 60 miles from Telluride, where they now source their own hemp, apples, pears and apples. They also built a 3,000-square-foot greenhouse that supplies much of the produce for the best breakfast spread in Telluride.

Circa 1886, the building that houses Butcher & The Baker is bright and airy. In the 1960s, it served as Sheridan Pool Hall, and was allegedly the first place a keg was tapped in Telluride. There’s seating inside, on the side and in the back, which makes waiting in line non-claustrophobic, and is excellent for when it gets busy …which is every day.