Restaurateur Steve Whited, owner of the Black Pearl and Encore restaurants, is a long Colorado resident.  Steve’s love of food had humble beginnings when, at the age of 13, he worked at his parent’s ice cream parlor in Littleton, Colorado.  Steve remained in Colorado, graduating from the University of Denver, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Shortly thereafter, Steve continued his education at Tulane University where he earned his MBA.  After working in the restaurant and golf club industry for a dozen years, Steve landed in the charming east coast town of Nantucket as the operator of the Summer House, a seasonal restaurant known for its fine dining, extensive wine list and piano bar.

In 2004, Steve returned to Denver to fulfill his dream of opening his own restaurant.  He and his business partner Sean Huggard, a young and ambitious chef who also worked at the Summer House, envisioned a restaurant with a unique menu and original wine list, and thus Black Pearl was born.  Black Pearl opened in 2005 and has since become a neighborhood favorite in the South Pearl and Washington Park areas.

In 2007 Steve embarked on a new project, opening a second restaurant in the Lowenstein Theater complex on East Colfax adjacent to the Tattered Cover bookstore.  Appropriately titled Encore, Whited’s vision for his restaurant was an elegant and timeless American grill that would inhabit the space that was formerly the box office and backstage areas of the historic theater.

Steve is passionate about the environment and incorporates that respect into the development and operation of his restaurants.  Steve is also an advanced sommelier who enjoys traveling and spending time with his wife, Amy, and their son, Dillon.

Executive Chef Sean Huggard, a partner in both Black Pearl and Encore restaurants, grew up in Easton, Massachusetts, a suburb located twenty minutes south of Boston.  At an early age, Sean realized his passion for the art of cooking, and began working in restaurants.  In 1999, Sean attended the Culinary Institute of America in New York (CIA) where he received his Associate’s Degree in Culinary Arts and Bachelor’s Degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  During the summer of 2000, Sean participated in an externship at The Summer House in Nantucket.   The following summer, at the impressive age of 19, Sean helped open Keepers, a seasonal, fine dining restaurant on Cape Cod, where he was executive chef.  Completing his education in 2002, Sean continued to work at The Summer House as the chef de cuisine for the next few years.

Next, Sean moved to Los Angeles where he worked for Houston’s, a company of the Hillstone Restaurant Group.  The corporate atmosphere of Houston’s was educational and exciting, but Chef Sean soon found himself back at The Summer House as the executive chef.   While at The Summer House, Sean formed a professional relationship and friendship with Steve Whited.  Together they decided to head west to Whited’s hometown of Denver and open a restaurant where the ambiance was humble and the cuisine was original and delicious.  In June of 2005, Sean and Whited opened Black Pearl restaurant at 1529 South Pearl Street.

Chef Sean now claims Denver as his permanent residence and feels at home in the city’s restaurant community.  He is excited to grow his culinary talents at his new restaurant, Encore, located in the historic Lowenstein Theatre complex on vibrant East Colfax Avenue.