Adam Branz
Operating Partner
Ultreia

For a chef who got into the restaurant business on a whim, Adam Branz has certainly made a name for himself.

Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Branz was raised in Breese, Illinois and has spent most of his life in the Midwest and Mountain West. He attended Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois before moving to Le Cordon Bleu St. Louis and graduating at the top of his class.

Branz and his wife Lauren moved to Denver so she could attend law school at The University of Denver. He has worked in all restaurants owned by James Beard Best Chef Southwest Jennifer Jasinski and her business partner Beth Gruitch settling in at Bistro Vendôme where he was named chef de cuisine in 2014. Late 2017 found Branz in the kitchen at the new Ultreia in Denver’s Historic Union Station featuring the foods of Spain and Portugal. He left to create Split Lip Kitchen after testing it as a pop-up at Ultreia. Branz returned to Ultreia in 2024 as Operating Partner.

Branz’s culinary inspirations come from those he has worked with such as Chef Jen and Jorel Pierce, Gabriel Rucker and Corey Lee and those he would love to someday cook with – Daniel Boulud, Michael Ruhlman and Joël Robuchon. Branz cites Rucker’s Le Pigeon as a favorite cookbook demonstrating playful interpretations of French cuisine.

After shift, you’ll find Branz at Nallens, a local Irish pub. On his days off, you might try Watercourse where he loves the BBQ pulled jackfruit sandwich. He lives in south Denver with his wife Lauren, their two children Belle and Arlo and their two pups.