When Chef Samuel McCandless describes his recent trip to the world-class beef mecca of El Capricho in Spain, his eyes light up. He may run the kitchen at one of Boulder’s best eateries, but it’s his annual pilgrimage to the renowned restaurant in the city of Jimenez de Jamuz that has been a key inspiration since taking over the reins at Corrida in 2021.
“[El Capricho owner] Jose Gordon is friends with the animals. He goes out and hangs out in the pens,” says McCandless, who waxes reverently on the 90-day aged steaks from eight-year-old cows enjoyed during his most recent visit in May. “With El Capricho being our North Star along with the beef culture of Spain, we want to see more of that culture here in Colorado.”
McCandless currently sits in the top class of chefs who worked their way through some of the most-lauded kitchens in Boulder. He’s from Montana, but since coming to town in 2004 he’s worked a couple of long stints at Frasca as well as helming the now-shuttered Arcana which served great plates just a few doors down from his current restaurant.
On June 23, McCandless and partner Bryan Dayton opened CBurger, which slings a simple menu of burgers from a counter at the newly christened Sanitas Brewing location in Englewood. For anyone unfamiliar, Dayton is the founder of Half Eaten Cookie Hospitality, the folks behind OAK at Fourteenth, Brider, Bellota and Corrida.
McCandless is a lifetime cook, but he says his position at Corrida is what really got him thinking seriously about beef. Through the restaurant, he’s since become a champion of sourcing high-quality product from ranches that are committed to regenerative beef.
“I’m not the biggest fan of throwing around the term too much,” he says. “But it’s the original way animals were raised — think of bison on the plains.”
McCandless says the essential component is giving the animals enough room so they can move to different areas while their previous stomping ground has time to revive. He says the other major tenets are good water management, the prevention of soil erosion and real considerations for animal welfare.
The chef recently started working with Western States Ranches in Montrose, where he sources beef from cattle that are grass-fed and finished on a custom ration developed by a cattle nutritionist. “They’re healthy cattle all the way through,” McCandless says.
Primals, or the whole sections of the animals, are currently either hitting plates or aging at Corrida, as the ground beef is served at CBurger. The current system allows him to source all the Half Eaten Cookie restaurants. “This is ground zero for using the ground beef,” he says.
CBurger’s menu is short and sweet, with only two signature burgers being joined by fries. There’s the namesake CBurger Cheeseburger with American cheese, tomato, lettuce and house sauce, and there’s the Colorado Cheeseburger, with American cheese, smoked bacon, jalapeños and green chili sauce. “It’s just made with good beef, we’re not breaking any other mold,” McCandless says. Singles are available, but doubles are the obvious answer.
“This is a fast food restaurant. I appreciate the world a whole lot more. The way Shake Shake and McDonald’s run so efficiently. It’s impressive,” he says. “But they’re not using regenerative beef.”
In a world full of burgers, McCandless has opted towards perfecting the fundamentals rather than veering into creativity. It’s clear that the plan is working. According to the chef, the CBurger is one part of an ongoing program, and diners can expect the concept to expand to additional locations. “There are exciting plans for getting regenerative beef onto more people’s plates,” he says. “This is the base of the pyramid.”
He also expects more Colorado beef to line the shelves at Corrida. “We’re really into Colorado. Why wouldn’t we be into where we’re living? We’re really fucking proud to be here.”
