“Mi Chola” = “My Girl”

It’s a term of endearment and one for which co-owner, Adam Malmgren, and myself take an enormous amount of pride and honor in claiming as our own.  Some people refer to a prized car, boat, motorcycle or girlfriend as their “baby” or “girl” indicating that it’s something for which they will always cherish, pamper and protect.  For us, this Aspen Cantina is our baby and our girl.

Not only have Adam and I poured a tremendous amount of love and devotion towards this restaurant, but our history with the previous restaurant in this location, The Cantina, goes way back to 1997 when I first started working here as a waiter. Ever since then, Adam and I have both had a very turbulent / on-off relationship with this restaurant. Both of us being California kids, Adam and I both independently left Aspen and The Cantina for the west coast on multiple occasions in search of the “real world.”  Having failed miserably every time, we always found refuge in moving back to Aspen, and The Cantina was always there to provide us with work, shelter, friends, family and a home. In this vein, this is why we refer to The Cantina as our baby and our girl.  She’s always been there for us.  Because she’s Mexican / American with street spice and attitude that’s been through a lot of hardships and change over the years, she really is Mi Chola in the truest, most endearing sense of the word. 

She’s our baby and our girl and your experience while you’re here is intended to reflect that passion.  Progressive Mexican cuisine with attentive service in an environment that is casual, hip and fun is our sole soul mission.  Your overall experience is our passion and our several other co-owners & partners whom are always on site are ingrained with a penchant for hospitality and good times.  We sincerely hope you like Mi Chola and come to love her as much as we do.

Darren Chapple