The Well food hall reveals 2023 vendor lineup

The Well plans to reopen Tuesday, Feb. 7 for full service after a month-long closure to reboot its vendor lineup. So get ready for “The Well 2.0” as project consultant Justin Anderson called it back when we last chatted in December about the food hall’s overhaul plans.

You can read about the former lineup of vendors’ plans in that article. And you can read more about the organization’s mission as a culinary incubator via The Philanthropy Collective.

But back to the big announcement of the new vendors, here’s who’s coming in and info about each spot via The Well. Click the links to read some of my past reporting and reviewing on some of the outfits:

SIVAR is slang for El Salvador, to the local population of Central America. This concept is a sister company of Monse’s Taste of El Salvador, located in Old Colorado City, which offers a specialized menu celebrating authentic Central American Cuisine. The name is special to the owners because it represents Monse’s culture, passion for food and her Salvadoran roots. This concept incorporates traditional central American favorites including pupusas, empanadas, plantains, and more. SIVAR is 100% gluten free and will feature a variety of traditional meat, vegetarian and vegan entrées, plus starters, specials and a mouthwatering Sunday brunch.

Formosa Bites brings authentic Taiwanese flavors reminiscent of its famous night markets throughout the region. Their menu is curated with both familiar favorites and new interpretations of traditional dishes. Everything, from signature dishes like their red chili oil wontons and pork belly sliders, to the newly offered beef noodle soup, is lovingly hand-crafted from scratch with the freshest ingredients. Owner Terry Hsieh, who is Taiwanese born and raised, prides himself as a home cook first and a small family business owner second. He wants his patrons to experience “happiness you can taste” with every bite.

Tossed Fresh & Organic was started by necessity. The Colorado Springs community needed a place to get a delicious and healthy meal. Tossed specializes in salads and other healthy foods such as wraps and soups. Their mission is to bring thoughtfully crafted and delicious foods to as many people as possible. Tossed menu items highlight the seasons and ingredients are sourced from organic and reputable suppliers. At Tossed, healthy tastes good!

The Community Cultural Collective at the Colorado Springs City Auditorium is pleased to announce the launch of its Capstone Culinary Hospitality Creative Workforce Program which will be known as Shovel Ready. This unique ‘earn and learn’ program is championed by several of our region’s most prolific and dedicated restaurateurs. Jay Gust of Ascent Restaurants, Brother Luck, and Justin Miller of the Broadmoor have been working alongside Linda Weise, President and CEO of the Community Cultural Collective, as well as Traci Marques of the Pikes Peak Workforce Center, with additional input from the Pikes Peak State College. All self-enterprising professionals with longstanding careers both in the kitchen and front of house, the group will oversee and support the curriculum for this program on site at The Well. Menus on site at The Well are exciting and ultimately students will have the opportunity to work closely with the agricultural sector throughout the Pikes Peak Region and Colorado to ensure as much regional collaboration. Shovel Ready is designed to give students the tools to experience first-hand on site culinary learning, develop skills pertinent to advancing our region’s food scene while developing workforce for our greater community.

Other news to know with the look ahead at 2023 at The Well:
There will be a renewed focus on community events, partnerships and education. We will continue to host Gather for a Cause, a twice monthly philanthropic partnership with local non-profit organizations – where 5 percent of the daily sales proceeds from The Well go to benefit the partnered non-profit organizations for that day.
Weekly ongoing live music and trivia nights will continue as well, along with new programming, including a farmer’s market we will host on Wednesday evenings that will kick-off in late spring and continue throughout the summer. The Well will also host cooking classes and other educational workshops with our various food vendors, regional farmers, local and regional chefs as well as coffee and cocktail seminars with the team behind Gift Horse Bar & Cafe.

And here’s the current winter hours once it reopens on Feb. 7:
Gift Horse (Cafe): 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday-Sunday
Food Vendors: Open at 11 a.m., Tuesday-Sunday (with varied closing times throughout the week)
Gift Horse (Bar): Open at 11 a.m., Tuesday-Sunday (with varied closing times throughout the week)

[Disclosure: The Community Cultural Collective was a sponsor of State of Plate, my 2022 podcast about the Springs’ dining scene.]