University of Denver Autumn 2024

Ben Jacobs and Matt Chandra

DU really created the foundation for us to learn how to be challenged and adapt throughout our business careers.”

do Indian tacos, melting pot salad, stuffed fry bread, posu bowls or bison ribs sound? Tocabe , located in Denver’s Berkeley neighborhood, is more than the only American Indian owned and operated restaurant in the metropolitan area specializing in Native American cuisine. Co-owners Ben Jacobs (BA ’05), a member of the Osage Nation of Oklahoma, and Matt Chandra (BA ’05) see it as “a community-driven, American Indian-focused food experience.” The duo also has an online Indigenous marketplace where customers can purchase Native and Indigenous-sourced ingredients—which supports the building of food systems, Chandra says, while also creating economic growth for economically disadvantaged communities.

history at the Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art . The museum—which opened its doors in 2018—was named after innovative modern artist and educator Vance Kirkland, who came to Denver from Ohio in 1929 and founded what is now DU’s School of Art and Art History. Here you can find more than 30,000 works shown in “salon style” from three distinctive collections: international decorative art, Colorado and regional art, and Vance Kirkland and the Original Studio. Professor Emeritus and ceramicist Maynard Tischler also has his work featured in the museum. ENJOY A MEAL THAT TELLS A STORY Getting your steps in by wandering through a museum can make anyone hungry. How

BEN JACOBS, Tocabe

22

UNIVERSITY OF DENVER MAGAZINE | AUTUMN 2024