(DENVER) – OCTOBER 2008 –
A self-proclaimed hamthropologist, Andy Ganick created a tribute to all things pig at his new restaurant, The Berkshire. Located on Stapleton’s main drag, The Berkshire opened in December 2007 and has been appealing to diners with its playful, pork-infused menu ever since.
Ganick had dreamt of a pig-centric eatery for many years and concepted the menu during a road trip from West Palm Beach to Boston. Along with Soupy, a college buddy and co-pilot, they passed the hours discussing iterations of bacon-this and pork-that, which would appear on their fictitious restaurant’s menu. This menu, jokingly transcribed on a collection of gas station napkins, would later serve as the basis for The Berkshire many years later.
With the notion of restaurant-ownership in the back of his mind, Ganick put together a business plan and moved to Philadelphia to get the experience he needed to open his own place. Here he managed The Continental Mid-town, a five-story club/lounge from the Star Restaurant Group,
worked on Cantina Los Caballitos from sawdust to opening and bartended at Amada, owned by famed chef Jose Garces. Armed with a newfound passion for food and wine and a well-rounded knowledge of the restaurant industry, Ganick moved to Colorado, found his location and dove headfirst to bring The Berkshire to fruition.
Named for a rare breed of heritage pig, The Berkshire is a neighborhood eatery serving refined comfort food. While the dishes represent American cuisine—heavy on the pig—The Berkshire does serve lighter fare as well as vegetarian dishes.
So what’s with this love of pork?“Being raised in a Jewish family, I saw pork as a taboo food and thus craved it even more,” says Ganick. “Although my family was not kosher, our fridge wasn’t overflowing with swine either. On some subconscious level I saw it as the forbidden fruit, but let’s face it—bacon tastes fantastic. Finally people have respect for pork.”