Sandwiches may seem simple, but they’re anything but basic. Whether it’s subpar ingredients or a lack of attention to detail, most of the world’s lunch plans simply fall flat. At Bodega, we strive to reverse this trend, creating craveable everyday eats that always hit the spot.
It starts with the best ingredients: from crisp greens and locally sourced meats, to fresh-baked bread and handcrafted condiments. We carefully layer and test each sandwich until we’ve mastered the proportions, aiming for inventive flavor combos that will fill you up without weighing you down.
Beyond what we can fit between two slices, you’ll find top-notch espresso drinks (with beans from local roasters Pablo’s!), signature salads and cocktails + mocktails to cure your weekday woes. Plus, we’ve got a breakfast sando situation that far surpasses your average egg-and-cheese.
But the real secret sauce is our people: friendly folks with talent far beyond their sandwich capacities. It’s important to us that they love serving you as much as we do, so we make sure every individual feels like an essential part of our team. Our local community also adds its own flavor, whether we’re providing a space for meetings, book clubs and community boards or showcasing other Denver small businesses whose work we admire.
CLIFF BLAUVELT, OWNER
Born in Maine and raised in Houston, Texas, Cliff moved to Denver at the age of 15 and has called the city home ever since. As a psychology undergrad at Metropolitan State University, he worked at a variety of restaurants–including Taste of Philly, Denver Ted’s and Benny Blanco’s—where he discovered a passion for cooking and entertaining. In 2006, looking to expand his horizons, Cliff took a role at Watercourse Foods, one of the city’s most famous vegetarian and vegan restaurants. From there, he landed at Steuben’s in Uptown, eventually earning the title of Executive Chef and overseeing the opening of a second location in Arvada. After ten years with Steuben’s, Cliff was offered an unusual opportunity to open a restaurant in Aruba and spent several seasons consulting with other businesses on the island. In 2018, he returned to Denver as the Culinary Director for Tap & Burger Concepts, a position he held until the opening of Bodega in 2022.
After more than two decades as a chef, leader and mentor, Cliff has realized that the relationships he has formed in the kitchen are the deeper motivation behind his work. Throughout his career, he’s prioritized opportunities to give back and participate in community events throughout Greater Denver, whether headlining Eat Denver’s Harvest Week celebrations, supporting Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign or competing in the city’s Burger Battle, Chicken Fight and Wings and Whiskey festivals. He has also invested in becoming a Certified Peer Support Specialist for mental health and substance abuse recovery, two issues that disproportionately impact chefs and restaurant workers. Building on the sum of these experiences, Cliff looks forward to building a different kind of hospitality environment at Bodega—one that aligns business priorities with policies that meaningfully support and empower each member of his team.