Crescent Communities Announces Award-Winning Restaurant Tenant at NOVEL RiNo
Denver, CO (March 16, 2023) – Crescent Communities, in partnership with Dart Interests and The Culinary Creative Group, today announced that it is bringing a concept from Chef Carlo Lamagna, a 2022 James Beard Finalist for Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific and one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs 2021, to NOVEL RiNo, a 483-unit mixed-use apartment community located at the intersection of 40th Street and Walnut Street. Chef Lamagna plans to open Magna Kainan, an evolved offering of his Magna Kusina concept recently recognized as Portland Restaurant of the Year by The Oregonian.
The arrival of Chef Lamagna and Magna Kainan cements RiNo’s status as a premier food and beverage destination, furthering the work begun by The Culinary Creative Group, NOVEL RiNo’s retail partner. Culinary Creative Group founded Denver’s favorite and awarded establishments including A5 Steakhouse; Ash’Kara; Aviano Coffee; Ay, Papi; Bar Dough; Forget Me Not; Fox & The Hen; Mister Oso; Red Tops Rendezvous; Señor Bear; and Tap & Burger.
“We could not be more thrilled to welcome Culinary Creative Group, Chef Lamagna and Magna Kainan as our first retail partners at NOVEL RiNo,” said Ben Krasnow, Managing Director of Mountain States for Crescent Communities. “The caliber of this offering and the significance of these award-winning establishments choosing our community cannot be understated. Not only does this addition strengthen our residents’ experience but also helps bring focus to an exciting and emerging community that we are grateful to be surrounded by. Together with Chef Lamagna and The Culinary Creative Group, we are excited to set the standard for residential and hospitality experiences in Denver.”
NOVEL RiNo will also offer a rooftop cocktail bar atop the 12-story high-rise building. The Culinary Creative Group partner Nicole Lebedevitch, of Forget Me Not notoriety in Cherry Creek, will helm the rooftop experience. The 2,600 square foot space will feature small plates from Magna Kainan and offer indoor and outdoor seating with undisturbed views of downtown and the Front Range. The 12th story bar provides a bird’s eye view into the community’s private amenity deck, including the spacious resort-style pool, expansive hot tub, fire pit, seating lounge, and outdoor kitchen. Invoking the energy and excitement that made Forget Me Not one of Denver’s premier establishments, the rooftop at NOVEL RiNo is designed to impress and will be the perfect complement to Magna Kainan.
At the center of these partnerships, The Culinary Creative Group is widely recognized for providing signature hospitality, commitment to philanthropy, phenomenal food, exceptional service, and innovative designs. The Culinary Creative Group is responsible for several critically acclaimed restaurants in Denver, Aspen, and New Orleans.
“This is an ideal partnership between developers Crescent Communities, Dart Interests, and The Culinary Creative Group. There was an understanding of each other's businesses that led to a deal that we think will be exciting for the city of Denver and RiNo. It’s unusual to find real estate and development partners that truly understand hospitality,” said The Culinary Creative Group’s CEO Juan Padró. “This deal is especially personal for me because it’s an opportunity to reflect one of The Culinary Creative Group's core values: to create opportunities for diverse talent. Partnering with Chef Carlo Lamagna, one of the country’s hottest chefs, brings more diversity to Denver. We don’t have a lot of Filipino cuisine in Denver, and I can’t think of a more meaningful way to add to the Denver dining scene landscape than to partner with a nationally and internationally recognized chef like Carlo. What’s special is how much Carlo’s values align with The Culinary Creative Group’s: we both invest in people and our community and believe that is just as important as creating amazing food for the people we serve. We hope this becomes the signature restaurant for Carlo, and we’re proud to be a part of it.”
NOVEL RiNo is one of three active investments by Crescent Communities in the Denver area; NOVEL White Fence Farm is now pre-leasing, and NOVEL Uptown broke ground last August. More broadly, Crescent Communities continues to experience significant growth with $7.2 billion of residential and commercial investments and developments currently underway. The organization currently has 15,300 units of multifamily/single family build-to-rent, 58,000 square feet of complementary retail, and 7.5 million square feet of office, industrial and life-sciences in planning, construction and operation. With a focus on environmental sustainability and wellness, the organization pursues certifications including LEED, NGBS (National Green Building Standard), Fitwel, and WELL.
Further details surrounding the community and its retail partners will be announced at a later date. A rendering of NOVEL RiNo is available here and photos for Magna Kainan are available here.
About Crescent Communities
Crescent Communities is a nationally recognized, market-leading real estate investor, developer and operator of mixed-use communities. We create high-quality, differentiated residential and commercial communities in many of the fastest growing markets in the United States. Since 1963, our development portfolio has included more than 83 multifamily communities, 24 million square feet of commercial space and 60 single family master-planned communities. Crescent Communities has offices in Charlotte, DC, Atlanta, Orlando, Nashville, Dallas, Denver, Phoenix and Salt Lake City. Our residential communities are branded NOVEL, RENDER and HARMON by Crescent Communities and our industrial developments are branded AXIAL by Crescent Communities and our life science developments are branded THE YIELD by Crescent Communities.
About The Culinary Creative Group
The Culinary Creative Group has developed several critically acclaimed restaurants in Denver, CO (A5 Steakhouse; Ash’Kara; Aviano Coffee; Ay, Papi; Bar Dough, Forget Me Not; Fox & The Hen; Mister Oso; Red Tops Rendezvous; Señor Bear and Tap & Burger), Aspen, CO, and New Orleans, LA (Sofia and forthcoming A5 Steakhouse and Bohemia) under their own umbrella or through strategic partnerships. Their restaurants are known for their dedication to philanthropy & their communities; signature hospitality; and commitment to exceptional service, using local, seasonal ingredients, and innovative designs.
