Kitchen and Dining Room

Vista Verde Ranch Staff is the Best! Colorado Vacation Luxury Ranch

Cholly McGlynn

Food and Beverage Director
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
School: CU Boulder

Cholly started of as a Sous Chef at Vista Verde in the winter of 1998. He proceeded to stay on the ranch for approximately nine years before leaving to pursue Artisan bread baking skills. It didn’t take long for Cholly to realize that Vista Verde was his true home, and he returned as Executive Chef in 2012 with his wife, Alaya, whom he met at VVR. They have a little boy named Eamon and love spending time with him along with their little girl, Saoirse! Some of Chef Cholly’s interests include: hiking, fly fishing, camping, bow hunting and bread baking. Cholly is also a lifetime member of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and a member of The Bread Baker’s Guild of America since 2004.

Tanner Price

Chef De Cuisine
CPR/First Aid, Basic Fire Fighter, Personal Survival, STCW
Hometown: Denver, CO
School: CU Denver
Previous Position: Head Chef at The Griffin Tavern

Tanner is a Coloradoan, born and bred. He says, “If I were a recipe I would consists of three main ingredients. 1= Camp; I have been a part of a non-profit that reunites brothers and sisters separated in foster care since 1995 called Camp To Belong (my mother is the founder). 2=Chef; I have over 14 years of experience in the professional kitchens of various concepts. Most recently as a chef, I was the opening chef of a tavern in the Denver Tech Center, spent 3 months traveling abroad in Spain as a hostel cook and tour guide, and worked for a river cruise line on the east coast and in the Sea of Cortez. 3=Skate/Snowboard; I have been riding since I could walk and attribute many of my defining characteristics to the lessons I have learned from falling hard and progressing in sports that have no limit. If it has to do with giving I am in, and if it has to do with an outdoor adrenaline filled adventure, I’ll meet you there!” He is excited to become a part of the VVR team and looking forward to creating one master piece of a dish after another.

David M. Lossing

Chef De Cuisine
ServSafe Manager Certified, ServSafe Proctor
Hometown: Marine on the Saint Croix

David has been all over the west coast working seasonally in various national parks as well as doing private chef work. Some of the destinations David has worked include Glacier Bay Lodge and Tours in Alaska, Beach Chalet Brewery in San Francisco, Wuksachi Lodge in Sequoia National Park, and National Half Dome Lodge in Yosemite. While he isn’t working, you might find David fishing, hiking, camping, and of course, cooking!

Melissa Margason

Pastry Chef
School: New England Culinary Institute AOS

A lifelong love of horses, food, and anything outdoors brought Melissa west in 2015. After one summer season at a ranch in Wyoming, she found Vista Verde and called it home. Working at VVR has provided a way to combine the career of a pastry chef and the desire to spend time outside hiking and riding like nowhere else could. Each season has it’s own highlights; the Christmas Day feast, skiing, snowmobiling, fall cattle drives and pumpkin pies, summer popsicles and long hikes in the Zirkels.

Prior to heading west, she worked in various pastry positions for ten years in the Northern Virginia region, including restaurants, catering and wholesale volume pastry production. She graduated from the New England Culinary Institute AOS in Montpelier, Vermont in 2004.

After her first winter season, it was quite apparent that Nathan (our safety manager) was the cowboy she had been waiting for, and they were married in October of 2016.

Luxury All Inclusive Colorado Ranch Vacation Vista Verde

Teddy Storti

Line Cook
Hometown: Binghampton, NY
Previous Job: SUNY Broome

Teddy is joining us for his first season from New York! He studied criminal justice at SUNY Broome, but really enjoys spending time working in the kitchen. In his off time, he enjoys hunting, fishing, hiking, camping and partaking in any power sport activity. Fun fact: Teddy has been coast to coast on his Harley while braving out a broken leg.

Alex Dallas

Sanitation Specialist
Hometown: Dayton, TX
Previous Job: Waiter at Fish Tales

Alex is joining us from the great country of Texas, and is joining VVR for his second season! He is a huge fan of fantasy fiction literature, his favorite author is J.R.R. Tolkien and has read the “Lord of the Rings“ books three times. Alex is a former Cadet Gunnery Sergeant in Dayton High School MCJROTC and is a proud Eagle Scout. Alex also loves Dungeons and Dragons and Magic the Gathering. Fun fact: Alex once spent 24 hours straight binge watching “Doctor Who“.

Damon Shaw

Server

Hometown: Nashville, TN

Damon is joining us for his second season in the dining room. He enjoyed his winter on the ranch so much that he decided he had to see what summer has to offer! You can catch Damon hiking and fishing on his off days. He loves to workout and spend time in the outdoors. We’re glad to have his smile back in the dining room this season!

Shannon Neff

Server
Hometown: Fort Collins, CO
School: Colorado State University

Shannon just graduated with a degree in Natural Resource Tourism in May! She loves to travel and is passionate about music. She can frequently be found drinking coffee and petting dogs. Fun fact: she has been to 22 countries. . “I am happiest when I am outside enjoying some sunshine,” says Shannon. She can’t wait for those passions to come together this summer at VVR!

Annie Wingo

Server

Hometown: Greeley, CO

We are elated to have Annie back working at Vista Verde Ranch. If you see her around, say congratulations, because she just passed her exam to become a licensed cosmetologist! Annie met her now husband, Zach, at the ranch, and they got married this spring. Fun fact: Annie has a beautiful singing voice, and can bake with the best of them!

Katie Grosso

Server
Hometown: Whiting, NJ
School: MA Candidate: University of Colorado Denver, BA: Rutgers University

Katie is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Counseling Clinical Mental Health at UC Denver. She has an interest in transpersonal, Jungian, and somatic psychotherapy. Her bachelor’s degree is in Women and Gender Studies. She is also a certified Mind Body Eating Coach through the Institute for the Psychology of Eating. When she’s not serving in the dining room, you’ll likely find her out in the sun reading, working on a screenplay or poem, or pondering life’s deep questions. When she grows up, she either wants to be a philosopher queen or Marion Cotillard. She’s excited for her first season at Vista Verde, and the chance to live and work in this beautiful mountain oasis.