Executive Chef
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 new baby girl! 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.

Chef de Cuisine
Hometown: Mohawk, NY

Jason comes to us with many years of experience as a chef. He is excited to join the Vista Verde staff, and is even more excited to be in Colorado for one of our beautiful winters. Jason loves to ski and snowmobile, and even brought his own snowmobile to the ranch!

Pastry Chef and Sous Chef
Hometown: Front Royal, VA
Previous Job: Bitterroot Ranch

A life-long love of food and family led Melissa to a career in pastry arts, with a love of horses not too far behind. She attended the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont and after graduation worked in both catering and fine dining. After nearly 8 years working in the hectic Washington D.C. metro, she decided to take off for some adventures in the west. This ``gypsy lifestyle`` has offered many new experiences, new friends, and the opportunity to both delight guests with great food and get the chance to spend many hours on horseback.

Sanitation Specialist
Hometown: Parker, CO
School: Chaparral High School

Josh is a Colorado Native. He has grown up spending time in the mountains camping, hiking and fishing. Josh's favorite hobby is fishing and hopes to become a fishing guide in the future. He loves spending time with his 4 siblings and extended family. Of course, Josh's favorite sport team is the Denver Broncos. In winter, you will find Josh on the slopes snowboarding as often as he can. Josh's favorite trip so far has been to Mexico and can't wait to travel to Alaska. His smile is contagious and his love of fun brightens any room!

Line Cook
CPR, AED Certified
Hometown: Bloomington, IN

Jake has always loved nature and the great outdoors. Camping and hiking is his idea of a fun weekend, all learned from being a Boy Scout and even achieving eagle rank. Jake is a geek of the highest caliber. Anything from Dungeons and Dragons to anime if it's nerdy Jake has probably done it. However just because he is a nerd doesn't mean he doesn't like sports. Jake loves skydiving and archery. Jake is existed to be working at VVR and being back in the states.

Prep Chef
Hometown: Florida

Jesse comes to Vista Verde with a love of music. He helps out our band frequently with their tech. After working at Vista Verde, he has also developed a passion for fly fishing and can be seen most often on the river in our Summer season. Jesse originally heard about us from his brother, our former Chef de Cuisine.

Line Cook
Hometown: Roanoke Rapids, NC

Sarah absolutely loves to travel. One of the main items on Sarah's bucket list is her desire to visit all 50 states and climb the highest peak in each of these states.
While she has worked in Colorado for the past 6 months, she hasn't quite found the spare time to summit Mt. Elbert's glorious peaks, but is still determined to try!
Whenever she is not hiking and dreaming of hiking, Sarah enjoys slower past-times such as reading, singing, and trying out foods of all ethnic backgrounds.

Assistant Pastry Chef
Hometown: Albany, GA
School: University of Georgia

Line Cook
Hometown: Roanoke Rapids, NC

Lead Server
Hometown: Malvern, PA
School: Penn State

Terence loves the outdoors, especially mountain biking and hiking. Terence previously worked as a host/server at McKenzie Brewhouse outside of Philadelphia. He likes to travel and recently climbed the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York. He loves trying new foods, playing sports (especially basketball), and debating politics. Terence is a huge New York Yankees and Philadelphia 76ers fan.

Server
Hometown: Lisle, IL
School: St. Norbert College

Although Illinois is home base, Mackenzie has lived many places where her heart still resides. The most extreme move was to live and study in Australia while simultaneously traveling around several other countries. Her favorite past times include road trips, exploring the great outdoors and seeking out new adventures. Her most recent adventure, however, was walking across the stage to accept her degree in Psychology. This will be Mackenzie's second summer living in beautiful Colorado, but her first at Vista Verde; she could not be more excited to join such a stellar team!

Server
Hometown: New Holland, PA
School: Harcum College

Maritza is a recently graduated Veterinary Technician. She worked for the University of Pennsylvania's large animal hospital, New Bolton Center, in the OR prior to coming to Vista Verde this summer. She is an avid supporter of all things equine and has her own horse who just celebrated his sweet sixteen. She is also developing a love for travel and most recently visited Ireland. Maritza absolutely loves pigs and has recently gotten involved in raising, breeding and showing them.

Server
Hometown: Fort Meyers, FL
School: Elon University

Hailey loves travelling, animals, and all things outdoors. She just graduated from Elon University with a degree in Psychology. Hailey’s greatest passion is working with children. In the past she has had the opportunity to intern at an autism center, educational psychology office and at a specialized preschool. She hopes to one day turn this passion into a career. She is incredibly excited that her next adventure is with Vista Verde. Fun Fact: During Hailey’s time in college, she had the opportunity to study abroad in Australia where she got to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef, feed the Kangaroos, and learn about Indigenous culture. This experience further sparked her love of adventure!

Server
Hometown: Ipswich, MA
School: Johns Hopkins University

Natalie recently graduated from Johns Hopkins University majoring in Sociology while minoring in Marketing. Along with her studies, Natalie was also a member of the lacrosse team. She loves the beach and enjoys horseback riding. Natalie is also a lover of animals and the great outdoors. This is her first season here at VVR and she is so excited to explore the mountains of Colorado and meet new people! Fun Fact: Natalie's middle name is Summer and she was born on the Summer Solstice!

Server
Hometown: Mason, OH
School: University of South Carolina

Kylie is a lover of adventure and the great outdoors! Just to give you a small taste of Kylie's adventures, prior to coming to the ranch, she was working as a sea kayak guide off the coast of British Columbia. She has been riding horses for much of her life and she is so excited to get back in the saddle during her down time. Be sure to look for Kylie's bright smile in the dining room!