Near the airport in Aspen — the Colorado city known both for its snow-covered slopes and glitzy affluence — is a restaurant that offers diners a true reprieve from the sometimes sterile-feeling winter conditions outside. At Mawa’s Kitchen, Chef Mawa McQueen serves bold, Afro-Fusion food like Berbere Spiced Chicken Yassa and Colorado Lamb Tagine in a bright, welcoming dining room.
Both McQueen and her restaurant, which is the only Black-owned restaurant in the city, have earned numerous accolades in recent years, including a Michelin recommendation, a James Beard nomination and being dubbed the Colorado Governor’s Minority Business of the Year in both 2020 and 2022.
