| Mary
Oreskovich escaped the normal life she thought she
wanted for one of culinary adventure. With a degree in communications
and art history from the University of Colorado and a public
school teaching job, Oreskovich left her hometown and job for
the creative promise of the Culinary Institute of America in
Hyde Park, New York. At the school, Oreskovich discovered both
her life’s work and her husband – Richard Warner,
who is also her culinary partner. As a CIA graduate, Oreskovich
relocated to Portland, Oregon, where she worked for two James
Beard award-winning chefs: Chefs Greg Higgins and Phillippe
Boulout. She also worked at the Pearl Bakery under Greg Mistel,
who coached the first American team to win the Bread Coupe
de Monde in Paris. The culinary couple left the Pacific Northwest
for the Ponoi River in Russia, where they served as professional
chefs for an elite fly-fishing camp. In 1999, Oreskovich returned
to Pueblo and opened Steel City Diner with her husband. This
intimate 38-seat restaurant was a popular destination in Pueblo’s
historic district and received many accolades from local and
regional press. The couple expanded their food business in
2005, with the opening of Hopscotch Bakery only several doors
down from their restaurant. The bakery specializes in hand-crafted
pastries, cookies, cakes and tarts with artisan breads. They
also serve panini, soup, salad, pizettas and house-made ice
cream. At the end of 2006, Oreskovich and Warner closed the
Steel City Diner in search of a different creative adventure.
Currently, they are in the process of starting a quality, full-service,
off-premise catering company. Both Oreskovich and Warner are
passionate about the food they create, always seeking sustainable
products and promoting local farmers when possible. In fact,
Oreskovich uses only Colorado-milled organic flours at Hopscotch
Bakery. And, the two share both their skills and enthusiasm
for the culinary experience with cooking classes at the Sangre
de Cristo Arts Center. Oreskovich lives in her historic Pueblo
home with her husband, Warner, and their two dogs: Sugar and
Champ. Contact Us. |
Richard
Warner, a Chicago native, graduated from the Culinary
Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. While earning
professional-level skills and gaining culinary experience in
school, Warner met his wife and business partner Mary Oreskovich
in the school’s mail room. He worked in Chicago for both
Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises and the Four Seasons. After
graduation from CIA, Warner left the East Coast for the Pacific
Northwest. He worked for the James Beard award-winning chef
Greg Higgins at Higgins Restaurant and the San Francisco-based
Kimpton Restaurant Group. Warner and Oreskovich left the Pacific
Northwest for the Ponoi River in Russia, where they served
as professional chefs for an elite fly-fishing camp. In 1999,
Warner moved to Pueblo, Colorado, to open Steel City Diner
with his wife. This intimate 38-seat restaurant was a popular
destination in Pueblo’s historic district and received
many accolades from local and regional press. The couple expanded
their food business in 2005, with the opening of Hopscotch
Bakery only several doors down from their restaurant. The bakery
specializes in hand-crafted pastries, cookies, cakes and tarts
with artisan breads. They also serve panini, soup, salad, pizettas
and house-made ice cream. At the end of 2006, Warner and Oreskovich
closed the Steel City Diner in search of a different creative
adventure. Currently, they are in the process of starting a
quality, full-service, off-premise catering company. Dinner
@ Eight will specialize in dinner, hors d’oeuvres and
special-occasion catered parties. Both Warner and Oreskovich
are passionate about the food they create, always seeking sustainable
products and promoting local farmers when possible. The two
share both their skills and enthusiasm for the culinary experience
with cooking classes at the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center. Warner
lives in his historic Pueblo home with his wife, Oreskovich,
and their two dogs: Sugar and Champ. Contact
Us. |
Locally-owned.
Locally proud.
We also
believe in local ingredients. This is not just a nice way to help
our neighbors.
We believe that local ingredients make our baked goods and pastry
actually taste better. We use beautiful multi-colored farm-fresh
eggs (not just the kind from the grocery story labeled farm-fresh)
from a local farm -- Country Roots. (