At The Broadmoor (Colorado Springs, Colo.), promotion widens responsibility. It also creates space for others to step forward.
When Club + Resort Chef last profiled the resort’s culinary operation in 2021, the defining themes were depth, trust, and shared leadership. The operation was already complex and functioning at a level few properties attempt to sustain. What stood out then was not scope or scale—both impressive on their own merit—but a leadership team that approached the operation as a legacy to be maintained.
David Patterson, Vice President of Food & Beverage
That approach remains intact.
David Patterson now serves as Vice President of Food & Beverage after more than a decade as Executive Chef. Justin Miller, who served as Patterson’s Executive Sous Chef and has spent more than 20 years at the resort, has stepped into the Executive Chef role. Both promotions were made from within, extending a leadership model built on continuity and long-term development.
Promotion as a Multiplier
Patterson says his years leading the kitchens built trust across food and beverage and established working relationships that now allow him to operate across the full scope of the property, with greater focus on coordination, collaboration, and how guests experience the resort as a whole.
“I’m a caretaker,” Patterson says. “My responsibility is to ensure another 107 years. The changes we make have to be timeless and blend seamlessly into the existing program.”
That perspective shaped the decision to promote Miller.
“[Miller] has 28 years of service at The Broadmoor,” Patterson says. “He understands how the resort works, what our guests expect, and what our employees need. Most importantly, he cares deeply about this place.”
Justin Miller, Executive Chef
For Miller, the title formalized expectations he had already been carrying. Ownership preceded promotion, but the role now requires decisions that affect the entire system rather than individual kitchens.
“Even as Executive Sous Chef, I felt strong ownership over the entire operation and took pride in treating it as my own,” says Miller.
Running One Operation, Not Many Silos
The realities of The Broadmoor shape how leadership functions.
“This resort was not designed for today’s volume,” Miller says. “You work within physical limitations and complex logistics while meeting modern expectations.”
Food and beverage operates as a single system rather than a collection of independent businesses. Leaders are expected to understand how decisions in one area affect the rest of the operation.
Restaurant managers regularly support banquet events. Banquet chefs assist in restaurants when volume or staffing requires it. The movement is practical, not symbolic, and it reflects shared responsibility rather than territorial control.
Since 2021, the scope of the operation has continued to grow. The resort reopened The Penrose Room, expanded group dining volume, and saw the return of career hospitality professionals following the disruption of the pandemic. Each shift added complexity rather than reducing it.
Building Leaders Before They Are Needed
Rather than responding to growth by looking outward, the team at The Broadmoor doubled down on internal development. Apprenticeship programs, management-in-training tracks, and continued education have become more deliberate and structured, with particular attention paid to leadership at the supervisory level.
Miller describes a deeper culinary bench that allows the operation to maintain consistency across outlets while supporting coverage and development at the same time.
“Developing future chefs means combining hands-on instruction with mentorship and guidance,” says Miller.
The kitchens intentionally include a large number of students and early-career professionals. Training pairs instruction with responsibility, and chefs are expected to teach while executing.
Advancement is not tied to titles. It is tested through experience.
“When someone is eager to grow, I often move them to a different operation in the same role to see how they perform in a new environment,” Miller says. “That helps assess adaptability, problem-solving, and leadership potential before the next step.”
Banquets as a Leadership Test
Banquets continue to account for a significant share of the operation, with volume and expectations increasing steadily. The work now centers on refinement.
Recipes, standard operating procedures, and menu content are continuously updated. New cuisines and techniques are introduced only when they align with established standards and can be executed consistently across locations.
At this scale, creativity depends on clarity. Expectations are explicit. Communication is constant. Chefs are encouraged to contribute ideas, but execution must hold across every kitchen.
“For us, progress happens in small, intentional steps,” says Patterson. “We are always asking how we can improve the guest experience and our facilities.”
Opening the Playbook
That operating discipline made the timing right for The Broadmoor to host the 2026 Chef to Chef Conference. The kitchen is not being presented as a finished product, but as a system in motion.
Miller says visiting chefs will see consistency across kitchens and teams that understand their role within a larger whole. Standards and structure remain central, supported by a brigade system that creates clarity and accountability.
Kitchen tours will show how those systems function in real time.
“I hope they notice pride,” says Miller. “Pride in our craft, our standards, our teamwork, and our legacy.”
