The Club at 3 Creek, Jackson Hole, WY "Chef Travis, it is hard to express how important you were to our busy summer season at 3 Creek. I know we wouldn't have made it without you. When our newly hired chef of only one month walked out after 30 days of belittling the sous chefs, culinary team and other club staff; and on July 4th, during one of the biggest events of our season our culinary team was in turmoil and ready to quit. The fact that you were able to step in with your vast experience, gain the confidence of our seasonal culinary team, and lead them to success after success during the peak of our busiest time of the year is nothing short of astonishing! Your organization, calm demeanor, and effective leadership is exactly what the team needed and it is because of you that our team stayed in tact and we were able to pull off a complete menu change, a well-attended four day member-guest golf tournament, a star studded country music festival, high profile guest speaker series, and all of the day to day a la carte service from the clubhouse and swimming pool kitchens. Our members raved about food and loved your ability to visit with them in the dining room. Your professional and routine interaction with the membership was spectacular! You are a true professional! I could not have asked for more than you delivered and for that I am eternally grateful."
Thank you for everything and stay the wonderful person you are. Tim Eldridge COO/General Manager The Club at 3 Creek
Amarillo Country Club, Amarillo TX "Jim Hubbard’s event was exceptional! The space was ideal for the group—and I so appreciate the staff being gracious with the changing of numbers up until the last minute because of positive COVID tests. The service was extraordinary. The meal!!! WOW!!!! Travis hit a home run topped off with an amazing dessert!! The presentation was so impressive! All of this is just what we want the ACC brand to be."
Thank you again--
Kd Kimberly Dryden, CIC, CRIS, AFIS Risk Advisor - Partner Amarillo Country Club Board of Directors
Congress Lake Club, Hartville, OH "I am the COO/GM of the Congress Lake Club, a 125 year, exclusive member-owned private club and resort. I have had the pleasure of working with Chef Travis over the last 7 Weeks as the Club's Interim Executive Chef. In early June, the Club's longtime lead chef departed abruptly leaving me without a culinary professional to lead my very busy summer operations. Chef Travis arrived and did a terrific job under very difficult conditions. Not only did I not have a chef, I was dealing with the operating limitations placed upon the Club as a result of the Coronavirus Pandemic, very limited staffing, and a demanding and discerning membership who were frequenting their Club more than usual.
Chef Travis stepped in quickly and calmly and took charge. On just a few days notice, he led an extremely successful outdoor dining event for our Member-Guest tournament, receiving unbelievable raves and notices for our participants. During my search for a permanent E.C. Travis assisted in onboarding, training, and acclimating my two brand new sous chefs. I asked him to focus heavily on my a la carte operations, (the bread and butter of the Club's culinary program) and Travis and his makeshift crew exceeded all expectations. While his culinary skills as an award-winning Chef were clearly visible to me and my membership, his willingness to do what is necessary to please our members has been a breath of fresh air to me and not too typical of too many chefs I have worked with over 30 years. His cooking is about pleasing the members/customers over pleasing his ego. His goal has been to provide service and hospitality to those he is serving. His work ethic has been phenomenal. His leadership skills have been very successful and are obviously a result of his military experience as a Warrant Officer in the U.S. Army.
I would highly recommend him for an executive role in any high-end culinary operation. Please feel free to contact me anytime to reaffirm what I have written in this recommendation letter. " Paul Showalter, C.C.M. Chief Operating Officer/General Manager The Congress Lake Company
Elmwood Country Club, Marshalltown, IA "As President of Elmwood Country Club, we felt we needed someone that could come in and show us what a real chef could do. We had our complete kitchen staff walk out after expectations for their services were increased because they were not meeting financial or membership needs. From all of the resumes we reviewed, we chose Chef Travis Smith to either make or break our experimental direction. We felt hopefully he could come in and show that really good culinary skills would revitalize our failing F&B direction.
Wow!... is all I can say of Chef Travis. He immediately was thrown into the fire on a very busy night with zero kitchen help. He knocked it out of the park. He hung in with us I'm happy to say. Over the next couple weeks and months he even impressed us more. We had an all member meeting and I introduced Chef Travis to the membership. I was very happy to see almost everyone stand up and applaud his work. My highlight of the evening. He was and is very much appreciated. Another example is I was going to let Chef go at the end of December, because he helped us find and train a chef, but I had a member call me and say it was imperative to have Chef Travis there for his daughter's wedding. I had no choice but to extend Chef for another month. During that time he helped train staff on the basics of customer service and developed scheduling and time collection processes. All much appreciated as we didn't have a GM at the time. Thanks Chef Travis for all of the help you provided us. Next time, if there is one, we will not hesitate to contact you for help."
Rob Christensen President, Elmwood Country Club
Bistro Colorado Inc. Evergreen, CO "My husband and I have been dining at Bistro Colorado since we moved to Evergreen almost a year ago. The first time we dined here we were blown away with the diverse menu options and the atmosphere. Travis is incredible, talented, personable, and overall a really nice guy.. he makes you feel right at home. Shortly after our first visit, my husband and I (at the time my fiance') decided to have our rehearsal dinner here in September 2017. We had a wonderful evening here with family and friends. Travis took great care of us and everyone raved about the dinner! This place is like home to us and we love to see what's new on the menu when we come in. We have been here for brunch and dinner and both are excellent. Give Travis a visit, you won't be disappointed." ~ Gini Dixon
"There isn't a possible thing I could say negative about our experience! Travis and his staff helped us figure out the best possible way to custom setup his restaurant, menu, and bar. This was truly amazing and unique to all of the other venues we looked at for our wedding reception. He made time for us to come in several times to try out different dishes and desserts to help our decision making. We went through several options of how to setup the chairs, table,s and dance floor as well as the way he did his daughter's event. This was our first large event that we planned, not being equipped with any experience or prior knowledge.... that being said we would have been a wreck with out this tireless team. Travis was very professional in every aspect of our arrangement and all I can say is that, he and his crew are truly saints!" - Cody Dale
"We had a phenomenal wedding day, thanks in major part to Travis and his staff. The restaurant was amazingly decorated, and the food was delectable! We met with Travis twice prior to our wedding and set up all of the details including table set up, food to be served, alcohol, and our budget. He worked with us to ensure that we had everything that we wanted for a very reasonable price. It was a perfect venue all around, and the best day of my life so far! Thank you so much, Travis!!" - Chelsea Dale
"My husband and I hosted our daughter's wedding reception here at Bistro Colorado on October 28, 2017. We could not have been happier with the experience that Travis, the owner and chef, provided for us. Our group was about 70 people (give or take a few), and Travis worked hard to help us stay within our budget, but still have a quality meal experience for our guests. He met with our daughter and her now-husband twice before the event, helping them choose a menu and letting them taste the delicious food that he prepares. We had a rather wild range of items, from mussels with wine and garlic to macaroni and cheese, both being favorites of the bride. Fancy or humble, Travis knows how to made delicious food! Everybody was very happy with their meals.The waitstaff was wonderful, too: efficient and friendly. Hors d'oeuvres were waiting for us upon our arrival, since it was about 1:00 and we knew our guests would be hungry as soon as they walked in the door. Not long after, the buffet was available, and all of our guests moved through in short order. We received only positive feedback about the food, and we felt that everything was top-notch and delicious! The seating was comfortable and attractive, and the bar was readily available for our guests. Rather than a cake, the bride and groom decided they wanted cookies, so the mother of the bride (me), and the father of the groom each baked a couple hundred cookies and Travis supplied a table for us to display our baked goods. That was a great way to go. Everybody loves cookies! After everybody finished eating, a couple tables were moved away and the dancing commenced! Honestly, we had a blast celebrating one of the most significant days of our lives. Travis was a wonderful host, and we really enjoyed working with him. The next time I'm in Evergreen, I will definitely go to Bistro Colorado for a meal. We LOVED it!!!!" ~ Vienna
"Hello Travis, This is Aubrey Acosta. You may remember us: my husband Mike and I met you a few weekends ago, and you were kind enough to give us a peek at your fantastic pizza oven out back. We thought that was pretty cool of you to give us a tour, so we took a pie home (we got the Old School, and it was DELICIOUS). Your food and your hospitality left a great impression, so we made plans to visit again in the near future. We came in for an early brunch this past Saturday morning; I think we just missed you coming in for the day. My compliments to both the staff (our server was friendly and made great suggestions), and of course, the kitchen who prepared our fabulous meals. I enjoyed the Steak Au Poivre & Crab Cake Benedict immensely, and the Lobster omelette was gone off my husband's plate in record time. As a former restaurant manager, I know that having a great menu AND a great staff makes ALL the difference. You have achieved both, and should be proud! For those reasons, Bistro Colorado has made our short list of repeat-visit places here in Colorado. Please accept my sincere thanks on two delightful dining experiences! Next up: a dinner visit. Soon. Sincerely, Aubrey Acosta"
"Distinctively different from the first bite-nothing ordinary about this place. Food creatively prepared, made fresh, every bite a surprising treat for your taste buds. Warm welcome, great bistro atmosphere, attentive, friendly wait staff -- Chef Travis has this perfectly dialed in. Looking forward to visiting often to sample more!"
"One of the best French / French-influenced restaurants in all of greater Denver (and we’re familiar with more than a few, including the well-known standards). (Chef Travis') Bistro Colorado is a fantastic find we ran across in Bergen Park, between I-70 and Evergreen. Travis is the owner and master chef, and his modern French-influenced menu is out of this world. My wife had the duck (fantastic!) and I had beef tenderloin Oscar with the best béarnaise sauce I ever had. Wonderfully inventive fall vegetable creation and perfectly seasoned potato side. If you go out of your way to visit, you will not be disappointed!"
"We (my wife and I) came here for brunch and we were so delightfully treated to an amazingly delicious brunch. Chef/Owner Travis Smith is giving Foodies a delightful culinary taste to awesomeness and perfection. Truly an amazing dining experience. The brunch and sandwich menu did not disappoint at all. There were so many items to choose from. The flavors-in the food really surprised us. The food was made to perfection, it was beyond tasty. Presentation of the food was a great surprise as well. Our brunch looked simple nice and tasty on the plates. Flavors galore as I put the first bite of Lamb and Eggs into my mouth. My wife’s Creamy Polenta is what dreams are made of. Thank You Bistro Colorado for a wonderful brunch and dining experience."