Helping Chef Ryan keep the Café’s comfort food coming is no small task, but Café Sous Amanda Esposito-Stoner has the strength, talent and sense of humor to make it happen.
“I come from a big Italian family and cooking was a big part of growing up,” Amanda said. “Our family’s love language is food.”
While she was born in Florida, Amanda and her family moved to Fort Collins when she was young. She started her career as a server then worked back of house in a variety of fast-food kitchens in the area. “I first applied at G&B to be a server, but Chef Ryan saw that I had cooking experience and asked if I wanted to give it a try.”
She hasn’t looked back, working her way up from line cook to being named Café sous in the winter of 2024. “I like that we make everything from scratch and really taking the time to do everything well,” Amanda said. “My favorite things to cook are fish and steak. And I really like the attention to detail needed when working sauté, finishing the plates and make them look really pretty.”
“The kitchen team all genuinely care about each other,” Amanda added. “There are a handful of people who have been here for a really long time and I’m thankful they’ve taken the time to train me and help me gain experience. Chef Ryan has really fought for me to grow.”
When not working, Amanda enjoys hanging out with her husband, Jacob, and their two dogs, Burdis and Cortana. “We like to fish and be on the boat at Horsetooth,” Amanda said. “I also like spending time my dad, Tony, and my sister Alyssa, they’re a big part of who I am.” Rounding out her favorites list are reading and cooking Mexican and Italian food including eggplant parm and spaghetti.
Her favorite pie? “The banana cream pie here is so good.”