On Tuesday, March 7, 22 Provisions opened in Avanti Denver, filling the stall that previously held Del Mar by Rooted. The concept serves elegant renditions of East Coast deli standards alongside a short but formidable list of plates, salads and appetizers.
The project was originally started in March 2021 by longtime friends and collaborators Kevin Channell and Quincy Cherrett. The duo began to devise the menu in 2020 after Channell moved to Denver in March of that same year. With both facing COVID-related unemployment, the roommates decided it was time to provide Denver with the kind of gourmet sandwiches they felt the city was critically lacking.
Channell and Cherrett met while living in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where each developed an impressive dining pedigree. Channell has spent over a decade working across roles in the front-of-house, while Cherrett has always worked across the line. Channell’s scope includes managerial roles at Gavin Fine’s Roadhouse Pub and Eatery in Jackson Hole as well as Portland, Maine’s Fore Street and Eventide Oyster Company, where he worked under James Beard Award-winning chefs Andrew Taylor and Mike Wiley.
Chef Cherrett fell in love with the kitchen early. His father worked in hotels, and he spent many post-school afternoons in the kitchen watching the “chaotic ballet” that he would eventually make his profession. Before returning to Wyoming, he attended the Culinary Institute of America, where he cut his teeth at Teton Thai, a celebrated Thai eatery. Since moving to Denver, he’s acted as the opening chef de cuisine for Death & Co, worked as the executive chef for Izakaya Den and ran the butchery and charcuterie program for Colt & Gray, where he worked under Pirate Alley’s Kyle Foster.
The sandwiches at 22 Provisions reflect the duo’s fine-dining background, each relying on intricate chef’s touches rather than ostentatious toppings. The bread is from City Bakery, and all the sauces — including cheese wiz, green goddess dressing and a rotating aioli — are made in-house. “If we can’t get good bread, I’m not opening a sandwich shop,” said Channell, who rightfully views a good loaf as the fundamental cornerstone of any good sandwich.
“I love sandwiches. I think they’re one of the best foods ever,” said Cherrett, noting that his detail-oriented approach is found across the menu. The roast pork ($16), with provolone, charred broccolini and jus, features meat cured with brown sugar and salt for three days before it reaches the sandwich. The Philly Cheesesteak ($14) — which Channell says is far and away the biggest seller — features a thyme and garlic-rich cheese wiz reminiscing steakhouse flavors. The Vegan TLT comes with romaine, green goddess dressing and thin slices of smoked tofu. “We’ve often talked about how vegan dishes are an afterthought. We didn’t want to do that,” said Channell. Always start with a smoked trout rillette ($8), and for hungrier parties, the steak frites ($18) with house chimichurri is essential.
For weekend brunch, there’s a Taylor Ham, egg and cheese sandwich, an obvious nod to Channell’s New Jersey roots.
While 22 Provisions has signed on for a two-year lease at Avanti, Channell says that an additional brick-and-mortar is not out of the question somewhere down the line.
22 Provisions is located in Avanti Denver at 3200 North Pecos St., Denver. It is open Sunday – Wednesday from 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. and Thursday – Saturday from 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
All photography courtesy of Amber Boutwell.