In the long and contentious divorce proceedings that resulted in the family owners of La Loma splitting ownership of their famed Mexican restaurants in recent months, a judicial arbiter also settled the value of something close to the hearts and stomachs of three generations of Coloradoans: the restaurant’s green chile recipe.
Not only is the recipe not a secret, but it wouldn’t be considered intellectual property with a monetary value, the arbiter determined in December in a Douglas County district court.
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
La Loma Mexican restaurant moved from its original location to 1801 Broadway in November 2016 in Denver. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)
William and Renee Brinkerhoff both remain in possession of the recipe that La Loma’s original matriarch, Savina Mendoza, first sold more than 50 years ago. It’s the calling card for La Loma and will continue to be at new and existing restaurants, representatives for the ex-couple confirmed.
That includes the newest location of La Loma, which opened Monday (Cinco de Mayo) at 9355 Crown Crest Blvd. in Parker, complete with a visit from Parker Mayor Joshua Rivero.
“It’s definitely a family legacy,” said Mark Brinkerhoff, who has sided with his father, William, against his mother, Renee Brinkerhoff, in the legal drama. “The green chile is something that has been prized by our guests for a long time.”
That may be an understatement. La Loma’s distinctly-hued version is unlike many other green chiles, which are paradoxically red or orange from the roasting process. Its thick consistency and large chunks of pork also make it one of the finer examples of Colorado-style green chile, winning over customers and local media outlets. The magazine 5280 gave it its top recommendation in a recent blind tasting.
The recipe has stayed with the Brinkerhoffs since they took over La Loma from the Mendoza family in the ’80s, moved to a new location and then opened two other restaurants, Sierra and Caldero. A portrait of its originator, “Grandma” Mendoza, hangs in several La Loma locations, including the flagship, at 1801 Broadway St., in downtown Denver.
William and Mark Brinkerhoff retained ownership of that location, another in Castle Rock and Sierra in Lone Tree, according to the divorce order. Renee and another of the former couple’s adult children, William Brinkerhoff, Jr., were awarded the now-open La Loma in Parker, Caldero in Denver’s McGregor Square, and an under-construction La Loma in the Denver Tech Center.
The judge allowed Renee to rebrand the failing Caldero as La Loma as part of a separate court ruling in March. It has since been rebranded.
Michelle Lyng, a spokesperson for Renee Brinkerhoff’s three La Loma restaurants, said the original green chile is on the menu at all her locations.
For a moment, the recipe was one of the family assets under contention, along with multiple homes, cars and intellectual property rights.
Renee Brinkerhoff’s lawyers argued the recipe was a trade secret with significant financial value, according to court documents. But Judge Bill G. Meyer rebuked that claim, saying that although La Loma requires employees at its downtown location to sign nondisclosure agreements, the recipe was already posted online. The judge’s order also said it was used by an unnamed “former executive chef at La Loma,” who “opened a restaurant near La Loma’s original location and has been serving the same or similar food as La Loma for the last five years.”
Multiple independent attempts by The Denver Post to find the recipe online were unsuccessful, as were efforts to locate the unnamed chef.
Both Lyng and Mark Brinkerhoff declined to provide the recipe to The Denver Post.
“We would want to be careful that we are doing the best we can to protect our brand and obviously our guests in that experience,” Mark said. “That’s our main goal in all of this, to preserve that.”
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