James Beard-nominated Portland chef opening Filipino restaurant in RiNo

Denver is about to get one of Portland’s finest. Chef Carlo Lamagna, a 2022 James Beard Award finalist who was also named one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs in 2021, plans to open a Filipino restaurant, Magna Kainan, at 1350 40th St. in early 2024.

“I’ve always wanted to move to Denver,” Lamagna said. “It was on my list of places to move after Chicago with my wife, but Portland got to me first with the job offer. It’s a central location and a hub of international travel with an intriguing food scene.

“I haven’t had a chance to explore everything yet, but when I did visit, I was hard pressed to find a Filipino restaurant, so I think we’re going to have a pretty unique offering,” he added.

Filipino food has long been underrepresented in Colorado with only a very few restaurants serving it or specializing in it.

Magna Kainan, a more upscale, woodfired approach to Filipino fare, will be a sister restaurant to Lamagna’s original spot, Magna Kusina, which he opened in Portland in 2019 and was named Portland’s best restaurant in 2021 by the Oregonian. (“Kainan” means “eatery” in Tagalog.)

It will serve woodfired smoked meats, seafood and classic Filipino dishes like Pancit Palabok, a noodle dish with shrimp sauce, and lumpia, a Filipino version of fried egg rolls, Lamagna said. “A lot of it is influenced by the way that I grew up cooking in the Philippines, from whole goat roasts to learning how to butcher a whole pig and using all the parts, fishing and crabbing.”

Lamagna is partnering with Denver restaurateur Juan Padro’s Culinary Creative group, which owns Mister Oso, Bar Dough and Senor Bear among others, on Magna Kainan. Lamagna is a longtime friend of Culinary Creative partner Max MacKissock, who he said has been trying to convince him to come to Denver for years.

“They finally caught me at a good time, and I took a trip out and finally met Juan,” Lamagna said. “We had a crash course and it was kind of like speed dating. We spent the day together and through conversation and storytelling, we figured out our values aligned, our visions for what we do independently from each other, like what we do for our people and how we’re community-oriented.”

Although Culinary Creative usually develops new restaurants brands within its own team, Padro said it “made a ton of sense to do this joint venture. … I mean it’s kind of our mission to introduce people to cool food and people who do business the right way.”

The Portland chef was born in the Philippines, but grew up in Detroit. He ended up returning to the Philippines for high school and college. Then he attended the Culinary Institute of America in Chicago, where he worked with and learned from Michelin-star chef Paul Virant. Lamagna didn’t start cooking Filipino food until 2009, after his father passed away.

“One of the last conversations that I had with him was in regards to Filipino food and how he would love to see me share our culture and food,” Lamagna said. “So, I’m kind of taking on that mission and  making good on that promise that I’ve made to my dad.”

The 3,000-square-foot restaurant will open on the ground floor of Novel RiNo, a 483-unit apartment complex that is still under construction. In addition to Magna Kainan, Lamagna and Culinary Creative plan to open a 2,700-square-foot rooftop bar, which they have yet to name, on top of Novel RiNo. The bar will also serve small bites from Magna Kainan.

“I think this will become a signature spot for Denver with the panoramic views of the city and the mountains all the way from Estes Park to Colorado Springs,” Padro said.

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