A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR DIRI DJON DJON, COFFEE AND MOLCAJETE: OUR JULY ISSUE ELISABETH MONAGHAN MANAGING EDITOR FOR OUR JULY ISSUE, we have a tradition of spotlighting people, places, organizations, or events that might interest people living in or visiting the Denver area. This year, the Denver VOICE team has written about restaurants, a food truck, and a coffee shop, all of which offer food or beverages reflecting the unique cultures of those who own these establishments. In these pages, you can read about Sweet Pepper Kitchen, a food truck that serves Nigerian meals; Four Directions Cuisine, which blends ancient ingredients with modern creativity to create elevated Indigenous cuisine; Coffee Time coffee house, which brews fresh Ethiopian coffee; Adelitas Cocina Y Cantina Mexican restaurant, which offers one of the Platt Park and Edgewater communities’ best brunches; and 509 Cuisine, one of Denver’s favorite Haitian restaurants, which operates out of Mango House. Sitting down to share a meal is one of the oldest and most meaningful ways we connect — as families, friends, and communities. The current administration continues to promote being “anti-woke,” with countless corporations dismissing any programs that formally embraced Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. But the essence of these values is deeply human and deeply American. Consider what goes into preparing a recipe. When we combine ingredients from different places, like chiles rice, curry, tomatoes, pasta, plantains, or spices, we create something unique. Whether it’s Mexican, Nigerian, Haitian, French, Vietnamese, or Ethiopian cuisine, every dish tells a story. The flavors don’t compete — they complement. Each ingredient brings its own history, its own voice, and its own richness to the table. Now, imagine removing an essential ingredient — the garlic, the pepper, the rice — out of fear or unfamiliarity. What’s left? A dish that may no longer taste as it should. A community that may no longer feel whole. Similarly, our identity as Americans or immigrants who live in America is enriched by the diverse cultures that make up our community. To support restaurants and businesses that honor these cultures is to honor the story of America itself; not just as a melting pot, but as a vibrant, evolving recipe that thrives on inclusion. DENVERVOICE.ORG E.ORG MANAGING EDITOR Elisabeth Monaghan DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Giles Clasen ART DIRECTOR Andrew Fraieli ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Maddie Egerton VOLUNTEER COPY EDITOR Aaron Sullivan ARTISTS/PHOTOGRAPHERS Rea Brown Giles Clasen Juli Yanai Jamie Miller Yvens Alex Saintil Khaleigh Reed Adrian Michael WRITERS WHAT WE DO The Denver VOICE empowers homeless, impoverished, and transient individuals by creating job opportunities through our vendor program. We give our vendors a job and help them tell their stories; this creates a space for them to be part of a community again. Vendors purchase copies of the VOICE for 50 cents each at our distribution center. This money pays for a portion of our production costs. Vendors can buy as many papers as they want; they then sell those papers to the public for a suggested $2 donation. The difference in cost ($1.50) is theirs to keep. WHO WE ARE The Denver VOICE is a nonprofit that publishes a monthly street newspaper. Our vendors are men and women in the Denver metro area experiencing homelessness and poverty. Since 2007, we have put more than 4,600 vendors to work. Our mission is to facilitate a dialogue addressing the roots of homelessness by telling stories of people whose lives are impacted by poverty and homelessness and to offer economic, educational, and empowerment opportunities for the impoverished community. We are an award-winning publication, a member of the International Network of Street Papers and the Colorado Press Association, and we abide by the Society of Professional Journalists code of ethics. With the money they make selling the VOICE, vendors are able to pay for their basic needs. Our program provides vendors with an immediate income and a support group of dedicated staff members and volunteers. Vendors are independent contractors who receive no base pay. EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT editor@denvervoice.org VENDOR PROGRAM program@denvervoice.org • (720) 320-2155 ADVERTISING ads@denvervoice.org MAILING ADDRESS PO Box 1931, Denver CO 80201 VENDOR OFFICE 989 Santa Fe Drive, Denver, CO 80204 OFFICE HOURS: Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. John Alexander Steve Anson Giles Clasen Raelene Johnson Halvin Jones Adrian Michael Jamie Miller Khaleigh Reed Jerry Rosen Yvens Alex Saintil Juli Yanai @OCE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Robert Davis, President Isabella Colletti, Secretary Michael Burkley Eduardo Platon Edwin Rapp Donald Burnes Jennifer Forker 2 DENVER VOICE July 2025 STAFF CONTRIBUTORS BOARD CONTACT US
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