Josh Olsen

Farm-to-Table Instructor
303.982.8644
[email protected]

Prior to teaching at Warren Tech, Josh trained under chefs at Strings, Panzano, and Jill’s at Saint Julian. After receiving an AS in Culinary Arts from The Art Institute of Colorado, his cooking and teaching career was in full swing. In 2008 Josh was invited by a fellow restaurateur to become an owner of a progressive restaurant concept called The Squeaky Bean. In addition to launching The Squeaky Bean, Josh also began working at Aspen Moon farm as a harvester, during which he realized his passion for owning and managing his own farm. In 2012 Josh knew that the small beds behind the Squeaky Bean were not enough to sustain the restaurant and he leased a small plot of land that would become the Squeaky Bean’s main source of produce during Colorado’s growing season. He realized that this space had limits, so Josh continued to search for a location with more potential. He didn’t have to look far. Just a few miles away, the three-acre site of a former horticulture program at Warren Tech sat dormant, waiting for revitalization. With help from students and his farm technician, Dave DeMalteris, Josh was able to transform the property into the productive urban farm we know today as ACRES. When Josh found his new spot, he also found a new calling. Already a successful chef and farmer, Josh is now also a teacher and mentor to students in Warren Tech’s Culinary Arts, Sustainable Engineering (S2TEM), Transition Services programs, and is excited to launch the Farm-to-Table program this fall. His culinary and farming experience have come full circle from his family’s farm and his grandmother’s table as he cultivates these skills in a new generation of students. Josh can be reached at [email protected]