
About Drunken Goat
At Drunken Goat, we take the time to handcraft every meal on our menu using locally-sourced, seasonal ingredients. Our cheesemonger and wine experts meticulously select each bottle of wine and block of cheese we stock–and will gladly walk you through our collection–so that you get precisely what you need for any occasion. And our sprawling outdoor patio is open longer throughout the season and later into the night than most anywhere else in the Valley because we know that–sometimes–to really be able to breathe deep and relax, you need to see the stars.
Chef Kevin Nelson
Kevin Nelson brings nearly 40 years of restaurant/chef experience to Drunken Goat. After working as a chef’s apprentice in his hometown of Bay Shore, New York, and attending Farmingdale University’s culinary program, Kevin found himself venturing to Colorado to explore the Rocky Mountains. Upon landing in the Vail Valley in 1993, Kevin helped establish Vail’s beloved local restaurant, Terra Bistro. There he became Executive Chef and Managing Partner and was instrumental in building Terra Bistro to legendary status among the best of Vail’s fine dining establishments. Kevin also served as a board member for Taste of Vail, a non-profit food and wine organization celebrating Vail Valley’s restaurants. Through his work with Taste of Vail, Chef Nelson worked alongside many renowned celebrity chefs including Iron Chef Marc Forgione, Dean Fearing, Jaque Herringer, Alice Waters, and Jennifer Jasinski, just to name a few. Kevin has also assisted as a Chef’s Apprentice at James Beard House in New York. When not toying with ingredients at Drunken Goat, Kevin enjoys traveling and camping with his family. He met his wife Kellie in the Vail Valley, and together they raised three beautiful girls. His favorite food to create is pizza dough, especially at home with his family. Chef says no matter how perfect his last batch of pizza dough was, he’s always striving for his best batch yet.


