5280 Sick of Cooking? Hire a Colorado Chef Whether you’re craving Cajun-style seafood or homemade dumplings, these culinary pros have you covered. Denise Mickelsen and Patricia Kaowthumrong • March 1, 2021 DeAndre Smith, who cooks and competes professionally under the name Chef Cool Dre, grew up in Denver but learned to appreciate his family’s Texas and Arkansas roots and cuisine from his grandparents. As a child, Smith’s grandfather would patiently let him go through a dozen eggs until he’d learned how to crack and fry them properly, and his grandmother would prepare soul food specialties such as red beans and rice, neck bones, black-eyed peas, and hot-water cornbread. These days, when Smith isn’t working on finishing degrees in communications and nutrition from the University of Northern Colorado (after prestigious invitations to cook at the James Beard Awards reception in 2019 and on ABC’s