For more than a decade, the steady hum inside Red Gravy has felt intentional. Plates arrive with comforting familiarity, servers move with confidence and the dining room carries the kind of ease that comes from knowing exactly who you are and who you serve. That clarity starts at the top with Eric Brenner, owner and executive chef of Red Gravy.
Brenner came to Colorado Springs 11 years ago with purpose: to elevate the city’s culinary landscape through consistency, community and Italian-American food done right. When he and his team opened Red Gravy on Tejon Street, the goal was not reinvention for novelty’s sake. Instead, it was about filling a gap. He felt that Italian cuisine, particularly Italian-American cooking, was missing downtown. Drawing from his upbringing and early career in St. Louis’ historic Italian neighborhood known as The Hill, Brenner built a menu rooted in that culture and its sense of comfort.
“My intent in moving to Colorado Springs was to be an instrument in elevating the culinary landscape of the city,” Brenner says. “We decided to connect with the community through food and service in an under-represented sector of Italian cuisine.”…