Paul C. Reilly is the co-owner/executive chef of beast+bottle, Coperta and Pizzeria Coperta, in Denver, CO, along with his sister Aileen V. Reilly and her husband JP Taylor, Jr.

Drawing from his upbringing in New York’s lush Hudson Valley, Paul is committed to sourcing only the highest quality ingredients. Realizing the depth of his culinary passion while attending CU Boulder, he subsequently moved to Telluride, where he worked at award-winning restaurants Allred’s and 221 South Oak. Wanting to hone his skills even further, Paul returned to New York to attend the esteemed French Culinary Institute for formal culinary training. In 2004, Paul moved back to Denver to help open the acclaimed Mirepoix, followed by a move to Executive Chef/Owner of Encore on Colfax, a longtime Denver favorite.

Following Encore’s closure in 2012, Paul won the prestigious Jean-Louis Palladin Professional Work/Study Grant, issued to just eight chefs from around the world, and apprenticed at Browne Trading Company in Portland, Maine.

In 2013, Paul and Aileen opened beast + bottle, a rustic American craft restaurant centered on local, farm-focused food. In summer 2016, they opened Coperta, a restaurant and bar celebrating the culinary traditions and food of Rome and Southern Italy, in Denver’s Uptown neighborhood. Since opening, both beast + bottle and Coperta have earned multiple accolades, inclusions on “best restaurant” lists and nods to each restaurant’s well-rounded beverage programs.

In February 2019, Paul and team opened Pizzeria Coperta in Denver’s new Broadway Market, offering al taglio and Roman-style pizza. At each of his restaurants, Paul’s constantly evolving menus highlight the creative use of whole animals and ingredients from the more than twenty local farmers and purveyors with whom the Reillys have partnered.