Native American Indian restaurant getting start during recession

DENVER - Tocabe (pronounced "toe-kah-bay") is a young restaurant, and so are the owners. Ben Jacobs, 26 and Matt Chandra, 25 met in college and now they meet every morning in their kitchen near the corner of West 44th Avenue and Lowell Boulevard.

"We're not the sit behind the desk types of guys," said Jacobs.

On the day we caught up with the two young restaurateurs, they were preparing dough for their version of the Native American Indian fry bread taco. The dish is their "go to."

The lightly fried bread shell is thick, yet light and fluffy. You get your choice of meat, beans, salsa and sauce. Utensils are optional.

"We encourage you pick it up. It's good messy fun," said Jacobs.

The Native American influence comes from Jacobs' family.

"We are Osage from Northeast Oklahoma, my mother's side so these are my grandmother's, my mother's recipes. We wanted this restaurant to have Native American influences, but the way we designed it we also wanted everyone to feel comfortable coming here," Jacobs said.

To open a restaurant is a risky venture, but to open it during a recession offers a different dimension to the entrepreneur. To make a profit, Jacobs and Chandra took the economy into account and made a concerted effort to make their menu affordable.

"We want the neighbors to come in and still get affordable food, with the economy the way it is right now it's been tough for a lot of people but we find that especially in Denver, people still enjoy going out," said Jacobs.

According to projections by the National Restaurant Association, restaurant sales in Colorado are expected to grow from $8.1 billion last year to $8.4 billion in 2009. For two young college buddies in Denver, those projections sound promising during a less-than-promising economy.