By Lori Nagel
The struggle for healthy, prepared and affordable food in Crestone is real and it’s not uncommon to overhear local conversations about it on any given day.
Those options have recently expanded, thanks to the Ruby Rose Bakery at the Hooper Junction Sinclair gas station (11704 CO-17, Hooper), a short 25-minute drive from the town of Crestone.
There have been rumblings around the community about that terrific new bakery and restaurant, but what many don’t know is, they have healthy, nutritious to-go meals as well.
Angelica Quintana, head chef and baker at Ruby Rose, has enjoyed the culinary arts for many years, which led to her creating a cottage business of selling baked goods from her La Jara home in 2021, adding fresh to-go meals to her offerings when she landed in the Valley Roots Food Hub (VRFH) commercial kitchen in March 2022.
She named the prepared-meals business “Prep Fuel SLV” because she is prepping healthy fuel (nutrition) for peoples’ bodies. Currently, Prep Fuel SLV offers home delivery and their meals can also be found at many places throughout the Valley, including the SLV Apothecary and most of the gyms in Alamosa, La Jara, and Monte Vista. They have plans in the works to continue their expansion, which will likely include delivery to Crestone, Salida, and Durango.
A significant influence on Quintana’s current method of cooking was her experience using the commercial kitchen at VRFH, a local nonprofit helping local farmers and ranchers get their food into the bellies of local residents.
It sparked something inside her, making her feel like, “I have to do whatever I can to use as much local and organic as I possibly can,” she recalled. “That was always something that I was crazy about anyway, wanting to incorporate that, so it was perfect how I got hooked up with that kitchen and those people and that knowledge.”
Everything has been very synchronistic for her with this business, including meeting Sarah Jones.
Jones, a Hooper resident, has her own impressive list of accreditations, including a huge passion for local potato crops and linking up with Whole Foods. After reading an article written about Jones, Quintana felt a strong desire to meet her. Shortly thereafter, Jones randomly became a customer of Prep Fuel SLV due to her busy lifestyle, which is how they first connected.
Jones and her husband Michael were featured in The Crestone Eagle July 2023 print edition.
On May 1, 2023, Jones purchased the Sinclair gas station, which had been closed for four years, and went into business with Quintana.
“I ran the sprint to get the building remodeled and open, but Angelica runs the daily marathon of keeping it going,” Jones said. Quintana runs the bakery and restaurant, while Jones handles the gas-pumps portion of the business. They officially opened in August 2023 and are thoroughly enjoying serving wholesome food to their patrons, many of whom have become regulars. “The whole point of it is to bring people really good home-cooked type food with clean ingredients, as clean as we can source,” Quintana said.
Additionally, they have plans to open a small grocery store on the other side of the building, offering as many local and healthy food items as possible, as well as handmade souvenirs from local artisans.
“I do think it’s important for people to know that the Ruby Rose & SLV Prep Fuel — everything going on inside, business-wise — is 100% Angelica,” Jones added. “I bought it with the hope, faith, and passion in her and her amazing food that she could bring it back to life for the community.”
To contact The Ruby Rose, call/text 719-850-3326, or visit www.therubyrosebk.com, find them on Instagram (@the_ruby_rose_bk) and Facebook. For Prep Fuel SLV, call/text 719-480-5812, or visit their website, www.prepfuelslv.com, which features menus, photos, and links to their Instagram and Facebook pages.
Keep an eye out for their grand opening later this spring.