Born and raised in Durango, Colorado, Ryan first developed a love for cooking from his mother and grandmother at an early age. Growing up with a Mom who always had a garden growing in the backyard fostered a strong appreciation of seasonal, organic ingredients. Because of this, Ryan brought a deep-rooted love of fresh food to the Ore House, by integrating a focus on fresh, locally-sourced, sustainably-harvested produce and meat from family owned farms and ranches.

Ryan started at the Ore House in 2002, as a dishwasher. After a brief leave to pursue an engineering degree, Ryan returned to Durango, and the Ore House, where he worked in the kitchen until he was offered the position of executive chef in 2007. Serving as executive chef at the Ore House for three years, he won the 2009 Iron Horse Chef competition, a local foods cooking competition hosted at the Durango Farmers Market. Donating his time as guest chef for numerous events and fundraisers throughout the community each year was a formative part of his career as a chef. He served as a mentor to the Durango High School Pro Start culinary team, proudly seeing them compete on the national stage in 2014.

In 2011, the restaurant had an opening for the General Manager position, at the same time the restaurant was in dire need of significant renovation work. With a goal of refining and localizing the quality of the food Ryan facilitated a complete renovation of the kitchen in 2012, unknowingly the catalyst for various other renovations to the rest of the 40 year old restaurant. In 2014 Ryan bought out the Arias family’s interest in the restaurant becoming a 50-percent partner in the business.

Now, as sole owner, Ryan focuses his time working with the incredibly talented leadership team who is responsible for making the Ore House what it is today.

The majority of Ryan’s time is spent helping  tackle daily operational issues by implementing new systems and technologies into the business, and overseeing maintenance of all of the restaurant's equipment and facilities. When you look around many of the small touches and details have been custom made by Ryan. Making leather menus, brass trays, coasters, wood serving trays, etc. by hand has provided an opportunity to work with his hands in a meaningful way for the restaurant. 

Ryan’s lifelong appreciation for the town he was born and raised in has led him to give back to his community in many ways throughout the years. He served as a member of Local First Board & held the chair of President of the board for four years. Ryan was the recipient of the Young Professional of Durango award in 2018 by the Durango Chamber of Commerce. In 2021 he was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Colorado Restaurant Association for all of the efforts and community outreach he helped facilitate during the mandated business closures in 2020. 

When not at the restaurant, Ryan spends his time running a small farm and ranch business, riding his motorcycle, camping, fishing, and pretty much anything that keeps him outside. He plans to continue ensuring that the Ore House stands as a pillar of the community for many years to come.