A native to Denver Colorado, Chef Sheila Lucero owes her love of cooking to her father, an avid cook. Sheila attended culinary school at the Colorado Institute of Art and graduated with honors. She joined the opening crew of Jax Fish House in Denver and rose through the ranks to become the CDC in 2002. Jax garnered widespread acclaim under her guidance, winning best seafood in 5280 magazine, Westword magazine. In 2009 she became Executive Chef of Jax Fish House, and has since helped open additional and equally awesome Jax locations in Fort Collins, Glendale, Colorado Springs.
Guided by a concern for the health of our oceans and the state of our global fish stocks, Sheila has spearheaded a sustainability program at Jax to ensure that the seafood we serve is not only good for our guests, but also for the world we live in.
Under her guidance, Jax has partnered with the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch, Fish Choice, and the James Beard Foundation’s Smart Catch. Due to her efforts, Jax Fish House is proud to be the first restaurant in Colorado to be certified by the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch. Sheila also serves on their Blue Ribbon Task Force, working with other chefs from around the country to learn and share the very latest information on the state of our global fish stocks as well as the most progressive use of seafood in our restaurants. In 2017 and again in 2019, she was invited to Washington D.C. to meet with members of Congress and lobby for several key environmental policies that are up for renewal. She also participated in the James Beard Foundation’s 2017 Chefs Boot Camp for Policy and Change in Burlington, VT.
Ever mindful of the fact that, though we make our living by what we get, we make our lives by what we give. She also donates her time to numerous charity events and sits on the board of Eat Denver a network of independent restaurants
