Denver Dining of Yore: Boggio’s Parisienne Rotisserie

Boggio’s Parisienne Rotisserie was advertised in the 1928 Denver city directory as an establishment suited “for those who appreciate the refinements in cooking and service.”

It turns out many Denverites appreciated these refinements. The Parisienne Rotisserie opened around 1924, moved from 1721 California Street  to 1734 Tremont in 1929, and remained in operation until 1953.

The restaurant’s founder, Natale Boggio, was an immigrant from the northern Italian city of Biella. Born on December 25 in the early 1890s, he was aptly named “Natale”— the Italian word for “Christmas.” According to a ship’s manifest available on Ancestry Library Edition, Natale arrived in New York City on March 7, 1914. In 1916, he married his wife, Louise Camusso, in New York City, and they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, where Natale worked as a waiter. The couple and their two young sons likely moved to Denver in late 1920.

The Parisienne Rotisserie was popular with Denver’s high society as well as visiting celebrities like Rock Hudson, Jack Dempsey, Bob Hope, and Bing Crosby. It boasted a “complete line of domestic wines and Champagne” and served multi-course meals that included hors d'oeuvres like marinated herring, tomato juice, or crabmeat cocktail; entrees such as of Long Island duckling with sage dressing and spiced crabapple or Veal Scaloppine ala Marasala; desserts including pies, Spumoni or grapefruit; and a cheese course with choice of Roquefort, Camembert, Gorgonzola, or Liederkranz.

Natale called himself “the restaurant man with a million friends.” These friends included strangers in need. The Italian Government awarded Natale the Star of Italian Solidarity for sending food and clothing to Italians during World War II. 

In late July 1952, Natale Boggio was sued for $112,364 for overcharging restaurant customers on food and drinks. The suit was filed by the director of the Colorado Price Control Enforcement who alleged that Natale had begun selling smaller, lower quality portions at higher prices. The day the suit was reported in the Denver Post, Boggio’s Parisienne Rotisserie enjoyed the best business of its twenty-eight year history and was inundated with phone calls from customers willing to testify on the restaurant’s behalf. In 1953, Natale sold his restaurant to New York City restaurateurs for $100,000 and enjoyed an extended vacation in Colorado and Europe.

Natale returned to the restaurant business in 1965, opening Boggio’s on the Green in Lakewood. Over the course of his career, he was also involved with Chez-Jays in Estes Park, the Orchard Cafe at Elitch Gardens, Boggio’s Cherrlyn, and the Sagebrush Inn. He served as president of the Colorado-Wyoming Restaurant Association and the Colorado Liquor Dispensers Associations, and was a lifelong member of the Elks. Natale Boggio passed away at the Iliff Nursing Care Center in December 1984.

Images of Boggio’s Parisienne Rotisserie appear in DPL’s Digital Collections, and a menu from the restaurant is part of the Menu Collection (WH1509).