Hi there!
My name is Natalia Story — and I am a food & wine lover, world adventurer, and storyteller. I consider it quite serendipitous that I married into the Story last name — as I’ve always thought of myself as a storyteller. From middle school poetry contests to college essay competitions, my parents love to tell the tales of all the meaningless awards I’ve long forgotten. My love of storytelling did help me kick off my career in advertising as a copywriter right here in Denver in 2011, though. Many years and twists and turns since then, I am actually a Director of Compliance & Marketing at an investment bank, and I love it — so go figure (hah!) — but that’s a story for another time. Somewhere along the way, though — in 2014, to be precise — I also started this blog as a creative writing outlet, and it’s grown to be so much more!
Yes, food has always been a passion of mine: making it, taking photos of it, eating it, and sharing it with others. My other passion is travel — and I have a travel planning business (and blog) at Epic Story Travels that you should definitely check out!
I’ve archived many of my older, long-form posts since 2014 — and I try to keep this website focused on just the latest local food trends and my lists of favorites. My @colorado_bites Instagram is where you’ll find all my latest detailed coverage, and not just related food. While food & wine is still my main focus, I also like to highlight Colorado travel options, notable events in Denver and around the state, my favorite hikes and other outdoor adventures, non-food-related small businesses I love (like my favorite beauty salons), and generally the Denver, Colorado life.
Another more recent focus of mine is gluten-free cuisine, as I’ve developed a pretty strong gluten intolerance in my 30s — most likely due to an autoimmune condition called Hashimoto’s. I’m always happy to discuss it with anyone interested or going through their own gluten struggles!
Some fun facts about me:
- If I had to pick my favorite meal, it would be a Louisiana crawfish boil. I fell in love with crawfish when I first visited New Orleans many years ago, and now I go there every year just for the food.
- Yes, my hair is yellow — my favorite color! It all started during my ballroom dancing days in college, but has recently become part of my brand, as you can usually recognize me from far away just by my hair. No, I don’t plan to change that anytime soon.
- I am in love with wine — from having a glass at home with dinner, to hosting wine dinner parties, to visiting wineries around the world. I am about to be WSET2 certified, and considering the European specializations next.
- I love to travel, and my life goal is to see the world. I was born and raised in Ukraine, studied abroad in Germany, taught English in Brazil, and have been to more than 25 countries around the world. As I mentioned above, I am a certified travel advisor, so visit Epic Story Travels and ask me about planning your next trip!
