Chef Rema Maaliki: 2026 Southwest Chef Series
Colorado native Chef Rema Maaliki brings family tradition, global experience and a deeply personal perspective to BearLeek in Denver’s RiNo neighborhood.
As the restaurant’s co-owner and chef de cuisine, Maaliki helps shape a menu where Palestinian and Lebanese influences meet seasonal Colorado ingredients. Her cross-cultural techniques and curiosity come from the places and people that have shaped her.
The warmth she brings to BearLeek stems from a lifelong understanding of food as a way to welcome others — these are just a few things that make Maaliki one of the best Southwest chefs.
2026 BOSW Southwest Chef Series Hub
Chef Rema Maaliki at a glance
Restaurant: BearLeek
Role: Co-owner and chef de cuisine
Location: Denver, Colorado
Cuisine: Globally inspired contemporary cuisine
Website: bearleek.com
Instagram: @bear_leek
From the family table to professional kitchens
Maaliki grew up in Colorado in a family with roots in Palestine and Lebanon. Large dinners were a regular part of life. She learned early that preparing food was inseparable from generosity, connection and hospitality.
Her mother and grandmother’s traditional Middle Eastern dishes first sparked her interest in cooking. Those formative experiences later became a source of inspiration as she developed her professional career.
Maaliki entered Denver’s restaurant industry at Mercantile Dining & Provision, where she gained a strong foundation in seasonal, ingredient-driven cooking. She continued at The Wolf’s Tailor, expanding her knowledge of fermentation, pasta-making and techniques drawn from different culinary traditions.
Her career later took her to Australia, where she helped open a restaurant, before returning to Denver and contributing to the menu at Brasserie Brixton. Through her Poppy Pop Ups, Maaliki began presenting nostalgic family recipes through the lens of her professional training.
Today, those experiences come together at BearLeek, where she works alongside co-owners Harrison Porter and beverage director Carlos Hugo Meza.
Recipe for success
BearLeek is a culinary memoir shaped by the team’s collective travels, professional kitchens and personal histories. Its name comes from bärlauch, the German word for ramp, and represents renewal, growth and new beginnings.
Maaliki and team frequently change BearLeek’s menu based on ingredient availability. This enables guests to experience combinations that feel both recognizable and unexpected.
Rather than confining the menu to a single cuisine, Maaliki uses flavor, technique and memory as connecting threads.
Chef Rema Maaliki’s impact on Colorado’s dining scene
As a Colorado native and co-owner of an independent Denver restaurant, Maaliki is adding a new perspective to the state’s evolving culinary identity.
BearLeek prioritizes seasonal menus and relationships with Colorado farmers and producers, connecting the restaurant’s globally influenced cooking to its surroundings. Maaliki’s Palestinian and Lebanese roots further broaden the stories represented within Denver’s chef-driven dining scene.
Through BearLeek, Maaliki demonstrates how a restaurant can look outward for inspiration while remaining grounded in family, community and the place it calls home.
Signature dish: Wagyu Kibbeh Tartare
BearLeek’s Wagyu Kibbeh Tartare presents one of the clearest expressions of Maaliki’s culinary perspective.
Inspired by her Middle Eastern heritage, the dish pairs Wagyu beef with hummus, sabaa bharat chickpeas, radish and house-made pita.
The dish connects Maaliki’s family history with the technique and creativity she developed throughout her career, making it a fitting signature for both the chef and the restaurant.
Explore the 2026 Southwest Chef Series
This profile is part of The Best of the Southwest’s 2026 Southwest Chef Series, celebrating the chefs and culinary leaders shaping the future of dining across Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Texas and Southern California.
