About Tava House

Construction of the new Tava House steakhouse, taphouse, and event center continues in downtown Woodland Park, Colorado. 

However, Tava House is open for bookings, banquets, events and more!

During the September 2024 groundbreaking ceremony, which included city and county officials, business owners, residents, friends, and members of the construction crew, Nicole Waggoner declared that the observers gathered “not just to break ground on this exciting project, but to lay the foundation for a brighter future for the citizens of Woodland Park and Teller County.”

“This project symbolizes our determination to build a facility that showcases the beauty of our mountain community,” Waggoner said. “We believe this innovation will create jobs, boost our economy, and foster a sense of community pride. We will remember the values that guide us – community, collaboration, and commitment.”

Waggoner’s team of investors includes his wife, Nicole; local residents, Mark and Mary Jean Weaver, and Mary and Alan Sekowski; Philip and Deborah Waggoner (Derek’s parents), and Victor and Rhianna Matthews. The culinary school will be led by Victor Matthews, founder of Black Bear Distillery in nearby Green Mountain Falls, Colorado, and the Paragon Culinary School in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

For the Tava House, Chef Matthews plans to support students from Woodland Park. “My plan is to work with the high school and Merit Academy, where there are currently culinary programs,” Matthews said. “My idea is to have a community hub for culinary training for young people as well as full-time students.”

Woodland Park Mayor Kellie Case, also the city’s former finance director, shared that she realized the groundbreaking was a special time for many of the people in attendance, as well as for herself. “I’ve been watching this project in stages of progression for 23 years,” she said. “I was on staff when we created the Woodland Park downtown district; there have been a lot of hopeful projects, and this one is finally taking hold.”

The project is being led by Thomas General Contractors, based in Colorado Springs, and the architect is Echo Architecture and Interiors, also a Colorado Springs company.