Turns out one of the most popular bites at Tamaki Den is the Salmon Oshizushi, which we learned from Erica Lopez, a morning anchor on 9News and an overall food lover.
The server at the restaurant corroborated her statement, telling us one evening a customer came in and ordered over 40 pieces. We did not get that many, modestly ordering two each, keeping it in the happy hour pricing of $2 apiece. We also happily gouged on handrolls and cups of happy hour sake.
While Lopez doesn’t work in the hospitality industry, she’s well acquainted, even hosting all of three of Colorado’s Michelin Guide Awards. She has also welcomed us onto the morning news, where we’ve discussed coffee, holiday pop-ups, food festivals, and more. This time we interviewed her to learn about how she got into on-air reporting, her vocal cord surgery, and where she likes to dine out in Denver.
Tell us a little about yourself, where are you originally from?
Kind of all over the place. I mainly say that I’m from two places. Most of my childhood was in upstate New York in Syracuse, and that’s where my dad’s family is from. Then the second half, like high school and college, was in Maryland.
Prior to that though, I was born in Ohio because my mom went to Ohio State. My parents ended up settling there after they got married and bought their first house there. So I was born in Columbus, but we were just there for just a couple years, so I don’t really like to claim Ohio. I also lived in South America for a little bit, my mom is Columbian.
How did they end up in Columbia?
My dad actually had started a wholesale flower business with his brother at one point, so we lived over there for a bit because they got their flowers from Columbia. The business was in central New York in Syracuse. But [my dad] liked working with vendors and building relationships and all that.
How did you get into television?
I went to college at Towson University in Maryland and I went to school for broadcast journalism and mass communications. It took me six years to get through school because I did transfer a few times, but I graduated from Towson. Then I took like a year between school and getting a job.
What did you do during that time?
I bartended and lived in Baltimore. I worked at this restaurant on the water in [the neighborhood of] Fells Point and I loved it. Those people are still like my dearest friends to this day. I started working there when I was still in college.
When did you start your television career?
I got my first TV job in Charleston, South Carolina. I was there about three years and then Birmingham, Alabama. I’ve always done traffic, but I’ve also always filled in as an anchor and hosted. My first two stations had like a lifestyle show where they allowed us to fill in. I would do breaking news. I would do field reporting. I always did traffic. I MMJ’d, which is like a multimedia journalist where you shoot, write, and edit your own stuff. So I would work the morning show, go out and shoot something. That’s kind of where you learn. You cut your teeth in those early days.
And now you’re just having early days…
Yeah, literally. I’ve been mornings my whole career, for almost 10 years.
Are you a morning person?
No. But I will say, I feel like when you get older, or if it’s just this career field or what, but it’s not like I really sleep in ever. On a weekend I do enjoy getting my sleep. Now, if I’m doing traffic, I have to be in around 4 or 4:15 [a.m.]. So I’m up by 3:30 because I live really close to the station. If I’m anchoring, we have to be in an hour earlier, like 3:15.
How did you end up in Denver?
It’s the progression in TV. You have to be willing to hop up and move. I had updated my reel on YouTube, which is kind of the sign to news directors that you’re looking for a job. The VP of Tenga in this part of the country, which owns my company (recently 9News was acquired by Nexstar Media Group), she used to be the news director at my station. She found my reel and reached out, but I still had eight months left on my contract in Birmingham. And she was like, ‘you know what, you’re great, but we’re gonna hire someone sooner than that.’ I was like, okay, no problem.
Guess what? Four months later, they came back around. And they said, you know we haven’t found someone really interested. And so we continued to talk, and then it ended up the timeframe that it was COVID. And Tenga ended up putting the kibosh on flying people out. So I got this job here in Denver. Never flown out, never auditioned via Zoom. I did Zoom interviews with the team, Zoom interviews with bosses, and they basically just gave me the job. Then I moved out here in August, 2020. I had never been to Denver. Isn’t that crazy?
That’s quite the adventure to get here! Okay, work aside, I am guessing you like reading in your free time given all the books I saw you crush on social media at the beginning of the year.
So I had not read a book for real in probably years. I feel like college, you know, when you were required to read and you don’t really want to. That’s where I fell off, but in my younger years, I loved it. And then I had my surgery in January. I had a cyst in one of my vocal cords and I couldn’t talk for almost two months. I took all the book recommendations and just started reading again and now I make time for it. Like I turn the TV off a couple hours before bed and I’d rather read.
What was your surgery for?
I’ve always been raspy, right? However, it was worse than that. I was like, every few words, I would go mute. Like I was losing words. So I’d be anchoring and [my voice] would like crap out because of the cysts and the vibrations. I learned a lot about vocal cords and they are like a wave, think like seaweed, just kind of flapping around and they come together. But with the cysts, it was affecting the vibration and the sound and this and that.
Are you better now?
Am I better? Yes. Is it still a journey? Yes. Is it way more than I ever thought it would be? Yes. Would I do it again? Probably, but I may have waited until like between contracts or something because I feel like since I’ve been back I’m a little bit under the microscope, if I’m being completely honest, because my voice is my job. And so it’s been a little hard and it does give me anxiety.
Has it changed the way you live and work?
I’m like, if I don’t get enough sleep, if I don’t do this, if I don’t do that, I may not sound good. And that is literally my job. Sounding consistent, not having a viewer be like ‘what?’ So it’s been tough, but the ENT (ear, nose, throat doctor) who did my surgery, he used to be out in LA, and he’s here now. He’s operated on…name a rock star. So I am in the best hands and I had a little baby hiccup, I overdid it a little, which is normal. I still steam three to five times a day. I’m not supposed to eat two hours before bed, no food or drink.
Speaking of food and drink, you’ve been here for five years and seen the Denver dining scene shift quite drastically. Where are your favorite places to dine out?
When I moved here you couldn’t belly up to a bar, you had to be assigned, seated, distanced, all of that. And so in that time I still found a few places that I really liked. Osteria Marco, to this day, is still one of my faves. I’m Italian, my dad’s Italian and mom is Colombian. I love food.
What do you order at Osteria Marco?
The bucatini carbonara with guanciale. You can’t get it on the DoorDash menu, you can only get it in-house. It is so delicious, and the pork cheek, it melts in your freaking mouth. When I have people come from out of town I always take them there because Larimer [Square] is cute. I also love the burrata and the calamari. When people eat the pasta and they’re like, are ‘you kidding me?’ and I’m like, yeah, I know. You think I would steer you wrong with Italian? Never, my grandmother would be rolling in her grave.
What’s another restaurant high on your list?
Guard and Grace, love Troy [Guard] and have him on the show all the time. Yes, we love a small steak. A filet, six to eight ounces, with taters, a little mashed potato, a little green, maybe a little asparagus. I’m a medium-rare filet girlie. My dad is big on the grill and if it’s not bleeding you aren’t eating it.
How about casual eats?
If I’m doing a sandwich, I’m going with Snarf’s and I’m doing turkey, American cheese, and I like all the fixins. Yeah, I love a little Snarf sandwich with some Sun Chips or some salt and vinegar chips. I do love a sammy. I also love, love a good cookie and good ice cream. I love Crumble, and I know they’re not local, but Urban Cookie unfortunately closed.
What’s your favorite type of cookie and ice cream?
It’s gonna be chocolate chip with regular semi-sweet chocolate and salt, it’s heaven. If I’m doing ice cream and I’m choosing, it’s cookie dough. I love the chunks.
Do you go out for your ice cream?
I’ve done Van Leeuwen on Larimer. It’s not local but it’s delish. Little Man is delicious, and there’s always a line wrapping around the [LoHi location]. Get me a little sugar cone and two scoops, I love it.
Any other places on your dining out list?
Ajax in the Limelight [Hotel Denver]. They do a fantastic burger. They do a fantastic tomahawk. I used to live right by there, so it was kind of our watering hole. We would go once a week, my ex and I. They do really good food.
