Chef Ryan Leinonen, who opened Trillium, an award-winning Scandinavian eatery, in December 2011, recently closed his Ballpark restaurant. “It’s time to move on from Trillium and explore new opportunities,” said Leinonen, a Michigan native whose culinary career spans more than two decades of accomplishments, including working at Denver’s Colt & Gray, Root Down, The Kitchen and Q’s (now Spruce) in Boulder.

“I was living my dream, and I had a ton of fun doing it, plus I won a lot of awesome awards, cooked at the James Beard House and pushed myself — more than I ever thought possible — to achieve success during Trillium’s five-year run,” Leinonen said. “I’ve worked with some absolutely amazing people — people who helped my dream of opening my own restaurant come to fruition — and they’ve all enriched my life more than they’ll ever know. I hope they learned as much from me as I learned from them.”

Leinonen, whose life was recently graced by the arrival of his second daughter, plans to revel in fatherhood. “I’ve been working nonstop for the past several years, so I’m going to take a few months off to stay at home and enjoy some much-needed time with my wonderful wife and daughters,” he said.

Still, while he’s happy to relax for a bit, the next chapter, he said, will definitely involve a professional kitchen and perhaps another restaurant that he owns and operates. “The opportunities for me are endless, and the best is yet to come.”

For more information, contact Leinonen at ryan@trilliumdenver.com.

Maria Empanada, the much-lauded South Broadway bakery and cafe, makes its network television debut tonight on host Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” at 8 p.m. Colorado time on the Food Network. Chef/owner Lorena Cantarovici is hosting invited guests to a dinner and viewing party at her restaurant.

The triple D crew took two days to film the segment, but according to Cantarovici, the shoot could have taken much longer.

“We really hit off,” she said about Fieri. “The crew had to cut several times because we couldn’t stop laughing together, and it took a while to compose ourselves between takes. It was that way for most of our shoot together.”

The first day the crew filmed Cantarovici and Fieri cooking together, and the second day was filming thee ingredients coming together for each dish. The prepared beef empanadas, tarta analia (a vegetable Spanish dish) and chimichurri sauce.

The restaurant owner got a taste of the monotony that occurs when you shoot a TV show. “They shot multiple takes of me opening and closing the fridge,” she said. “I don’t know why the first four or five takes didn’t work, but it all seemed to come together in the end.”

As for Fieri? “Guy is a lot like you see him on TV. Animated, playful and he’s a real car guy. Between several takes he kept looking (on the Internet) at a classic muscle car he was admiring or looking to buy.”

Cantarovici said she’s looking forward to revisiting the whirlwind on tonight’s debut. “To be honest, between all the lights, film crew and Guy Fieri in front me, I honestly don’t remember anything I said. I remember the laughing and him pointing to a burning pan to see if I wanted to do something to it before it caught fire. (Tonight) will be when I see the episode for the first time with everyone else.”

Wheat Ridge 2020 is hosting Mid Century and Modern in Wheat Ridge Home Tour 2015 from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday. The six-home tour will showcase the city’s architectural heritage and roots.

Development was in full swing in the Wheat Ridge in the ’50s and ’60s, and as a result the city is an unexpected treasure trove of mid-century modern residential architecture. The tour provides a peek at the spectrum of homes in this category from vintage mid-century modern homes where even the original tile still remains to those renovated or restored back to the modern style.

The event is presented by the non-profit Wheat Ridge 2020 and sponsored by Wheat Ridge furnishing and design store modmood/RETRO Consignment. Also sponsoring are Live Urban Real Estate, First Bank and Helliemae’s Handcrafted Caramels.

The Mid Century and Modern in Wheat Ridge Home Tour is held every two years. The first tour in 2011 attracted more than 300 participants who toured six unique homes. This year’s tour is expected to draw an even larger audience, though ticket sales will be capped at 400.

Proceeds from the event go to benefit Wheat Ridge 2020, a registered nonprofit whose mission is to advance the city of Wheat Ridge as a vibrant and sustainable community.

Tickets are available for $30 in advance and for $35 on the day of the event (if tickets are still available). Tickets can be purchased at www.wheatridge2020.org or at modmood/RETRO Consignment, 7700 W. Fourth Ave.

For more information about the Mid Century and Modern in Wheat Ridge Home Tour 2015, contact Britta Fisher at 720-259-1030 or bfisher@wheatridge2020.org.

Oscar-nominated actress, author, and mental health advocate Mariel Hemingway will be the keynote speaker during the Arapahoe/Douglas Mental Health Network’s 60th anniversary celebration on Oct. 14 at the Grand Hyatt hotel in downtown Denver.

Hemingway will speak about her personal experience as a member of the Hemingway family, telling the story of their lives as they battled mental illness.

The Shine On 60th Anniversary Celebration will begin with a reception at 6 p.m. Dinner at 7 p.m. will be followed by Hemingway’s talk.

Hemingway recently released two books, “Out Came the Sun” and “Invisible Girl”, as well as the documentary, “Running From Crazy”, that was produced by Oprah Winfrey.

“Mariel Hemingway is an inspiring advocate for those facing mental illness and we are honored that she will be with us to bring even more credibility and insight to the conversation around mental health issues,” said Joan DiMaria, CEO of ADMHN. “Nearly everyone at some point in their lives is touched by mental illness whether it be within families or among friends and co-workers. As a private non-profit behavioral organization, we are proud to care for more than 14,000 individuals throughout the metro area each year.”

9News anchor Kim Christiansen will emcee the event that is co-chaired by Kay Burke and Cindi Burge. Gail Johnson, Susan Troyan and Amber Freed co-chaired the kickoff party earlier this month.

The 60th anniversary celebration aims to shine a light on:

• The importance of wellness and recovery from mental illness and addictions.
• The accomplishments and mission of ADMHN, a leading behavioral health organization.
• The future of the mental health movement in Colorado and nationally.

“We are making an impact in the mental health arena at an exceedingly critical time,” DiMaria said. “Our 60th Anniversary celebration provides a platform for education, outreach and awareness.”

ADMHN specializes in the emotional and behavioral needs of children, adolescents, adults and families and helps individuals with severe and persistent mental health conditions that are life threatening.

For more information about Shine On and to purchase tickets, visit www.blacktie-colorado/rsvp and enter event code: ADMHN101415. For sponsorship opportunities, contact Shira Moffatt at smoffatt@admhn.org or by calling 303-999-2348.

Father Woody’s Haven of Hope welcomes Coach Lou Holtz as the special guest speaker for the sixth annual fundraising dinner “Changing Lives, Restoring Hope” from 5 to 9:30 p.m. Oct. 10 at the Hyatt Regency Denver at the Colorado Convention Center, 650 15th St. All proceeds benefit Father Woody’s Haven of Hope.

Coach Holtz has established himself as one of the most successful college football coaches of all time.  Holtz is the only coach in the history of college football to take six different teams to a bowl game, win five bowl games with different teams and to have four different college teams ranked in the final top 20 poll.

Join Master of ceremonies Channel 7’s John Ferrugia for a celebration featuring catered cuisine, silent and live auctions and a night of inspiration.

Father Woody’s Haven of Hope is a day shelter for the homeless and indigent providing food, shelter, clothing, counseling, rehabilitation hygienic as well as 12 other services dedicated to the homeless.

For more information about Father Woody’s Haven of Hope, visit www.frwoodyshavenofhope.org.

Eavesdropping on a man planning a trip to Louisiana: “When I die, I want to come back as New Orleans.”

The University of Colorado Denver College of Arts & Media congratulates alumnus Tim Kimmel for winning the 2015 Emmy for “Outstanding Sound Editing For A Series” on HBO’s “Game of Thrones.” Kimmel was the supervising sound editor. This was his fourth nomination and first win.

“Tim Kimmel’s success and achievements are a reflection of skills, talents and abilities that have placed him at the forefront of his craft,” AM Dean Laurene Kaptain said. “The students, faculty and staff of the College of Arts & Media at CU Denver are inspired by his successes and proud of his accomplishments. We are very proud of Tim’s Emmy Award and look forward to following his career as he continues his trajectory as a creative leader in Hollywood’s film and television industry.”

Kimmel is a graduate of CAM’s Music Entertainment and Industries Studies program with an emphasis in Recording Arts.  The Recording Arts program is the only one of its kind in the Rocky Mountain region. CAM offers an accredited music bachelor’s degree that prepares undergraduates to work as audio engineers with acoustic recording and editing.

Students learn from instructors who concurrently work as experienced, award-winning audio engineering professionals. And faculty share their insights about cutting edge innovations which can help students build industry connections. Recording Arts covers technical fundamentals and then moves beyond the basics to explore theories supporting advanced problem-solving and technique, as well as creative music mixing strategies.

CU Denver College of Arts and Media is the first college in Colorado devoted exclusively to arts and entertainment, the College of Arts & Media understands the influence of modern trends on traditional art forms. The faculty is comprised of artistic masters, educators connected to the regional, national pulse of art and entertainment.

For more information, go to www.cam.ucdenver.edu/.

Two decades-old Denver restaurants are leaving the dining landscape: Las Delicias on 19th Avenue and The Egg Shell in Cherry Creek North.

Las Delicias, a 40-year-old fixture on 439 E. 19th Ave. shuttered abruptly last week with a note on the door and its website saying it was “closing for remodeling,” and would reopen next spring.

Westword, however, who first reported the closing, speculates that the iconic eatery may remain closed due to the loss of the parking lot across the street. The parking lot is being transformed into a large residential and retail development, and the loss of the lot made parking in the popular Uptown neighborhood “challenging”.

Whether or not the original location reopens, Las Delicias continues to operate four other outposts throughout the metro area. For locations, go to www.lasdelicias.us.

Meanwhile, The Egg Shell, a 30-year presence in Cherry Creek North, has announced it will shutter the 235 Fillmore St. spot on Sept. 27. Owner Peggy Bevan told Eater Denver that she has been scouting other locations.

Western Development, owner of the building, is finally putting in place its long-intended plan to demolish the site for new development. The development firm said seven years ago, when the beloved Mel’s Restaurant and Bar closed due to then-impending redevelopment, that it intended to scrape the site.

Pending city approval, Western Development will build a seven-story office and retail space.

Girl Scouts of Colorado has announced this year’s group of 10 extraordinary women as 2015 Women of Distinction, They are:

• Shirley Amore, retired city librarian, Denver Public Library
• Kim Bimestefer, president and general manager, Cigna Mountain States
• Laura J. Davis, former director of environmental health and safety and systems safety engineering, Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.
• Cheryl Haggstrom, executive vice president, Community First Foundation
• M.L. Hanson, president, Idyll Cravings, LLC
• Djuana Harvell, PhD, be well/be EPIC project manager, The Stapleton Foundation for Sustainable Urban Communities
• Tasha L. Jones, director of marketing, Forest City Stapleton, Inc.
• Loretta P. Martinez, general counsel and secretary to the board of trustees, Metropolitan State University of Denver
• Vicki Scott, program manager, Aurora Youth Options, Aurora Mental Health Center
• Debbie Trujillo, community relations director, KeyBank 

This year’s honorees were selected by a committee of their peers led by Selection Chair Alice Kelly, 2002 Woman of Distinction, and chosen based on their contributions to the community, both professionally and personally. They are shining examples of corporate, civic and philanthropic leadership and serve as role models for our female leaders of tomorrow.

This year’s honorees will be feted from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 20 at the Sheraton Denver Downtown, 1550 Court Place. The event includes a three-course dinner and creative dessert featuring Girl Scout Cookies. Girl Scout Christina Bear, who recently earned the Gold Award, the highest award in Girl Scouts, is the keynote speaker. Event co-chairs are Luella Chavez D’Angelo, chief communications officer, The Western Union Company, 2005 Woman of Distinction; and Donna Lynne, president, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Colorado, 2006 Woman of Distinction.

For more information, contact Heidi Books at 303-607-4833 or heidi.books@gscolorado.org.