Originally born in the Ivory Coast and raised in Paris, France, James Beard-honored chef Mawa McQueen has long been a culinary force in Aspen, where her flagship restaurant, the Michelin-recommended Mawa’s Kitchen, has earned praise for its globally inspired Afro-Mediterranean cuisine. But her latest passion project, Crepe Therapy Café, is something even closer to her heart.
What began in 2018 as a tiny 300-square-foot creperie, known then as the Crepe Shack, has now grown into a mission-driven brand with locations in Snowmass Village and Aspen, as well as a new cafe in Boulder, set to debut at 2273 31st Street on Saturday, October 4.
Crepes with a Mission
Crepe Therapy isn’t just about what’s on the plate. McQueen designed the concept as a third place, a welcoming space between home and work, where people can gather, connect and feel seen.
“I want to create a place that fosters mental wellness first. A place for our youth and teens to gather that is not just transactional,” McQueen explains.
That mission was shaped by a personal story. Years ago, McQueen watched a friend’s child, once a straight-A student, struggle with drugs after moving to Boulder for college.
“I’ve known the kid since he was five, so I was tough on him,” she recalls. “I said, ‘What did we do for you? We gave you everything!’ And he said, ‘Auntie Mawa, do you know how hard it is to communicate? We don’t even know how to talk to each other. There’s no place for us to go. We go to our dorm and we go smoke weed, or you go to other people’s parents’ house, and there’s no place for us.’”
The conversation stuck with her. “That just hurt me so much,” she says. “The fact that he said, ‘We don’t know how to communicate,’ it’s true. Many young people today don’t know how to express themselves. That broke my heart, and it made me think about how important it is to create spaces where people feel connected.”
That’s why she set out to create a community space for teens, young adults, and older generations alike to come and hang out.
A Third Place for Boulder
The Boulder location is designed with McQueen’s mission in mind. The welcoming space features bold and bright decor, communal tables, an amphitheater-style seating area, and even a phone booth that plays a recorded message from McQueen reminding visitors, “You matter, and we love you.”
“I wanted something that feels like a Colorado story,” she says. “Every kid needs a space where they can talk, be seen, and feel safe. Kids who might otherwise feel lonely or lost. Maybe with the right person there, someone to really listen, they’ll find that connection.”
To accomplish her mission, she is employing what she calls ‘connectors’ – team members on the payroll who actively engage with guests in meaningful conversation. To be clear, they are not licensed therapists, simply members of the community there to lend an ear. McQueen prefers older ‘connectors’ to help bridge the generational gap, offering guidance and conversation.
“They’re gonna chat your ear off. If you don’t wanna chat, don’t stay, just go!” she says with a laugh.
To deepen that sense of belonging, Crepe Therapy will offer a tiered membership program. Packages range from unlimited drip coffee for $29/month (“Daily Dose”), to all-inclusive perks like a weekly crepe, wellness drinks, and exclusive event access for $58/month (“Full Treatment”). Members will also receive discounts on food, welcome gifts like branded mugs, coffee beans and wellness kits.
“We don’t want people glued to their phones,” McQueen states. “We have foosball, board games and other interactive activities to get people engaging with each other and their surroundings.”
Crepe Therapy will also have regular event programming like poetry nights and chess club. Plus, every Saturday, McQueen plans to transform the creperie into a daytime club with a DJ from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“We need to open and feel what Boulder wants to create,” she continues.
“Food is medicine”
“Food is medicine,” McQueen says. “I grew up eating crepes. Every weekend, I would make them for my brothers and sisters. I’ve always had a love affair with crepes, but in America, people mostly know them as sweet or Nutella-filled desserts. But crepes can be a meal. They can be savory, exciting and nourishing.”
When McQueen opened her first creperie in Snowmass, she made a name for herself with inventive flavors like her famous caviar crepe, as well as creations like beef bourguignon and ratatouille crepes.
Now, Crepe Therapy in Boulder will serve McQueen’s world-renowned sweet and savory crêpes, with monthly rotating specials. Customers can choose from three types of batter – all-purpose (made with flour from Dry Storage), buckwheat, and a rotating third option such as blue corn or garbanzo flour – plus two vegan batters, one buckwheat and one chocolate.
Of course, the Boulder outpost will feature the Boulder crepe, which first appeared on the Snowmass menu. It’s made with pesto, mushrooms, spinach, Gruyère and chicken. Also on offer is the Mile High, a bison smash burger crepe.
For drinks, in addition to its espresso beverages, Crepe Therapy will lean into McQueen’s African roots and wellness focus with options like moringa (a typical African drink that McQueen says rivals matcha), a hibiscus-infused beverage, and fresh-squeezed pineapple juice with a ginger shot, among others. The business is also working on getting a liquor license.
Looking Ahead
McQueen calls herself a “crepe crusader,” determined to build a brand that’s equal parts hospitality and healing — and the expansion has already begun. Next up: a smaller cafe slated to open in the Limelight Hotel CU Boulder in January. Denver is next on her radar, with Cherry Creek as a likely target. She ultimately envisions Crepe Therapy as her legacy project.
“[This project] is really from my heart. I think about how I want to be remembered, and if I can touch the lives of a few young people who feel awkward or out of place at school, and give them a space to do their homework, talk about their problems, or just smile, then I’ve done something meaningful,” McQueen concludes.