Z Cuisine chef Peter Ryan returns to his roots at Cook Street School of Fine Cooking

Peter Ryan, the former chef of Z Cuisine, Denver's best French restaurant at 2239 West 30th Avenue, is returning to his roots as an instructor at Cook Street School of Fine Cooking, the culinary institution from which he graduated in 1999 and then taught at for eight years as a chef de cuisine.

Ryan, who's also a certified sommelier and a certified chef of wine arts -- both earned from the International Wine Guild -- will be an executive chef instructor at the culinary school, which focuses on both professional and recreational cooking classes. "I'm incredibly excited to return to Cook Street," says Ryan. "This will be a formidable year for the school, and I'm thrilled to be a part of that."