Telluride Truffle
Telluride Truffle Owner Patty Denny Sets the “Chocolate” Bar High in Telluride and Beyond
By Caren Austin
My love of chocolate runs deep. I could easily pass on a Snickers bar, but I will take the time and effort to seek out high-quality artisan chocolates wherever my travels take me. Telluride Truffle is a favorite of mine.
Owner and entrepreneur Patty Denny sets the “chocolate” bar high when it comes to her confections. I first tried her truffles at Union Station in Denver, her newest location, and I was immediately hooked. After sitting down and chatting with Patty, I found out there was much more to her story than just chocolate.
Patty Denny started as an actress in New York in her mid-20s, and although she loved it, she knew it wasn’t the way for her to make a living. She comes from a long line of entrepreneurs and started experimenting with baking in New York City. She bought a book on becoming a pastry chef, and even though the salary was low at the time, she knew that’s what she wanted to do. Patty loves the outdoors, so she explored places to move with year-round outdoor activities and somewhere that would satisfy her passion for the arts. Patty lived in a tent for three weeks after moving to Telluride, then took a job at The Peaks Resort & Spa, where she started in an entry-level position in the pastry department and, after one year, became the pastry chef. It was at The Peaks where Patty started making truffles. She would bring them to friends’ homes, and they were a huge hit.
The long hours and stress of restaurant life turned Patty in a different direction. She became an administrator for the ski school in Telluride. On her lunch break, she would go into town with a tray of truffles, and they sold immediately. It was at Telluride Ski School that she learned how to handle high-end clients and manage money. Patty really missed making her decadent truffles full-time, so she took advice from a good friend on how to start her own business, and step by step, she started Telluride Truffle. That was 27 years ago.
Today, Telluride Truffle is a place you don’t want to miss when visiting Colorado, or if you are a local. Her truffles are triangular, not round, on purpose — and, by total coincidence, they look like mountains. They have familiar names you might recognize, like Bunny Hill, Black Diamond, Early Frost, First Tracks, and Mud Season. Each truffle is unique in flavor; some are made with spirits like Chambord, Kahlúa, and Tuaca. She has crafted them to look like edible artwork, and they taste like a chocolatey masterpiece.
Her “Fourteener” box is incredibly popular for gift-giving, or if you want to try a variety of her confections.
Patty didn’t stop with crafting truffles. She also sells hot chocolate mix, champagne truffles (my favorite), caramel and chocolate sauce, and baked goods, including “The Perfect Cookie Box.” The cookies are made in small batches, and they truly are perfect.
With three locations to date, Patty is a woman who has no intention of stopping anytime soon. She has built her business from the ground up, made it through the COVID shutdown, and expanded to a Lakewood, CO, location, where her chocolates are now made. In 2025, she won “50 Companies to Watch,” an honor given by the Colorado Office of Economic Development — a well-deserved recognition. You can find her incredible treats at her stores in Telluride, CO; Lakewood, CO; and inside Union Station in Denver. You can also order them online at TellurideTruffle.com. Taking a bite of a Telluride Truffle is something you simply must experience — an experience Patty Denny has poured her heart into since 1997.
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