Kelly Liken is owner and executive chef of Restaurant Kelly Liken in Vail. Studying physics at the University of Colorado in Boulder was just a detour for Kelly, who cooked at night not only to pay the bills but also to feed her true passion. She enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America in New York, where she graduated first in her class in 2002. She interned at the renowned Inn at Little Washington, outside of Washington, D.C. After graduation, Kelly headed west to work at Splendido at the Chäteau in Beaver Creek. At 27, she felt it was time to open her own restaurant and in 2004 she took over a dilapidated Chinese eatery at the entrance to Vail Village and transformed it into Restaurant Kelly Liken, one of the stateÍs most sophisticated dining destinations.