About Us
RARE is an Italian steakhouse located in the heart of Old Town in Fort Collins, Colorado. Inspired by travel experiences in central Italy, RARE offers a rustic, farm to table approach to dishes often found in Umbria and Tuscany. RARE’s menus feature fresh, homemade pasta and cheeses, the best, in-house dry-aged steaks in Northern Colorado, and an extensive list of New and Old World wines. We are proud to offer local ingredients, are committed to seasonality and serve only the best cuts of beef that we dry-age in-house for a minimum of 21 days. The RARE experience is intentionally warm and welcoming, and our focus is simple, elegant dishes made the right way. We invite you to join us for a meal and let our exceptional staff take care of you as though you were family. Prego!
GIFT CARDS
Gift cards for RARE Italian can be purchased in-person or over the phone: (970) 294-4544
Our Team
Nate Booth, Executive Chef
Nate’s mother was a baker, so he began his career early – first by sweeping up flour, and later by working his way through various kitchens during high school and college. He then went on to apprentice at Wolfgang Puck through the American Culinary Federation. Upon completion in 2003, he moved to Texas where he was an Executive Chef for Truluck’s Seafood – opening new locations for the award-winning restaurant group in Texas and California. From 2009-2014 he was the Chef Partner for Artins in Plano, TX, then Executive Chef at OAK in Dallas, TX from 2015-2017, a James Beard winning restaurant. From 2017-2021 Nate worked with the restaurant group, Whiskeycake, in the role of back of house lead trainer and opening Chef for all new locations, in addition to running one location and creating seasonal menus for the group. In March of 2021, Nate chose to move back to his home state of Colorado where he joined the RARE team as Executive Chef.
Collin McDowell, General Manager
Collin has been the General Manager at RARE since September 2020, but his journey in hospitality began much earlier. At 13, he talked his way into his first job washing dishes at the Raintree Plaza Hotel & Convention Center. By 17, he was already a Sous Chef, helping manage the culinary operations of three restaurants on the property, and soon after became the youngest Executive Chef in the company’s history.
Over the next 25 years, Collin’s career spanned steakhouses, nightclubs, and specialty concepts with CraftWorks Holdings (formerly Rock Bottom Restaurants & Breweries). He was recognized as General Manager of the Year three times at The Denver ChopHouse & Brewery, and earned four additional distinctions for leadership, integrity, and community partnership. Rising to Director of Operations, he eventually oversaw seven brands nationwide while serving as Chair of the CraftWorks Foundation’s Board of Directors.
Between CraftWorks and RARE, Collin served as Vice President of Restaurant Sherpas, a consulting group where he coached and supported new restaurant owners navigating the challenges of the industry.
In 2020, the pandemic offered Collin the chance to return to what he loves most: leading a restaurant directly, serving guests, and mentoring a team. Coming home to Fort Collins and to RARE, a family favorite, felt like the natural next step in his 35-year journey through hospitality
