Why subscribe?
“If you are not listening to and reading to what Matthew Schniper is saying, you have no pulse on what’s going on in this city.” — Top Chef Brother Luck
“With deep relationships across the industry, the award-winning food and drink critic knows, loves and champions the Colorado Springs scene, but he isn’t afraid to speak truth to and about it in his restaurant reviews.” — Jeremy Jones, Springs Magazine
Nobody covers Colorado Springs food like Side Dish. Subscribe if you want the latest info on openings, closings, the inside scoop on the trendiest restaurants and critical reviews that save you money. I’m an award-winning, independent food and drink reporter and critic with two decades of journalism experience. I curate the essential news on happenings in the Springs and nearby, also offering limited travel content.
Side Dish in the news:
Jan. 30, 2025: Matthew Schniper featured in Simon Owens’s Media Newsletter and podcast. (Owens is a D.C.-based Substack writer and media industry journalist with 16,000-plus subscribers.)
Sept., 2024: from Downtown Colorado Springs, Matthew received a 2024 Downtown Star Award "for outstanding contributions to the vibrancy of Downtown Colorado Springs… Downtown Star awards spotlight some of the champions, innovators, visionaries, and problem solvers who make our city center the best it can be.”
COS Business Podcast, Sept., 2024: Building a Sustainable Media Business - Matthew Schniper on Growing "Side Dish.”
TrueNORTH podcast, June, 2024: Matthew Schniper - Journalist, Podcaster, Critic
Springs Magazine, Feb. 2024: Matthew Schniper on the Colorado Springs Food Scene
COS Business Podcast, Nov. 2023: Dishing Out Insights: Conversations on Food, Culture, and Journalism with Matthew Schniper
Inside the News in Colorado, Nov., 2023: ‘Colorado's indie journalists keep local legacy media in the mix’
Fox 21, Loving Living Local, Aug., 2023: ‘Nobody covers Southern Colorado food like Side Dish’
Rocky Mountain PBS, May, 2023: ‘This is how it feels to save a newspaper'
Inside the News in Colorado, April, 2023: ‘The community needs this’
About Schniper
I started in journalism in 2004 and have been a professional food critic since 2006, building on 10 years prior culinary industry experience. I’ve dined my way through roughly 40 countries. I was the Food & Drink Editor for the Colorado Springs Independent until being laid off in March, 2023. Side Dish with Schniper was born to continue my work independently.
I’ve gotten to professionally know hundreds of people in our local culinary industry, from chefs and restaurateurs to bartenders, baristas, roasters, bakers, brewers, distillers, kombucha crafters, winemakers, wine reps, sommeliers, GMs and culinary educators. Good people. My people.
I love this city and it’s an honor to cover the industry and play the critic role. Documenting, policing, championing and telling peoples’ stories while providing a utilitarian service to the community. (I created the podcast series State of Plate as an equal parts lament and love letter to the Springs’ industry. Tap&Table continues the story.)
I can’t imagine not being at the keyboard, punching out something about a new restaurant concept, or penning a full dining critique. This is in my blood. My grandfather, who I get my middle name “Cassidy” from, was a regionally famous sports writer for the Bristol Herald Courier. He was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame and Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. Since 1982, The Gene “Pappy” Thompson Award has been given annually to an exemplary high school athlete, so his story lives on.
I sincerely want to thank the Colorado springs industry and culinary community as well as my readers for their trust. It’s always just been my opinion, what I write, but you have validated me and backed me at many turns when critiques got controversial and I was under fire. You helped me develop the confidence to grow thick skin and speak truth and call it like I see it. To do the work with honesty and integrity, knowing I would inevitably create enemies. (Hey, it’s just business.)
Welcome to my new chapter, Side Dish with Schniper, a continuation of my long-running food and drink column. Thank you for subscribing. See you in your inbox.
Contact Schniper
sidedishschnip@gmail.com | 719-332-9630
Insta: @sidedishschniper | facebook.com/SideDishWithSchniper
More bio + feature-story clips and awards info: muckrack.com/matthewschniper
Email me for a media kit/rate sheet if interested in advertising.
Co-founder/co-admin of Culinary Colorado Springs
Culinary Colorado Springs is a community Facebook group dedicated to supporting the local food and drink industry in Colorado Springs, Colorado and uplifting struggling businesses and owners during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. The group of 13,000 highly engaged members connects food- and drink-lovers to business owners and industry professionals, increasing customer understanding of industry challenges and perspectives while providing owners a space to build relationships with and glean insights from potential customers. A Social Return on Investment (SROI)* Study conducted by Colorado Institute for Social Impact determined that the total contributions of the volunteer-run group toward strengthening the community in 2020 were nearly $1.1 million.
* SROI is the measurement, in a language of dollars and cents, of the value of an organization’s efforts to alleviate a social, environmental or community issues.
