Four renowned Denver chefs are cooking all day Sunday to raise money for Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition

Four of Denver’s most renowned Mexican-American chefs are teaming up to raise funds for a state immigrant rights group, barbecuing all day long Sunday and serving food to those who donate.

The “Cookout con los Compas” is a combined effort from chefs Manny Barella, Erasmo Casiano, Johnny Curiel and Michael Diaz de Leon. The event originated after the deadly turn of Operation Metro Surge, the ongoing deportation effort of undocumented immigrants by federal immigration officers in Minnesota, Barella and De Leon said this week.

When more than 20 local restaurants and coffee shops announced they would close the last Friday in January for a nationwide general strike opposing the operation, Barella said he and his collaborators received backlash from some people on social media because they weren’t publicly voicing their solidarity.

Texting in their shared group chat ...