For many, the words, “Aspen Food & Wine Festival,” evoke images of Padma Lakshmi, Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons. They also give rise to visions of beautiful foods, tremendous cooking challenges and the talented, entertaining chefs who have competed on the show, “Top Chef.” Prizes for those chefs include reward money, a spread in the Food and Wine Magazine and best of all, a showcase in the Aspen Food and Wine Festival.
However, the Aspen Food & Wine Festival has been coming to Aspen for 28 years. Hosted by Food & Wine Magazine, this Aspen event is one of the most anticipated food events of the year. Chefs and food lovers from the world-over, flock to Aspen to see the most innovative food and food trends in the country and throughout the world.
Beginning Friday, June 17th at 9:15 a.m. and continuing late into the afternoon on Sunday, June 19th, clinics, seminars and cooking demonstrations will take place featuring such celebrity chefs as Mario Batali, Jacques Pepin and of course, Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons. These chefs, and many others will introduce new food to the American pallet, such as Seafood of the Adriatic, other will reinvent the wheel with classics like, ‘Grilled Cheese, Please.”
When purchasing tickets, attendees create their own itinerary based on their interests from Friday morning through Sunday afternoon, by requesting courses from the schedule. During the course of these three days there are several reserve tastings and private sessions with select chefs or wine specialists. Upgrading the base ticket allows guests to attend the New Chef Dinner. Private attendees, coming purely for the love of food, have a list of ‘foodie’ activities geared toward the advanced home-cook or serious food lover.
Trade tickets allow those in the restaurant industry a more specialized view of the industry and its advances. Networking power lunches are scheduled throughout the festival, as well as trade wine tastings and food samples.
The Grow for Good Pass is the ultimate ticket, allowing 100 exclusive guests, trade or private, a sneak peak at the lives of celebrity chefs, while donating $1,000 to the Food & Wine “Grow for Good” charity campaign. These limited tickets open the doors to a private reception on Thursday evening before the events kick off, as well as an invitation to the New Chefs Dinner on Saturday night, in addition to many other perks throughout the weekend.
Events like the Aspen Food and Wine Festival remind residents and visitors alike of the creative power that dwells within Aspen. The long history of cultural events makes Aspen a perfect venue for the Food & Wine Festival. The exposure to the best of the best in virtually every industry, Aspenites are a discerning audience, with refined tastes and excellent judgement concerning every art or sport they encounter.
Aspen/Snowmass Village are like an amuse bouche – one taste is just never enough. After your first taste of life in the Rockies, click here to see home, residences and investment properties in the Aspen/Snowmass Village area and dig in to all the best life can offer!
Tags: 2011, Aspen, Aspen Events, Estate, Festival, Food, Homes, Real, Snowmass, Snowmass Village events, village, wine