Subject: Culinary Arts

• French Twist

  February 13, 2008

• French Twist

  February 13, 2008

• Quite a Ride

  May 2, 2008

• Taste of Taste of the Nation

  June 3, 2008

• What's cooking at the White House? Maybe Denver chef Daniel Young

  November 10, 2008

• TV or not TV? That's no question for these chefs

  November 12, 2008

• Apprentices get to sling the skillets

  Tomorrow night the Rocky Mountain Chefs of Colorado (RMCC) will hold their fourth annual endowment dinner at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs. For $75 a person, you get  an eight-course meal executed by third-year students in the RMCC apprenticeship program. They'll be assisted by the sponsoring chefs and instructors of the programs. "The theme involves the classical foundations of modern cuisine with product support from the industry and the personal experiences of cu

  January 16, 2009

• Manischewitz! Local contestant in in national cook-off

  Mazel Tov to Deborah Leebove, daughter of Joyce Foster (the former city councilwoman who was recently sworn in as a state senator), for reaching the finals of the Manischewitz National Cooking Competition. The Denver resident had her recipe chosen out of thousands, and is now one of six finalists for the $25,000 grand prize. Leebove entered her ''Mani Meatloaf" recipe, which featured a variety of Manischewitz products. It was one of fifteen recipes she experimented with after discovering

  January 27, 2009

• Bon Appétit Culinary and Wine Focus begins

  http://www.bonappetitfocus.com/Today is the first full day of the gold-laced foodie function that is the Bon Appétit Culinary and Wine Focus. Hosted again by Beaver Creek, the event draws throngs of celebrities, chefs and celebrity chefs. Although you missed last night's 'Wine Dinner benefiting The Bright Future Foundation," there are still loads of gustatory lessons to learn. A few of the people scheduled to appear:Bon Appétit executive chef and Iron Chef Cat Cora, New York restaurantres

  January 29, 2009

• Best Big Plates

  March 24, 2005

• Bite Me

  May 5, 2005

• IACP Conference Report: Food writers are good in bed

  For those of you not yet hipped to the big foodie news in Denver this week, the International Association of Culinary Professionals is in town -- a kind of traveling circus show of food writers, food editors, food pimps, chefs, authors, wine gurus and associated tradesmen. And, of course, Jason Sheehan is embedded right in the middle of all the action, causing trouble, sponging up free drinks and generally comporting himself in as disreputable a way as possible. His reports from inside the

  April 2, 2009

• Fun With Molecular Gastronomy

  A visit to Mr. Wizard.

  January 10, 2008

• Ian Kleinman and O's get a rave from egullet

  April 16, 2009

• Show and Tell

  Cut to the quick.

  May 22, 2008

• High on the Hog

  March 26, 2009

• O's Steak & Seafood

  There’s a magician in this kitchen: Ian Kleinman, a real food wizard.

  October 25, 2007

• Group of One

  Employees bail out of Nine75 and Ocean.

  June 14, 2007

• Too Many Cooks

  A collaboration between Steamboat Springs and Denver chefs leads to one tasty meal.

  July 20, 2006

• Gourmet Eats and Treats

  August 10, 2006

• Green Acres

  WaterCourse is a growing concern.

  October 12, 2006

• Pearl Bucks

  A little competition never hurt anyone.

  February 16, 2006

• Simmer Time

  July 28, 2005

• Bite Me

  Beard House Rules

  May 19, 2005

• Bite Me

  Eyes on the Prize

  April 7, 2005

• First report from the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen

  Lori MidsonMario Batali at the Food & Wine Classic in AspenSee more photos at westword.com/slideshow.As expected, the first night of the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen was a culinary red carpet of celebrity chefs and the giggling, starstruck fans who couldn't stop pawing them. And then there were the blowout parties, like the charity event hosted by Mario Batali, where guests got (among other things) a pair of the star chef's signature orange Crocs. (I snagged a pair for Sheehan to go with

  June 19, 2009

• Highlights and lowlights from the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen

  Lori MidsonTop Chef winner Hosea Rosenberg and knifed cheftestant Fabio Viviani By the time the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen ended yesterday afternoon, I'd already seen a whole posse of amateurs puke; another man suffer a seizure just after chef Michael Symor ended a fantastic cooking demo devoted to pork belly; Top Chef winner Hosea Rosenberg locking arms with knifed Top Chef contestant, air-kisser, fan favorite, flirt and fabulous dresser Fabio Viviani; Giada De Laurentiis, who weighs all of

  June 22, 2009

• Days later, still chewing on Aspen Food and Wine

  Lori MidsonThe pea soup heard 'round the world. A few days after my return from Aspen Food and Wine, I'm still digesting the experience. The worst part of the event was listening to everyone's opinion about everything there. Opinions on food (if I heard one more person opine about pork belly I was going to lose it). Opinions on celebrities (I love Mario Batali, I hate Mario Batali). I've always lived by the quote, "Opinions are like assholes, everybody's got them." And boy, were there a lot of

  June 26, 2009

• Chef and Tell: John Broening

  John Broening​"We'll have head cheese at Olivéa on Friday -- I expect to see you there," summoned the e-mail. The note - short and to the point -- was from John Broening, the executive chef at Duo and Olivéa: the former a restaurant in Highland with a field-to-plate, seasonal approach to food; the latter a three-month-old restaurant in Uptown that embraces the same elemental philosophies, but pushes the culinary envelope by serving, among other things, head cheese, a gelatinous loaf comp

  August 12, 2009

• A conversation with John Broening, of Duo and Olivea

  August 13, 2009

• Chef and Tell: Jamey Fader of Lola and Big Red F

  Jamey Fader​I've kept company at the bar with Jamey Fader more times than I can count, laughing as he tells me stories about the hippies camped out in their caravans just outside Lola during the DNC, simultaneously shaking and nodding my head while he divulges his latest - and usually crazy - chef shenanigans, listening intently as he explains his stance on celebrity chefs, namely that he couldn't care less. Fader once auditioned for Top Chef, the Bravo TV reality show that produced a Bou

  August 19, 2009

• Lola's Jamey Fader tells all

  August 20, 2009

• Chef and Tell: Troy Guard from TAG

  ​"You're the first person who's asked for hot sauce since I opened," says Troy Guard. The owner and executive chef of TAG, a three-month-old restaurant in Larimer Square, isn't quite scolding me, but he's made it perfectly clear that his steak tacos, a plate of which sits in front of me, don't need no stinkin' hot sauce. "The steak's already been marinated in habanero and chipotle," he tells me. I take a bite and discover that he's absolutely right. But even if he weren't, who am I to argu

  August 26, 2009

• A conversation with Troy Guard of TAG

  August 27, 2009

• Chef and Tell: Tyler Wiard of Elway's

  Lori Midson​"I got my ass kicked, but man, did I learn a lot," recalls Tyler Wiard, talking about the early '90s and his days as a line cook for Dave Query and John Platt at Q's Restaurant in the Hotel Boulderado. He must have been up to the task, because Query pulled him off that line and into the fray of Jax Fish House in Boulder before Wiard was eventually lured to Denver by Cliff Young, a former Mile High City restaurateur who opened Napa Cafe and stationed Wiard at the helm. But whi

  September 2, 2009

• Part two: Chef and Tell with Tyler Wiard of Elway's

  Tyler Wiard​This is part two of Lori Midson's interview with Tyler Wiard, the executive chef at Elway's Cherry Creek. You can read the first part of Midson's interview with Wiard here. Proudest moment as a chef: When I won the National Pork Award in May of 2008. I had won the state pork competition in December 2007 and went on to San Diego to compete against twenty other regional or state winners, and I won the contest and $5,000. I made cumin-roasted pork loin, braised pork shoulder and

  September 3, 2009

• Chef and Tell: Paul Reilly of Encore

  Lori MidsonEncore executive chef Paul Reilly​ "Ever since I saw Grover waiting tables on Sesame Street, I knew I wanted to work in restaurants," says Paul Reilly. And he didn't waste much time following in Grover's footsteps, considering that he got his first taste of restaurant life while washing dishes in a German joint at the age of fourteen. Reilly, now the kitchen magician at Encore, the regional American food temple (and home of the best fries on the planet) in the Lowenstein comple

  September 16, 2009

• Chef Elise Wiggins wants you to feel good about food

  September 24, 2009

• After 68 years in the food porn business, Gourmet magazine is dumped from the menu

  ​Damn. Gourmet magazine, the Condé Nast publication that's been pimping food porn for nearly seventy years, is done. The somber news, which was delivered in a memo from Condé CEO Chuck Townsend, didn't come as much of a shock to industry insiders, many of whom have predicted the magazine's demise for months (blame a decline in ad pages), but the cut is still a major bummer, especially for Gourmet's editor, Ruth Reichl, the former restaurant critic at the New York Times and a formidable f

  October 5, 2009

• Chef and Tell: Sean Yontz of Tambien, Sketch and Mezcal

  Sean Yontz​"Hey, get up, I have something to show you," instructs Sean Yontz as he strides into Sketch, one of the five venues he oversees with business partner Jesse Morreale. And their mini-empire will soon expand to a half-dozen, because Yontz, it turns out, is booting me off my stool to show me his newest restaurant space, a 350-seater (give or take) at the corner of First and Broadway, right around the corner from Sketch. "I like doing the whole neighborhood thing, and I want to do

  October 7, 2009

• Part two: Chef and Tell with Sean Yontz of Mezcal, Sketch and Tambien

  Lori MidsonSean Yontz with his wife Alexa​This is part two of Lori Midson's interview with Sean Yontz, executive chef of Mezcal, Tambien and Sketch. You can read part one here. Culinary inspirations: Ferran Adrià, the chef at El Bulli, because of the way he's completely changed people's perception of Spanish food; Thomas Keller, because of his dedication to food and service; and Jean-Georges Vongerichten, who melds together so many types of cuisines and whose food is just awesome, no mat

  October 8, 2009

• Part two: Chef and Tell with Frank Bonanno

  Frank Bonanno​This is part two of Lori Midson's interview with Frank Bonanno, executive chef-owner of Osteria Marco, Mizuna, Luca d'Italia and Bones. You can read the first part of Midson's interview with Bonanno here. Culinary inspirations: My mother and my sister. When I was six, seven, maybe eight, my mother and I used to cook together to the old Julia Child show. Our family ate dinner together every night, and from an early age, they cemented in me that food was more than just TV dinn

  October 15, 2009

• Chef and Tell with Sean Kelly of LoHi SteakBar

  Lori MidsonLoHi SteakBar executive chef Sean Kelly​"Nothing that goes on my menus gets there by accident," insists Sean Kelly, executive chef of LoHi SteakBar, the packed-to-the-rafters restaurant and watering hole that opened in June in Highland. "I have a tendency to make sure that everything is researched, and I try to be as true as possible to the classics and their culture. I want to understand where my food comes from." Kelly, who made a major name for himself when he opened Auberg

  October 21, 2009

• Tonight: Foams, sous-vide, truffled waffles and Kendall Jackson wines at Restaurant 1515

  Foam​There are wine dinners...and there are wine dinners, like the one tonight at Restaurant 1515, Gene Tang's experimental restaurant at 1515 Market Street that's apparently the only restaurant in Colorado approved by the health department to legally practice sous-vide cooking.

  October 21, 2009

• Chef and Tell with Mary Nguyen of Parallel 17

  Mary Nguyen, executive chef/owner of Parallel 17​"Food is the one thing that I grew up knowing would bring family and friends together, soothe wounds and mend hearts as well as improve any party or celebration," says Mary Nguyen, chef-owner of the Vietnamese-French bistro Parallel 17. "I entered this profession because it's the way I express my creativity and concern for others: I cook to make people happy." But for Nguyen, making that passion come to fruition hasn't been easy. She was bo

  November 4, 2009

• Chef and Tell with Lance Barto of Strings

  Lori MidsonLance Barto, exectutive chef of Strings​"It wasn't supposed to happen this fast," says Lance Barto, shaking his head. The 27-year-old chef, who was promoted back in February to the chief kitchen post at Strings following the departure of Aaron Whitcomb (who's now at Yia-Yia's Euro Bistro), still seems shocked by the news. "A lot of people with way more experience than I have aren't where I'm at, so I feel really lucky and blessed by the opportunity," he confesses.

  November 11, 2009

• Part two: Chef and Tell with Lance Barto of Strings

  Lori MidsonLance Barto, executive chef of Strings​ This is part two of my interview with Lance Barto, exec chef of Strings. You can read part one of my interview with Barto here. Best food city in America: Northern California. Right, I know that it's not a city, but the whole northern region of California seems to have such a connection with what's seasonal, organic and renewable. The restaurants there have a great mindset. I'd love to see Denver continue in that same direction. Favorite Ne

  November 12, 2009

• Culinary calendar for the week ahead

  Mile High United Way wants to help stock your wine cellar.​Our online Food & Drink listings feature dozens of culinary events around Colorado this week, including Anthony Bourdain's local appearance, the Mile High United Way Emerging Leaders Wine Event, the Celebrity Chef Tour and Opus's Cele-bracon. A taste of what's ahead:

  November 16, 2009

• Going, going gone: Twelve tickets left for the James Beard Celebrity Chef Tour with Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson and Thanawat Bates

  Frasca Food & Wine executive chef Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson​The Celebrity Chef Tour benefiting the James Beard Foundation lands in Denver tonight, stopping at the Brown Palace, 321 17th Street. That's where Frasca Food & Wine executive chef (and 2008 James Beard award winner for Best Southwest Chef) Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson will join host chefs Thanawat Bates and William Dexter for a reception and six-course tasting menu paired with wines chosen from master sommeliers Bobby Stuckey, f

  November 19, 2009

• Part two: Chef and Tell with Brian Laird of Barolo Grill

  Lori MidsonBrian Laird, executive chef of Barolo Grill​This is part two of my interview with Brian Laird, exec chef of Barolo Grill. You can read part one of my interview with Laird here. Best food city in America: San Francisco. It's all about what I love most: fresh ingredients, seafood, farm-raised animals, vegetables, cheese, wine and beer, dairy of all kinds...and on and on. It's all right there at your fingertips. My new favorite place there is the Rand G Lounge, a Chinese restaura

  November 19, 2009