Culinary Arts

Kitchen Table is now cooking in its new home -- you could be, too

Kitchen Table Cooking School is now cooking in its new location, at 6380 South Fiddler's Green Circle in Greenwood Village. The new spot is close to light rail, but also has plenty of parking as well as a new incarnation of Espressolé Caffe, where you can enjoy a cup of handcrafted coffee as well a ... More >>

Red Star Deli, pop-up dinners and a chef series all part of chef James Mazzio's vision for Mise en Place Cooking School

It's been an interesting past few years for James Mazzio, whose culinary career took a giant leap forward in 1999, when the then-Boulder chef of the long-gone 15 Degrees, snagged a Food & Wine magazine Best New Chef crown. Since then, Mazzio has cooked in numerous kitchens throughout the state, incl ... More >>

Culinary calendar for the week ahead: Classes on pie, restaurants serving Thanksgiving dinner and more

​This week is chock-full of classes you might need to brush up on your cooking and baking skills before the big feast day on Thursday -- and if you're looking for somewhere to eat out on Thanksgiving, we've got a full list of restaurants serving a traditional holiday spread (which we'll re-pos ... More >>

Stir Cooking School debuts on November 20 in Highland

​Stir Cooking School, the lovechild of Katy Hume, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in New York, will unmask a new Denver culinary academy, focusing on kitchen techniques for the home cook, on November 20, at 3215 Zuni Street in Highland.

Tonight: Cooking with aromatic herbs and summer harvest ideas

A Flickr photo​The Denver Botanic Gardens will harvest fresh herbs to be used in tonight's cooking demonstration, "How to Cook With Aromatic Herbs," at Le Central, 112 East Eighth Avenue, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Admission is $38 for DBG members and $43 for the general public, and includes a thr ... More >>

Culinary calendar for the week ahead: Crepes on the terrace and more

​This week in culinary news, Breckenridge Brewery celebrates its anniversary, different venues around town offer Tour de France specials, Le Central launches a Wednesday night crepe special through July -- and much more. Here's a taste of what's ahead: Tuesday, July 6: Le Central, 112 East 8 ... More >>

Pizzeria Basta rolling out entrees and sous vide

Kelly WhitakerKelly Whitaker, left, and Bruno Goussault​Pizzeria Basta is not the kind of place you stumble upon. You'd never find it if you weren't looking, unless you happened to be perusing property in one of Boulder's still half-empty upscale eco-housing complexes. The small restaurant ... More >>

Culinary calendar for the week ahead: Wine, bourbon and Burning Can

Marcus Samuelsson heats up Frasca.​There are cooking classes, specialty dinners and wine events galore this week, including tonight's weekly Monday Night Wine Dinner at Frasca Food & Wine, 1738 Pearl Street in Boulder, which is pulling out all the stops: Attendees will enjoy a special four-cou ... More >>

Pete Ryan from Cook Street School of the Culinary Arts dishes on fat wallets, fair wages and mediocrity

Lori MidsonPete Ryan, executive chef/instructor at Cook Street School of Culinary Arts​ Pete Ryan Cook Street School of Culinary Arts 1937 Market Street 303-308-9300 www.cookstreet.com After a fifteen-month pan-pounding stint at Z Cuisine, in March Pete Ryan became the executive chef/instruc ... More >>

Z Cuisine chef Peter Ryan returns to his roots at Cook Street School of Fine Cooking

​Peter Ryan, the former chef of Z Cuisine, Denver's best French restaurant at 2239 West 30th Avenue, is returning to his roots as an instructor at Cook Street School of Fine Cooking, the culinary institution from which he graduated in 1999 and then taught at for eight years as a chef de cuisi ... More >>

Frank Bonanno, Alex Seidel, Jennifer Jasinski, Steve Ells and James Rugile among James Beard semifinalists

Lori Midson Venue chef James Rugile ​Restaurant and chef semifinalists for the 2010 James Beard Foundation Awards were released this morning, which gives all the nominees exactly 32 days to chew on their success before the five finalists in each category are announced on Monday, March 22. The ... More >>

Jill's Restaurant in Boulder welcomes two new French chefs

​If a day at the spa, followed by a meal prepared by French chefs that finishes with a dessert tasting of four flavors of crème brulee -- Bailey's, chocolate truffle, pumpkin, and Tahitian vanilla bean -- sounds like something you might deserve after all of the holiday madness, then head up ... More >>

Chef and Tell part two: Goose Sorensen of Solera

Lori MidsonGoose Sorensen, exec chef/owner of Solera ​This is part two of my interview with Goose Sorensen, executive chef of Solera. To read part one of this interview, click here. Culinary inspirations: Many of the chefs in Denver -- Jamey Fader, Tyler Wiard, Matty Selby, Sean Yontz, Bria ... More >>

Chef and Tell with Goose Sorensen from Solera

Lori MidsonGoose Sorensen, exec chef/owner of Solera​In 1992, Goose Sorensen, then 23, was living in Casper, a fine Wyoming town with bars and brawls and women, but there was something missing, something that Sorensen was longing to have but didn't. That something was -- wait for it -- Benniga ... More >>

Chef and Tell part two: Bob Blair of Fuel Cafe

Lori MidsonBob Blair executive chef/owner of Fuel Cafe​This is part two of my interview with Bob Blair, executive chef/owner of Fuel Cafe. To read part one of this interview, click here. Culinary inspirations: I was the second-oldest of eight kids, so we hardly ever got to go out to dinner. ... More >>

Chef and Tell: Bob Blair of Fuel Cafe

Lori MidsonBob Blair, executive chef and owner of Fuel Cafe​There are some chefs who insist on being called, well, "Chef," and then there are other kitchen wizards, like Bob Blair, who roll their eyes, shake their heads and politely ask that you don't address them as "Chef" at all. "I'm a cook ... More >>

Chef and Tell part two: Max Mackissock from Squeaky Bean

Max Mackissock​This is part two of my interview with Max Mackissock, executive chef of Squeaky Bean. To read part one of this interview, click here. Proudest moment as a chef: One of the best parts about being a chef is watching people enjoy our hard work -- our food -- every day. That's alw ... More >>

Schenectady: Center of the culinary universe

​For those of you who both dream of a career as a chef and fear that you can't make it in the big leagues... Schenectady's first Culinary Boot Camp offers foodies professional training and exquisite dining at one of the nation's top culinary schools at a fraction of the cost of similar cours ... More >>

Chef and Tell with Max Mackissock of Squeaky Bean

Lori MidsonSqueaky Bean executive chef Max Mackissock​ "After all that nonsense at Primebar -- those guys are the biggest scumbags ever -- it was unbelievably refreshing to get a job at a restaurant that's owned by one of the nicest guys I've ever met," Max Mackissock says during our interview ... More >>

Green city livin' with cooking classes from Heirloom Gardens

Heirloom Gardens​Heirloom Gardens, the Denver-based urban farm whose founder, Sundari Kraft, was profiled by Joel Warner this past summer, is heading into winter with a series of new cooking classes. The classes emphasize basic Indian dishes, seasonal soups and breads and other scratch-made c ... More >>

Chef and Tell part two: Michael Long of Opus

Opus executive chef Michael Long​This is part two of my interview with Micheal Long, executive chef of Opus. To read part one of this interview, click here. Culinary inspirations: Norman Van Aken. I'm a south Florida guy, so when I came out of CIA in 1990 and moved back to Florida, Norman wa ... More >>

Chef and Tell with Michael Long of Opus

Lori Midson​"I'm always trying to get away with as much creativity as possible, to push the boundaries and reel in my impulses," explains Michael Long. "I don't want to lose my audience, but for me, personally, food has to both taste good and entertain you in some way, whether it's because of ... More >>

Chef and Tell part two: James Rugile of Venue

Lori MidsonJames Rugile, executive chef of Venue​Culinary inspirations: Thomas Keller of the French Laundry for his pursuit of perfection and emphasis on technique, and Dan Barber of Blue Hill at Stone Barns for his emphasis on sustainability. He sources most of what's on his menu directly from hi ... More >>

Chef and Tell with James Rugile of Venue

Lori MidsonJames Rugile, executive chef of Venue​Head down 32nd Avenue in Highland, and you're likely to find 25-year-old James Rugile in the kitchen at Venue, turning out some of the most incredibly delicious food in Denver (if you haven't tried Rugile's shrimp and grits, go now). The studiou ... More >>

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 Southwe ... More >>

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, f ... More >>

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- ... More >>

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 ... More >>

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 everythin ... More >>

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.

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, may ... More >>

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 perc ... More >>

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 sh ... More >>

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 d ... More >>

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 was ... More >>

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 compe ... More >>

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 int ... More >>

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 ... More >>

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 - ... More >>

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 foo ... More >>

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 ... More >>

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 ... More >>

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 w ... More >>

Ian Kleinman and O's get a rave from egullet

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 ... More >>

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 benefitin ... More >>

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 finali ... More >>

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 ... More >>

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

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