From Film to Fermentation, Fourteen Tastiest Events on the Culinary Calendar

The weather may be cooling off, but the dining scene is heating up. This week you can partake of everything from a food film festival to dinners in the dark; keep reading for the tastiest events on the culinary calendar.

Monday, October 19
The Flatirons Food Film Festival get cooking in Boulder today. The six-day film festival will feature documentaries, narrative films, special events, six feature-length films as well as several short films, talks from James Beard Award-winning chefs, Q&As with filmmakers and much more. The festival kicks off with an evening with Sandor Katz, author of Wild Fermentation and The Art of Fermentation, who will be signing copies of his books before he introduces a screening of the film Symphony of the Soil, which will be followed by a Q&A. The program starts at 6:30 p.m. at Muenzinger Auditorium on the CU-Boulder campus; tickets are $12, $11 for students and seniors. For a complete scheduled of festival events running through October 25. For more information including a complete list of events, visit flatironsfoodfilmfest.org.
    
Frasca Food and Wine welcomes Paul Stroud, who will lead the Craft Wines exploration today for the restaurant's Monday Night Wine Dinner Series. It's $50 for a prix fixe, four-course tasting menu, not including the optional wine flights, which range from $40 to $50. For reservations and more information, call Frasca at 303-442-6966.

Tuesday, October 20 

You can help We Don't Waste in its mission to reduce food waste and feed the hungry at tonight's screening of Just Eat It, a Food Waste Story, at the EXDO Event Center. The event kicks off at 5:30 p.m with a popcorn and cash bar reception set to live music by Modern Moustache; food trucks Hot Brat/Touch of Philly, The Cajun Kitchen and Ba-Nom-a-Nom will also be serving up food. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with a panel of food experts. Tickets are $15; $10 for students, and can be purchased here. All proceeds from the evening will benefit We Don't Waste, which reduces food waste and food insecurity by recovering food from venues, events, caterers and food distributors and delivering it to community-based agencies that serve vulnerable populations.

Denver Botanic Gardens and Chipotle Mexican Grill are hosting the fifth annual Sustainable Food Film Series, which aims to raise awareness of healthy and sustainable approaches to the way we grow, produce and consume food. The series continues today with a screening of the film More than Honey at the DBG's Mitchell Hall. Tickets are $5 each, and include dinner from Chipotle starting at 6 p.m.; the film starts at 6:30 p.m. For tickets and more information, visit botanicgardens.org.   

Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado is offering a night out that is Uniquely Colorado, starting with a welcome from Luis Benitez, head of the new Colorado Recreation Office, and then moving into a program filled with author meet and greets, live music, craft beer, wine and food from chef Steve Vice of McCormick's Fish House & Bar. The event will run from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at The Oxford Hotel; tckets are $60 and can be purchased here. 

Join Denver Urban Gardens to celebrate all things fermented during the Fermentation Celebration, which runs from 2 to 10 p.m. today. The lineup includes a fermentation workshop, food sampling, vendors, beer from Great Divide, a book signing and Q&A with Sandor Katz, and more. Tickets range from $10 for a single workshop to $25 for the evening festivities to $60 for an all-inclusive pass; proceeds from this event will benefit Denver Urban Gardens. Get tickets and more info here.

The Craftsman & Apprentice will host a Pie Crust workshop with The Long i Pie from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. You'll learn how to make an all- butter-crust and leave with the equivalent of two crusts, as well as an illustrated recipe to make your own pies at home. You can also dig into a few pies before you leave the class. Class is $50 per person; grab your tickets at eventbrite.com.  

Today at 6:30 p.m., Arugula will hold a Rhone Valley Wine Dinner featuring the award-winning wines of Jean-Luc Colombo. Chefs Alec Schuler and Sven Hedenas have created a five-course menu that showcases Colorado's fall fruits and vegetables to pair with the wine flight. The dinner is $89 per person; save your seat by calling 303-443-5100. Click here to check out the full menu.

Wednesday, October 21

The Five Points Food, Wine and Jazz Festival will fill Redline from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. today. The event celebrates the history and future of the Welton Street Corridor with jazz from Latitude Experience Band, food from some of Welton Street's best restaurants, a performance by jazz dancers cmDance and fine art from Historic Five Points artists Jess E. Dubois and Randy McAnulty. The event is free; you can register and find more information here.    

Patxi's Pizza is serving up Pizza for a Purpose from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. today. The pizza chain will be donating 10 percent of dine-in, carry-out, delivery or catering sales to Family Promise and their mission of helping homeless families across the Denver metro area. For more information click here.  

Thursday, October 22 

Practice your rolling skills during a Sushi and Joint Rolling Class at Green Labs today. Students will learn to roll up some of Colorado's favorite sushi rolls before the class moves on to Colorado's real favorite roll, the joint. Sushi and rolling papers are provided, but students should bring their favorite strain with them. The class runs from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. and costs $40; learn more here.  

Boulder Wine Merchant presents the Boulder Burgundy Festival, which runs through the weekend. Today you can help pop the cork on the festival during the Champagne and Caviar Kickoff Party, which will feature live blues music and hors d’oeuvres provided by Cured. The champagne will be flowing from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at CU Koenig Alumni Building; tickets are $75 per person. The festivities continue this weekend with seminars, tastings, brunches, lunches, dinners and more. For a complete schedule of events, go to boulderburgundyfestival.com.   

The Boulder Blind Cafe is offering an evening of dinner, music and community building in the dark. The unique dining and social experience will pop up twice a night, at 6 and 8:30 p.m. at the Wesley Chapel, 290 Folsom Street in Boulder, today through Saturday. Tickets range from $55 to $195. Learn all about this one-of-a-kind experience and grab tickets at theblindcafe.org.  

Friday, October 23

The CherryArts Festival at Stanley will run through the weekend at the in-the-works Stanley Marketplace. From 6 to 9 p.m. today, guests can enjoy a Grand Tasting event focusing on chefs who will have restaurants at the Stanley, as well as other Denver restaurants. Admission is $65 and includes live music by Winehouse, culinary demos, Jen Lewin's interactive sculpture “Chandelier Harp,” and more. Admission is free on Saturday and Sunday; find out more at cherryartsstanley.org.   

For more Food & Drink events, go to our online calendar. If you know of an event that should be included in that calendar, send information to [email protected].