Chocolate, wine, crawfish and golf on this weekend's culinary calendar

From chef competitions to chocolate festivals to a crawfish boil, there are plenty of events to indulge in this Father's Day weekend -- and you might even want to take Dad to one or two. Keep reading for a taste of what's on the culinary calendar. See also: DJ Nagle,...

By Ben Landreth

June 13, 2014

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From chef competitions to chocolate festivals to a crawfish boil, there are plenty of events to indulge in this Father's Day weekend -- and you might even want to take Dad to one or two. Keep reading for a taste of what's on the culinary calendar.

Friday, June 13

A Taste of Art continues in Boulder with the Artful Chef Competition, at the Sterling Rice Group's Culinary Center. The competition, which kicks off at 6 p.m., will have a format similar to that of many popular television cooking competitions, culminating in an audience vote for the top chef. Chef Ian Clark, chef-owner-brewer of Bru Handbuilt Ales & Eats; chef Dina Paz, owner of Pazitive Provisions; and Mike Shethar, chef-consultant, will be competing for the top honors. In addition to the competition, there will be free beverages and hors d'oeuvres. A Taste of Art activities continue through Sunday; find out more here.

Urban Farming will be the focus of tonight's installment of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science Summer Nights at the Museum series. Demonstrations on effective composting techniques and organic vegetable gardening will be offered all evening, and a finger-food menu including black bean cake with chili-infused shrimp topped with avocado mousse, conch fritters and sweet potato chips with pineapple and papaya relish will be served. Tickets are $15 for non-members and $12 for members. Buy tickets and see the full lineup of summer events on the Denver Museum of Nature and Science website.

Saturday, June 14

The fourth annual Crawfather, a crawfish boil benefiting Arrupe Jesuit High School, will run from 4 to 8 p.m. at Hudson Gardens. The $50 ticket nets you all you can eat and drink, live music by Tony Trahan and the Bluekrewe, and crawfish races. Buy tickets and learn more about the fundraiser on the Arrupe website.

Chocolate lovers will have a peak experience at the Winter Park Chocolate Festival, which runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today. More than twenty vendors will be sampling and selling chocolates and sweets; there will also be live music, chocolate and beer pairings, and more goodies -- and it's all free! For the full lineup of delicious events, check out the Chocolate Festival site.

The Denver Performing Arts Complex will set the stage for the Country Club Classic, a beer tasting with a golf theme. Throw on your best (or worst) golf attire and hit the back nine as you blindly sample three beers from Colorado breweries and attempt to match the beer you tasted with one of the descriptions provided at each "hole"; for every incorrect guess, you will add a stroke. The better your guess, the more chances you have to win. There will also be entertainment, two food trucks (Biker Jim's Gourmet Dogs and Mikes 2 Kitchen) and a silent auction. All proceeds from the evening will benefit the American Lung Association in Colorado. Tickets are $35; get them here. Find more information on the Lung Association site.

Sunday, June 15

Humboldt will host a five-course wine dinner featuring Ken Forrester of South Africa's Ken Forrester Winery starting at 6:30 p.m. Dinner is $70; make a reservation by calling 303-813-1700.

For information on dozens of culinary events around town, visit our online Food & Drink listings -- and if you have information for a culinary event you'd like included in our online calendar, send it to [email protected].

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