Last night, at the Omni Interlocken resort, ten local chefs, along with former White House toque John Moeller, competed in the Pairsine culinary showdown, an annual battle that's part of the Denver International Wine Festival, a five-day wine-and-food-intensive soiree that spotlights Colorado chefs and more than 350 wines from around the globe. Thursday night's competition, which required the chefs to create two separate dishes paired with the same number of wines, resulted in a win for Lucky Pie Pizza & Tap Room chef Joe Troupe, whose lamb cassoulet and brandade croquettes earned him "Best Chef" from the judges. Trinity Mack the founder of Town and Country Foods, was awarded the title of "Most Creative Chef" by the judges, while Jean-Luc Voegelle, exec chef of the downtown Westin, waltzed away with the People's Choice award. Tickets are still available for the remaining Denver International Wine Festival events, including tonight's grand tasting, tomorrow's winery and distillery tours and Sunday's Julia Child Tribute Champagne luncheon. In the meantime, here are the highlights from last night's battle.

See also: Denver International Wine Festival uncorks today

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