Go for the Longest Cheese Pull at a July 31 Competition at Long Table Brewhouse

In late 2023, Kevin Foote got an idea. The local food writer and occasional Westword contributor saw a social media video of Mukja employee James Makowski showing off how far he could stretch the melty goodness inside the food truck’s Korean cheese dogs, and he became inspired.

“It was so fun to watch and spoke to the silliness I was craving from food experiences in Denver,” Foote recalls. “The idea was fully realized when I watched a video of Long Table Brewhouse member John Jacobsen attempt the cheese pull. He’s always on their Instagram making a ham of himself and promoting events for the place.”

But Foote noticed that the cheese would break each time the person attempting the pull went the full length of their own arm.

Right before Christmas, “the lightbulb popped into my mind,” Foote recalls. “Grab a friend, and see how far all that ooey-gooey grub can really go! It was totally impromptu, and I just DM’d Mukja and Long Table’s accounts to tell them I’m showing up dressed as a referee with a Santa cap and doing this, and would appreciate any support online. They both immediately sent out stories and called on the community to partake in the fun if possible. The first attempt brought so much joy to heart and was a blast.”

A family hanging out at Long Table took the first win, reaching six feet, eight inches. “The father pulled, the tween son took the bite and was the anchor, and the teen daughter filmed it all,” Foote says. “The entire bar stopped what they were doing to cheer and to watch. I remember thinking, ‘Yup, this is what we need.’ It was supportive, it was inclusive in the fun, and it was hyper-local.”

(Side note to that family: Foote says Long Table still has a prize waiting for you.)

The second edition of the cheese pull competition took place at Novel Strand Brewing, where the food truck stops on Sundays. Foote says the brewery’s manager, Gigi Brudno, and owners Chantel Columna and Tamir Danon were totally supportive of the event, where the crew from local nonprofit Bikes Together set a new record: twelve feet, eight inches.

On Wednesday, July 31, Foote will be back at Long Table Brewhouse in Park Hill from 6 to 8 p.m. for the third edition of the event. To enter, all you have to do is show up with a partner and buy at least one Korean cheese dog from Mukja.

“The world can feel like some sort of boring dystopia if we’re not careful. In doing so, we let the world turn treasured moments at local haunts into lackluster routines,” Foote concludes. “This is one small way to fight that. I’d ask folks to go. Go to this event if you can. Bring a friend you know is having a hard time and needs an emotional reprieve, bring your kids who thrive from play, bring a new date and see if they’re able to put a smile on your face while lookin’ a fool.”