“This is an incredible opportunity to really see the breadth of the Denver dining scene,” says Laura Shunk, president of the Colorado Restaurant Foundation (and former dining critic at Westword). From September 6 through September 9, it will host its annual Denver Food + Wine festival with various events on the Auraria campus.
“All of the proceeds of this festival benefit the Colorado Restaurant Foundation,” explains Shunk. “They very directly support our programs in two different verticals. The first vertical [relates to] physical training and skill set development."
Colorado ProStart, a high school culinary and career exploration program, falls into this first category. “We are the oldest ProStart program in the country. We launched more than twenty years ago [and are] in more than forty high schools across the state. It really gives students a holistic look at what it takes to succeed in this industry,” says Shunk.
The Colorado Restaurant Foundation also has a U.S. Department of Labor-registered apprenticeship program. “It builds from line cook to restaurant manager, [providing] a full set of competencies [needed] to advance along that career," Shunk explains. "We've got more than sixty apprentices and a number who are in the process of getting placed in apprenticeships. It's been very well received by the restaurant industry — we work with more than seventy employers across the state.”
Shunk notes that ProStart and apprenticeships are national programs with curriculums standardized by the National Restaurant Association Education Foundation. “Once they’ve gotten that certified line cook designation, they could really be a line cook anywhere," she says of the apprenticeship participants.
The last program within the technical skills vertical is scholarships, which are provided to students attending hospitality or culinary programs across the state.
“All of the proceeds of this festival benefit the Colorado Restaurant Foundation,” explains Shunk. “They very directly support our programs in two different verticals. The first vertical [relates to] physical training and skill set development."
Colorado ProStart, a high school culinary and career exploration program, falls into this first category. “We are the oldest ProStart program in the country. We launched more than twenty years ago [and are] in more than forty high schools across the state. It really gives students a holistic look at what it takes to succeed in this industry,” says Shunk.
The Colorado Restaurant Foundation also has a U.S. Department of Labor-registered apprenticeship program. “It builds from line cook to restaurant manager, [providing] a full set of competencies [needed] to advance along that career," Shunk explains. "We've got more than sixty apprentices and a number who are in the process of getting placed in apprenticeships. It's been very well received by the restaurant industry — we work with more than seventy employers across the state.”
Shunk notes that ProStart and apprenticeships are national programs with curriculums standardized by the National Restaurant Association Education Foundation. “Once they’ve gotten that certified line cook designation, they could really be a line cook anywhere," she says of the apprenticeship participants.
The last program within the technical skills vertical is scholarships, which are provided to students attending hospitality or culinary programs across the state.
“You may have barriers to advancing and thriving that have nothing to do with your technical skill set. So the other side of our organization is about removing those barriers,” Shunk adds, noting that those barriers are related to mental, physical and financial well-being.
The foundation's Angel Relief Fund is a program that supports Colorado restaurant employees experiencing hardship due to an unexpected illness, injury or natural disaster. “We've expanded the Angel Relief Fund so that it also covers mental health grants. Anybody in our industry who's experiencing a mental health challenge can get up to $1,000 in coverage paid directly to their provider. They don't have to provide us any details; they just have to qualify," Shunk says.
She adds, “We have seen a clear need for both hardship grants and mental health grants coming out of COVID. We've given more than $200,000 away this year alone. ... To be totally frank, we're not going to be able to continue at that pace without other folks investing in the fund. It's something that is so needed in this industry, and it's something that we're figuring out how to grow.”
Denver Food + Wine is the Colorado Restaurant Foundation’s key fundraising event of the year, and supporting the careers and wellness of local restaurant industry workers are excellent reasons to attend. Tickets for all the events this week, including the grand tasting on Saturday, September 9, are available online.
Here are more reasons you should go to this year's Denver Food + Wine:
Denver Food + Wine festival is a celebration for both guests and industry workers.
Colorado Restaurant Foundation
She adds, “We have seen a clear need for both hardship grants and mental health grants coming out of COVID. We've given more than $200,000 away this year alone. ... To be totally frank, we're not going to be able to continue at that pace without other folks investing in the fund. It's something that is so needed in this industry, and it's something that we're figuring out how to grow.”
Denver Food + Wine is the Colorado Restaurant Foundation’s key fundraising event of the year, and supporting the careers and wellness of local restaurant industry workers are excellent reasons to attend. Tickets for all the events this week, including the grand tasting on Saturday, September 9, are available online.
Here are more reasons you should go to this year's Denver Food + Wine:
Paella, a popular dish at Ultreia, was served at last year’s Denver Food + Wine event.
Colorado Restaurant Foundation
Score stunning stemware at the Riedel Wine Glass seminars
From 6 to 7 p.m. on September 6 and 7, local sommelier Shelley Sale will host two Riedel wine glass seminars at the MSU Denver Hospitality Learning Center. “Every year, we see people have an aha moment of, ‘Hey, it does make a difference what glass you’re putting your wine in.’ Then, they take that glassware home and continue to enjoy the lesson over and over again,” says Shunk.
Attendees receive a four-glass Riedel Performance kit on Wednesday and a four-glass Riedel Veloce kit on Thursday, each a $178 value.
Taste fare from top food trucks paired with cocktails at the Shake + Brake Showdown
This event at the Tivoli Quad takes place from 7 to 10 p.m. on September 7, and this year's cocktail competition will involve even more bartenders and food trucks than last year's. Guests can enjoy all-you-can-drink cocktails and an array of appetizers, then cast a vote for the people’s choice winners.
From 6 to 7 p.m. on September 6 and 7, local sommelier Shelley Sale will host two Riedel wine glass seminars at the MSU Denver Hospitality Learning Center. “Every year, we see people have an aha moment of, ‘Hey, it does make a difference what glass you’re putting your wine in.’ Then, they take that glassware home and continue to enjoy the lesson over and over again,” says Shunk.
Attendees receive a four-glass Riedel Performance kit on Wednesday and a four-glass Riedel Veloce kit on Thursday, each a $178 value.
Taste fare from top food trucks paired with cocktails at the Shake + Brake Showdown
This event at the Tivoli Quad takes place from 7 to 10 p.m. on September 7, and this year's cocktail competition will involve even more bartenders and food trucks than last year's. Guests can enjoy all-you-can-drink cocktails and an array of appetizers, then cast a vote for the people’s choice winners.
Snag a second serving of one of Tacolandia’s best bites
The lineup at Shake + Break Showdown includes several local favorites such as Mukja, Fritay Haitian Cuisine, Simply Pizza and Chile con Quesadilla, which served up one of our favorite bites from Tacolandia 2023. Seek this food truck out with a margarita in hand.
Experience two newly named Bib Gourmand restaurants
The September 9 grand tasting event at the Tivoli Quad features two of the state's first nine eateries to get the Bib Gourmand designation from the Michelin Guide: the Ginger Pig, which Natascha Hess started as a food truck in 2016, and Glo Noodle House, which Chris and Ariana Teigland opened in March 2022. Both will offer tastings to VIP and first-taste ticket holders from noon to 4 p.m. General admission attendees will have access from 1 to 4 p.m.
The lineup at Shake + Break Showdown includes several local favorites such as Mukja, Fritay Haitian Cuisine, Simply Pizza and Chile con Quesadilla, which served up one of our favorite bites from Tacolandia 2023. Seek this food truck out with a margarita in hand.
Experience two newly named Bib Gourmand restaurants
The September 9 grand tasting event at the Tivoli Quad features two of the state's first nine eateries to get the Bib Gourmand designation from the Michelin Guide: the Ginger Pig, which Natascha Hess started as a food truck in 2016, and Glo Noodle House, which Chris and Ariana Teigland opened in March 2022. Both will offer tastings to VIP and first-taste ticket holders from noon to 4 p.m. General admission attendees will have access from 1 to 4 p.m.
Enjoy bites from eleven of the restaurants we can’t live without
The Denver Food + Wine grand tasting lineup also includes eleven establishments featured in Westword’s 2023 list of the 100 best Denver restaurants, including Biker Jim’s Gourmet Dogs, the Bindery, Bodega, Los Dos Potrillos, Lucina Eatery and Bar, Noisette, Olivia, Somebody People and Ultreia. “Our broader organizational mission is to really raise the profile of Colorado restaurants, and [the festival] is a key way that we do that,” comments Shunk.
Savor tastings from a Michelin star contender
Bruto is a VIP exclusive at this year’s grand tasting event and was recently acknowledged as one of the state’s Michelin star contenders. If you’ve struggled to get reservations to chef Michael Diaz de Leon’s intimate chef's counter experience, Denver Food + Wine is the place to experience his culinary skills.
Attend wine-tasting seminars exclusive to VIPs
Need another reason to upgrade your ticket? During the Denver Food + Wine grand tasting, VIPs can join seminars in the new wine education tent. These tastings are first-come, first-served and capped at forty people per. Led by Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits professionals, the 1 p.m. event will focus on female wine producers, and the 3 p.m. event will discuss Old World versus New World wines. “I have to give a huge shout-out to our partner, Southern Glazer’s,” says Shunk. “They bring in monetary resources [and] their entire team — like more than a hundred people to volunteer in working the event.”
Support Colorado ProStart Students
Shunk explains that Denver Food + Wine is more than a fundraising event. It’s a programmatic outlet that allows Colorado ProStart students to learn from and work alongside the city’s top chefs and restaurant teams. She emphasizes, “For some of [these students], this is going to be that moment where they're like, ‘Wow, the restaurant industry is really cool, and I want to know more,’ which is our entire mission of the program.”
The Denver Food + Wine grand tasting lineup also includes eleven establishments featured in Westword’s 2023 list of the 100 best Denver restaurants, including Biker Jim’s Gourmet Dogs, the Bindery, Bodega, Los Dos Potrillos, Lucina Eatery and Bar, Noisette, Olivia, Somebody People and Ultreia. “Our broader organizational mission is to really raise the profile of Colorado restaurants, and [the festival] is a key way that we do that,” comments Shunk.
Savor tastings from a Michelin star contender
Bruto is a VIP exclusive at this year’s grand tasting event and was recently acknowledged as one of the state’s Michelin star contenders. If you’ve struggled to get reservations to chef Michael Diaz de Leon’s intimate chef's counter experience, Denver Food + Wine is the place to experience his culinary skills.
Attend wine-tasting seminars exclusive to VIPs
Need another reason to upgrade your ticket? During the Denver Food + Wine grand tasting, VIPs can join seminars in the new wine education tent. These tastings are first-come, first-served and capped at forty people per. Led by Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits professionals, the 1 p.m. event will focus on female wine producers, and the 3 p.m. event will discuss Old World versus New World wines. “I have to give a huge shout-out to our partner, Southern Glazer’s,” says Shunk. “They bring in monetary resources [and] their entire team — like more than a hundred people to volunteer in working the event.”
Support Colorado ProStart Students
Shunk explains that Denver Food + Wine is more than a fundraising event. It’s a programmatic outlet that allows Colorado ProStart students to learn from and work alongside the city’s top chefs and restaurant teams. She emphasizes, “For some of [these students], this is going to be that moment where they're like, ‘Wow, the restaurant industry is really cool, and I want to know more,’ which is our entire mission of the program.”
