Rocky Mountain High

June 23

This past weekend, I attended the 20th annual Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, which I often dub the "ultimate summer foodie fantasy camp."  There are seminars, tastings and informative panels for the restaurant trade, all held in the most breathtaking surroundings.  As I've done for the past 8 years, I moderated all of this year's trade panels, featuring speakers such as Jacques Pepin, Danny Meyer, Bobby Flay and Mario Batali.  Every year, the folks at Baltz & Co. manage to assemble an A-list of U.S. food personalities and industry leaders, who share their experience and wisdom about the industry, and attempt to predict where it is headed. 

I spent most of the weekend at the Hotel Jerome, where the seminars are held, but there was a little bit of time for socializing.  I saw Chicago's "Top Chef" winner Stephanie Izard at the opening welcome reception at the St. Regis, but also bumped into her judges, Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons.  On Friday, the Publisher's Party hosted all of the speakers and their guests at the top of Aspen mountain, and every person stepping off of the gondola was another heavy-hitter: Momofuku's David Chang, Blackbird's Paul Kahan, BBQ guru Steven Raichlen and Steve Ells, the founder and C.E.O. of Chipotle.  There is so much comraderie at these events, with everyone schmoozing, sharing information and handing out business cards, but rather than taking place in a drab, suburban hotel meeting room, it's happening with a couple of 14,000 snow-capped peaks off in the distance and the cool mountain air all around you.

   
with "Top Chef" Stephanie Izard              Paul Kahan and David Chang                Jose Andres grills Spanish sausages

The night before the event, Wines From Spain hosted a party at a house that was clearly rented out for the occasion.  Host Jose Andres of the ThinkFoodGroup in Washington D.C. was busy grilling up sausages and other porcine favorites, making them into crusty sandwiches and other finger foods that the hungry crowd coudn't get enough of.  I also saw the debut of a brand new roasting box, which not only rivals my beloved Caja China, but surpasses it.  The Love Box is the invention of Ft. Worth chef Tim Love.  He demonstrated it at the Hotel Jerome, while cooking lamb, goat and reindeer.  The box is about the same size as a model 1 Caja China, holding animals that are less than 65 pounds.  But the kicker is that this box also has a pivoting flat-grill plancha, as well as a more traditional grill grate, so you don't lose all of that heat coming off the top of the box.  The boxes cost about $800 assembled and delivered; they also have a more expensive rotisserie model, but I'm not sure you need that one.  Full disclosure: Love was a client of mine a few years ago, as I did some media training with him.  Images of the box in action:

 
The Love Box with two grills on top                                 Love Box with rotisserie set-up

I typically never attend the Consumer Programs, since I'm busy with the Trade program, but this year, I made a point to attend mixologist Julie Reiner's cocktail classes.  I actually attended back-to-back seminars she led: Tropical and Tiki Cocktails, as well as one on the reinterpreted Classics. Reiner founded New York's Flat Iron Lounge, Pegu Club and the Clover Club in Brooklyn, and you need to see her in action to really appreciate her passion for imbibing.  She showed us three or four drinks in each class, my favorite of which was a "Bermuda Sizzle," containing Goslings dark rum, fresh pineapple juice, lime juice and Velvet Falernum - which I now must track down in the stores - also simply syrup and a few dashes of bitters.  It's a killer summer cocktail.

  
Mixologist Julie Reiner in action                                      A Tiki favorite, the Zombie (l) and a Bermuda Swizzle (r)