Feast 2023

A roundup of food and drink festivals across the state

Where’s the beef? Local producers keep ethics first

Boulder County’s hot sauce game is on point

Best New Restaurant

Best Seafood

Best Burger

Best Business Lunch

Best Appetizers/Tapas

Best Restaurant Service

Best American Restaurant

Best Place to Eat Outdoors

Best Place to go on a First Date

BEST OVERALL RESTAURANT!

Best Mexican Restaurant

Best Happy Hour

Best Margarita

PUBLISHER: Fran Zankowski

CIRCULATION MANAGER: Cal Winn

EDITORIAL

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Caitlin Rockett

ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR: Jezy J.

Gray

GENERAL ASSIGNMENT REPORTER:

Will Matuska

FOOD EDITOR: John Lehndorff

SALES AND MARKETING

MARKET DEVELOPMENT MANAGER:

Kellie Robinson

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES:

Matthew Fischer, Chris Allred

SPECIAL PROJECTS MANAGER:

Carter Ferryman

MRS. BOULDER WEEKLY: Mari Nevar

PRODUCTION

CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Erik Wogen

SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER:

Mark Goodman

CIRCULATION TEAM:

Sue Butcher, Ken Rott, Chris Bauer

BUSINESS OFFICE

BOOKKEEPER: Emily Weinberg

FOUNDER/CEO: Stewart Sallo

Cover: Drinks at OAK at Fourteenth

Photo by Lucy Beaugard

Table of Contents

09 CHANGE OF TASTE: Boulder County offers unique tasting experiences beyond beer

12 CLOSE TO THE BONE: Local meat producers and sellers put ethics first

17 THE CHANGING CULTURE OF TIPPING: Attempting to reset a flawed system

21 FOOD AND DRINK FESTIVALS: Get a taste of Colorado, all year round

The past few years have reshaped the hospitality industry: The pandemic shuttered restaurant doors for months, then gutted staff as a nationwide conversation arose around how we work and what work we seem to value most.

But these were necessary conversations, and, as a result, the hospitality industry is changing — for the better, we think.

25 BETTER TOGETHER:

Delicious zero-proof drinks are on the menu around Boulder County

29 GO AHEAD, MOCK ME:

Delicious zero-proof drinks are on the menu around Boulder County

30 LOST IN THE (HOT) SAUCE:

Three local companies turning up the heat

35 LEARNING TO TASTE:

Boulder County boasts a big roster of cooking, baking, cheesemaking, coffee brewing, truffle crafting and mixology classes

In this issue of Feast — our first since the pandemic began — we dive into some of those changes. We examined the shifting culture around tipping, and how restaurants around Boulder County are trying to create a more equitable workplace for both front- and back-of-house staff. We also looked at how local restaurants are sourcing meat closer and closer to home in an effort to be as sustainable as possible.

But it’s not all serious within these pages: We pair Boulder County chocolates with Western Slope wines. We take you to tasting rooms that offer mead, cider, wine — even oxygen and kava. Within these pages you’ll find stories about hot sauces, mocktails, food festivals and culinary classes. Boulder County’s food scene truly offers something for everyone.

Change of Taste

Boulder County offers a unique roster of food and drink tasting experiences well beyond beer BY

It may be heresy hereabouts, but sometimes beer gets boring and you need a change of tasting rooms. Luckily, Boulder County is chockablock with destinations where you can sample and learn about everything from award-winning local whiskey and wine to tea, coffee, cider and mead. Even oxygen and kratom are on the menu at a couple of places.

SPIRITS

Vapor Distillery

5311 Western Ave., Boulder; boulderspirits.com

Distilled at Vapor Distillery using the biggest pot still in the state, Boulder Spirits crafts Scottish-inspired versions of American single malt whiskeys, bourbons and gin. The results have garnered the Boulder distillery the respect of the highly opinionated spirits community. Distillery visitors can visit Monday through Saturday to taste and purchase bottles and samplers. No mixed drinks are available. However, to really understand the whiskey process, sign up for Boulder Spirits weekly tours led by the staff. The tour focuses on the essential ingredients, processes and equipment, followed by a guided tasting of four whiskies. Attendees receive a 10% discount on bottle purchases. Other spirits experiences are available at Boulder County distilleries including Abbott & Wallace Distilling, Dry Land Distillers, Copper Sky Distillery, Deviant Spirits, Hogback Distillery and Spirit Hound.

CIDER

BOCO Cidery & Taproom

1501 Lee Hill Drive, Unit 14, Boulder; bococider.com

This local taproom always has a dozen or more Boulder-made ciders on tap, fermented glutenfree, unfiltered and unpasteurized with no additives. Order a flight of four 5-ounce pours. Selections include Boulder Bushel (made from residential apples collected by Community Fruit Rescue), S.O.B. (aged in Bourbon barrels), Stone’s Throw (made with Boulder-grown Cascade hops) and Mango Tango (made with chilies including habanero and serrano and mango juice).

Other local cider tasting rooms include Acreage at Stem Cider in Lafayette and St. Vrain Cidery in Longmont.

JOHN LEHNDORFF

The advantage of a tasting room is that your guide at the bar may be the person who literally crushed the grapes in your glass of wine. Plus, you get to meet locals in a fun, low-key environment.

Here is your guide to the beerless Boulder County tasting-room trail.

WINE

Bookcliff Vineyards

Tasting Room

1501 Lee Hill Road, Unit 17, Boulder; bookcliffvineyards.com

Stop by this tasting room — in the same plaza as BOCO Cider — to sample Bookcliff’s awardwinning vintages of Cabernet Franc, viognier, cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, late harvest muscat, rosé as well as blends like Ensemble — that’s cabernet sauvignon, merlot and Petit Verdot aged in French oak barrels. All are made from grapes grown on Colorado’s Western Slope. The winery also offers a limited number of weekly guided tours featuring wine tasting (with chocolate and cheese), a winery tour, and a virtual tour of the Palisade vineyard.

Other local wineries include Settembre Cellars, Silver Vines Winery and Vinnie Fera Winery in Boulder and Augustina’s Winery in Nederland.

MEAD

Redstone Meadery

4700 Pearl St., Boulder; redstonemeadery.com

Fermented from honey, mead may well be the world’s oldest alcoholic beverage. It’s also misunderstood and typically thought of as syrupy sweet. Colorado is home to at least a dozen small meaderies bottling beverages that range in taste from very dry to fruity, but not all have tasting rooms where you can taste and compare a flight of meads.

Redstone Meadery is Colorado’s best-known meadery. Its Boulder tasting room is an ideal place to get to know the various styles of meads made with diverse types of honey including Boysenberry Nectar, Passion Fruit Nectar, Juniper Berry Mountain Honey Wine, Traditional Mountain Honey Wine and 2011 Peach Reserve. Some specialty meads are only available in the tasting room.

Other nearby meaderies which offer tastings include Queen Bee Brews in Denver and Hunter’s Moon Meadery in Severance.

Mayor Maksud Ikramov of Dushanbe decided to present Boulder with a Teahouse to celebrate the establishment of sister city ties. More than 40 artisans in several cities of Tajikistan created the decorative elements of our Teahouse, including its hand-carved and hand-painted ceiling, tables, stools, columns, and exterior ceramic panels.

Leaf Vegetarian

Restaurant is dedicated to creating an outstanding and creative dining experience. Our Three Leaf Farm allows us to seasonally provide organic freshly harvested produce and herbs, free range eggs and strengthens our commitment to cultivating a more sustainably focused company.

TEA

Ku Cha House of Tea 1211 Pearl St., Boulder; kuchatea.com

Boulder-born Ku Cha House of Tea — now with five Colorado shops — is a tea nerd’s paradise. Owners Rong Pan and Qin Liu stock more than 170 loose teas and blends, served hot or iced. The peaceful glass-ceilinged tea room at Ku Cha’s Pearl Street location lends itself to experiencing the nuances of exceptional green, white, oolong, black and p’u-erh teas and various herb and fruit teas.

Other Boulder destinations that offer tea tasting experiences include the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse, A Cup of Peace, the Brewing Market and Old Barrel Tea Company

CHOCOLATE

Moksha Chocolate

2746 47th St., Boulder; mokshachocolate.com

Boulder’s Moksha Chocolate has built a reputation for fine, responsibly sourced chocolate bars made in small batches.

You can stop by Moksha’s Boulder factory to pick up chocolate and get a peek at how it’s made almost entirely by one man. While there you’ll probably get to sample some of the goods, but you can learn more about chocolate by hosting a mystery tasting session with friends and family at home.

Moksha’s Game of Four is a kit for nine players featuring four boxes of nine craft chocolate samples and a mat with tasting clues with distinct flavor notes and a reference guide for the host. Players compete to see who can match the chocolate to the descriptions.

To go deeper into chocolate appreciation, you can schedule a private tasting with one of Moksha’s owners.

The Dining Hall is the perfect place to go after a hike on the nearby trails, before a concert in the historic Chautauqua Auditorium, or anytime. Savor spectacular views from the enchanting wraparound porch at the Chautauqua Dining Hall while enjoying fresh, Colorado-bistro cuisine for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Located just outside Boulder and nestled along the Coal Creek, Three Leaf Farm grows organic herbs and vegetables for our restaurants and tea company. 100% of our harvest is used in our restaurants and for our exclusive tea blends.

OXYGEN

Tonic Alchemy Lounge

2011 10th St, Boulder; loungetonicalchemy.com

Taste buds are swell, but you haven’t really tasted until you’ve bellied up to the bar and inhaled scented oxygen at Boulder’s Tonic Alchemy Bar. It helps visitors adjust to the altitude (or recover from last night’s festivities), even if they look silly with a nasal cannula stuck in their noses. With its chill lighting, ambient music, relaxing furniture and mellow clientele, Tonic is the kind of only-in-Boulder encounter that visitors tell stories about when they get home.

The menu features herbal elixirs and you can add CBD, therapeutic mushrooms, kava and blue green algae to drinks, or simply sip freshly oxygenated water. The menu includes mushroom shakes, botanical gem cordials, kombucha-like jun, and chocolate preparations like the aphrodisiacal Mug of Love made with raw cacao, cayenne, maca, damiana, yohimbe and foti.

KAVA & KRATOM

The Root Kava Co.

1641 28th St., Boulder, therootkavabar.com

Where else in Boulder can you relax in a bar that doesn’t serve spirits, wine, beer, cider or any other variety of alcohol?

Almost every Boulder bar and restaurant offers mocktails — elaborately mixed booze-free drinks — but those tasty beverages lack one critical element: They don’t do anything other than taste good.

At the Root Kava Bar in Boulder, the namesake beverage, kava, is made from a South Pacific plant that can reduce stress, ease anxiety and provide a mild buzz. Visitors can get energized with another plant ingredient, kratom. It’s worth being at the bar at midnight nightly when the bartenders pass out samples of kava or kratom and everyone toasts the new day and heads home sober.

Close to the bone

LOCAL MEAT PRODUCERS AND SELLERS KEEP ETHICS FIRST BY COLIN

Since the days of Alfalfa’s, Boulder County has always been a community that has made a point of consuming high-quality, ethical food. And while phrases like locavore, farmto-table and clean eating have all become buzz words, there are still big players in town that take excellence seriously. Lucky for the county, there are entire supply chains that are not only mutually beneficial to one another, but also make sure that good meat is still available across restaurants and butcher shops.

PRODUCER

Clint Buckner of Buckner Family Ranch descends from sheep farmers.

“Everyone says it was the biggest sheep ranch in the country,” he says of his grandparents’ former estate in Twin Falls, Idaho. But he started the Longmontbased ranch, where he and his family currently raise roughly

WRENN

300-head of ewes, close to 200 pigs and some cattle, while still a vegetarian. “My wife and I would not eat meat because we didn’t trust it. We got into it just to do it for ourselves,” he says.

Since starting out in 2011, Buckner Family Ranch has grown to support roughly 35 restaurants in Boulder, Denver, Lafayette and Longmont, along with selling directly to consumers through a partnership with Locavore Delivery. It also sells whole lambs to Blackbelly, as well as providing cuts to Western Daughters Butcher Shoppe (3326 Tejon St.) in Denver and the Mountain Fountain (11809 N. 75th St.) in Hygiene.

“If we can’t drive there in an hour, we’re not doing it,” Buckner says. The ranch also does a monthly meat sale, where customers who have

signed up for an email list will be able to come up and buy directly from Clint’s supply.

Buckner Family Ranch has become a staple for good products built on strong values.

“The ethics part was really simple. All you have to do is look back a generation and do what they did,” he says, referring to the generation before Monsanto and Dow Chemical. “I don’t care what you’re pouring it on. If it’s poison, we don’t use it,” he continues, saying that along with using no pesticides,

herbicides and DDT, Buckner meats are also free of antibiotics, with the animals being fed only grass without grain finishing.

Buckner has become a community fixture, working with chefs who share in the principals.

“More important than the number of chefs we’re dealing with is that the chefs at these restaurants are buying really conscientiously,” Buckner says. “If they’re touting buying local, most likely we’re dealing with them. The strongest sentiment that we can convey is gratitude.”

Lucy Beaugard

built his restaurant and butcher shop with the point of showcasing good ingredients. Blackbelly sources beef from 7X Ranch, which recently moved its cows down to Texas due to issues with keeping the herd happy in the frigid winters, with other cows coming from Bootheel 7 in Lusk, Wyoming. Lamb comes from Buckner Family Ranch, and pork comes from heritage breeds raised at McDonald Family Farm in Brush, Colorado.

since we opened,” says Rosenberg. “Colorado lamb is some of the best in the world.”

Rosenberg insists that relationships are just as important as the meat they stock.

“It’s not just the product. You’re doing business with other individuals,” he says, noting that kindness, both to the animals and to the customers, is a big factor in how he’s selected his farms. “They’re dependent on us just as much as we are on them.”

fine-dining plates. The butcher shop is all about its whole animal butchery, and often stocks cuts that are less familiar to many customers.

“It’s really not a good business model to have an in-house butcher,” Rosenberg says with a laugh. “But I’ve always wanted Blackbelly to be a place of learning. I think one of the most important skills a chef can have is knowing how to break down animals. We’re also happy to provide instruction as to how to handle the weird cuts.”

BUTCHER

The woman often behind the magic is Blackbelly’s head butcher Kelly Kawachi. Originally hailing from Oahu, Hawaii, Kawachi got her early start in fine dining at Alan Wong’s Honolulu, where she spent five years in the rigors of a world-class kitchen.

in 2016 with the explicit intent of taking a job at Blackbelly. She worked under head butchers Nate Singer and Isaac Sullenger before taking the role herself in 2021.

“We source from ranchers we know. We know what they’re feeding their animals. We know their ethics and morals,” Kawachi says. “We’re not competing with the ranchers, we’re working with them. We’re just the go-between, we’re just trying to get the word out.”

In the whole animal butchery program, Kawachi and two other butchers will break down one pig and one lamb per week, alongside a cow per month. “We don’t have 10 tenderloins in the case, because that’s five cows.”

Though Kawachi says that one of her big contributions is that she can point customers in the direction of items they might not know but which can still fit their price range and cooking plans.

Photo courtesy Blackbelly

CHEF

Samuel McCandless is a lifelong chef who has lent his talents to kitchens across Boulder, including multiple stints at Frasca and heading up the kitchen at the now-shuttered Arcana. But it wasn’t until he started at Corrida (1023 Walnut St., Unit 400, Boulder) that he began to truly believe in beef.

“I was a vegan for a year and a half,” he says.

Corrida is largely inspired by the famous Spanish house of beef El Capricho, a temple of fine meats that McCandless visits once a year. The chef is serious about his sourcing, relying on eight ranches, three of which are in Colorado, to supply a menu of aged steaks and Spanish tapas.

“What we’re really into in beef is the boutique finish,” says McCandless, noting that many of the cows he sources are raised on grass but are switched to either oats, barley, spent grains or organic corn for the last 90 to 180 days of their life. “It’s like

returning to how food should be. I know I want to eat a healthy animal. I know I want to eat food with intention.”

While each place acts independently, they all have been part of a system that has grown together.

“Samuel [McCandless] was the first guy who ever tried our lamb at a commercial level,” says Buckner, remembering when chef McCandless ordered some early pieces while still at Frasca.

“And I buy my meat at Blackbelly,” adds McCandless.

Chef Samuel McCandless of Corrida. All photos on this page courtesy Corrida.

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The Shifting World of Tipping

ATTEMPTING TO RESET A FLAWED SYSTEM

BY KATE JONUSKA

When restaurant doors closed due to COVID in 2020, thousands of workers would never return to the industry. While reasons varied, many cited low wages and a lack of respect — both of which are wrapped up in America’s often dysfunctional relationship to tipping.

“We’re the only industry that pays people less than minimum wage and relies on the customer to decide what staff is taking home for the day, and I take a little issue with that,” says Lisa Balcom, pastry chef and co-owner of Farow (7916 Niwot Road, Niwot) along with husband and executive chef Patrick Balcom. She calls America’s current tipping system, where tipped employees are paid a lower minimum wage and tips become income, demeaning and antiquated.

“I find it to be an area of reform in this industry that probably should have been considered long before right now,” she says, noting that the COVID pandemic offered a chance for restaurants to reflect on the practice and perhaps reset. “Once we were able to reopen, it was like wiping the slate clean, and it gave many people the opportunity to make changes they wanted to make but were perhaps afraid to beforehand.”

“It was an opportunity to start over and rethink,” agrees Mark Heinritz, one of three owners of The Sink (1165 13th St., Boulder). In the traditional

model, servers alone receive the tips from their individual tables, a method Heinritz calls a “consignment approach.” After the pandemic, however, The Sink switched to a system of pooled tips.

“We chose to do that because it equalizes the pay rate between different positions,” he says, explaining that all hourly employees from the front- and back-ofhouse are included in the pool. “It’s still merit-based. Employees have different rankings within the tip pool. The more time you put in and the attendant skills that you have, the higher level you can earn in the tip pool.”

After all, the back-of-thehouse staff — more often people of color, according to data from the Census Bureau — contribute just as much toward a pleasant hospitality experience as those at the front and therefore deserve a portion of credit and tips. At The Sink, the new policy has helped with staff retention, which is vital through ongoing labor shortages.

“It’s still an imperfect approach,” says Heinritz.

In addition to tip pooling, Farow has gone a step further by also adding a 22% gratuity to every check. Balcom agrees the changes have helped with retention. Given the rising cost of living in Boulder County, a more reliable wage just makes sense.

“Overall, people have felt happy about it,” she says. “It takes away a lot of the dynamics of the restaurant industry that cause drama: the tension between front- and back-ofhouse, the competition of who has the best section, who’s get-

ting what, getting argumentative with the hostess. It’s helped foster a sense of teamwork and family rather than competition.”

Most vital to the tipping change has been clarity for the customer, informing them about tipping policies from the menu to

Photo courtesy The Sink

the credit-card slip and everywhere in between.

“Most people want to do what’s fair,” says Balcom. “You don’t want to do math after you’ve had a couple drinks and dinner. This way, you sign your check and go home, just like paying for groceries, with no extra thought process involved.”

And maybe with fewer underlying power struggles. The history of tipping in the United States is rooted in classism and racism, serving to draw a line between master and servant, and wages in general can be controversial.

“It’s a sensitive subject,” says Heinritz. Even so, he encourages folks to politely ask about a restaurant’s tipping policies, which shouldn’t be a close-kept secret, and to be open to changes as the industry continues to evolve.

“Recognize that you’re paying the same amount of money no matter how the bill comes,” he says. “If you were going to tip 20% and they’ve added that automatically, it’s still 20%. It’s the same math in the end. It’s just how you feel about it.”

What restaurant workers have been feeling for years is a lack of respect, well illustrated in how many of the essential workers fled the industry in the COVID era.

“There was a discussion that needed to be had about the treatment of the workforce in this industry,” says Balcom. “You’re expected to work long hours, holidays, weekends, missing out on what would be considered a normal life.”

She only predicts more change, adding, “Tipping is a crazy, backward thing that was never set up to be sustainable in the first place.”

A SHORT HISTORY OF TIPPING

While it’s a cute story, the word tip is not an acronym for “to insure performance.” The history of tipping is rooted in feudalism, a tip originally meaning a small amount of money given from a master to a servant, usually pocket change. Always moving from social better to social inferior, the classism of the feudal period is baked into the concept.

As Americans traveled to Europe and back over the 19th century, they brought the concept of tips back to the United States. The concept didn’t take root until after the Civil War when industries, especially in the hospitality sector, used tips as a way of not paying Black folks a wage, meaning racism is built in, too.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the first minimum wage as part of the New Deal in 1938. However, restaurant workers were specifically excluded and were paid solely in tips until 1966, when the federal government set a tipped minimum wage. The idea was that employers would make up the difference between tipped and standard minimum wage when tips were low.

Since 1996, the federal tipped minimum wage has sat at $2.13/hour, though the current non-tipped minimum wage is $7.25/hour. Colorado sets higher standards for both with a tipped minimum wage of $10.63/ hour and standard at $13.65/hour. Jobs that rely heaviest on tips include servers, bartenders, delivery drivers, and taxi or freelance drivers.

Colorado Food & DRINK Festivals

APRIL

TASTE OF VAIL

Wednesday-Saturday, April 5-8, 230 S. Frontage Road West, Vail Wine seminars, a rosé debut event featuring 80 varieties and a Niman Ranch-mountaintop tasting are just a few of the opportunities taking place at this fest in the heart of Vail Valley.

FIRST SIP

Wednesday-Sunday, April 26-30, various locations, Boulder

The team that brings you First Bite is back for its second annual beverage-focused weekend. First Sip offers drink specials, tastings and cocktail classes across Boulder’s exceptional beverage scene. Last year’s event included more than 30 local businesses.

MAY

NORTHGLENN FOOD TRUCK CARNIVAL

Friday-Sunday, May 19-21, E.B. Rains Jr Memorial Park, 11800 Community Center Drive, Denver

The Denver suburb of Northglenn is hosting the sixth annual celebration of America’s rich and growing food truck scene. Not hungry? There’s even some non-food trucks: Got a dog? Take ’em over to the Bone Apatreat! truck. Need a new read? Anythink Bookmobile has shelves of novels and more.

BOULDER CREEK FESTIVAL

Friday-Monday, May 26-29, Boulder Creek Path, 1212 Canyon Blvd., Boulder Get wet, get wild, and indulge in this summer kickoff, complete with a slew of local grub, as well as the Creekside Beer Fest, taking place Saturday and Sunday on-site.

JUNE

MANITOU SPRINGS COLORADO WINE FESTIVAL

Saturday, June 3, Memorial Park, 502 Manitou Ave., Manitou Springs

There’s a good reason the organizers call this the “Colorado” wine festival: Each and every wine featured at this one-day event is made in the state of Colorado. Celebrate local wine, mead and glögg in one of the state’s coolest mountain towns.

COLORADO BBQ CHALLENGE AT COPPER MOUNTAIN

Thursday-Saturday, June 15-17, Center Village, 509 Copper Road, Frisco Go-karts, the Rocky Mountain Coaster, a climbing wall, mountain biking, bumper boats, live music, yoga, the Bacon Burner 5K, a Father’s Day brunch, and, of course, mountains of barbecue. What’s not to love?

FOOD & WINE CLASSIC IN ASPEN

Friday-Sunday, June 16-18, Wagner Park, 350 E. Durant Ave., Aspen

Once annually, some of the world’s most accomplished celebrity chefs and winemakers converge at the foot of Aspen Mountain for a breathtaking weekend of passion for all things food and wine. More than 300 vintners will be in attendance.

STRAWBERRY DAYS FESTIVAL

Friday-Sunday, June 16-18, Two Rivers Park, 740 Devereux Road, Glenwood Springs Glenwood Springs’ celebration of the strawberry is entering its 126th year, making it one of the Centennial State’s longest-running festivals.

VAIL CRAFT BEER CLASSIC

Friday-Saturday, June 16-17, Lionshead Village, 521 E. Lionshead Circle, Vail Pair brew with adventure at “Colorado’s highest altitude beer tasting.” A wide variety of craft beers, ciders and seltzers feature in this weekend-long celebration, as well as a chance to meet the brewers.

HIGHLANDS STREET FAIR

Saturday, June 24, Highland Square, W. 32nd Ave., Denver

The creators behind this one-day event like to think of it as a “block party.” For the 40th year, the Highlands community welcomes all for fun in the sun as well as more than 100 vendors.

Photo courtesy Boulder Creek Festival

KEYSTONE BACON & BOURBON FESTIVAL

Saturday-Sunday, June 24-25, River Run Village, 100 Dercum Square, Keystone

Two of life’s greatest pleasures, bacon and bourbon, are front and center in Keystone this summer. And bring your kids: Camp Bacon features pig crafts, a festival scavenger hunt, face painting, the “Cave of Confusion” and more.

JULY

BRECKENRIDGE FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL

Friday-Sunday, July 28-30, 505 S. Main St., Breckenridge

In the center of Breckenridge at Station Plaza and The Village, the town “transforms into a mountainside vineyard,” allowing for tastings and showcases by top wineries.

HERITAGE FIRE SNOWMASS

Saturday, July 29, Snowmass Base Village, 84 Carriage Way, Snowmass Village

Is there any preparation better than food over an open flame? Classic, rich in flavor, and easy — Heritage

Fire in Snowmass celebrates 20 participants, all of whose cuisine you can indulge in, and at the end of it all, “Best Bite of the Day” is crowned.

COLORADO VEGFEST

Saturday-Sunday, July 29-30, Tivoli Quad at Auraria Campus, 1000 Larimer St., Denver

Colorado’s premier festival dedicated to the vegan lifestyle is back, and all are welcome. Whether you’re a lifelong vegan, or just beginning to get curious about veganism, VegFest has what you need: plenty of talks, and plenty of food.

AUGUST

OLATHE SWEET CORN FESTIVAL

Saturday, Aug. 6, Downtown Olathe

Prepare yourself for the 30th annual celebration of sweet corn in downtown Olathe, featuring games, food and family fun. A parade kicks off the day-long event, and from there it’s a whole bunch of sweet, sweet corn.

Photo courtesy Olathe Sweet Corn Festival

PALISADE PEACH FESTIVAL

Friday-Saturday, Aug. 18-19, Riverbend Park, 451 Pendleton St., Palisade

Each year, the town of Palisade shares its harvest with all who want to indulge in the famous, fuzzy fruit. For the 55th year, a car show, parade, tons of peach cuisine, barbecue, a peach-eating contest and, of course, the biggest peach competition are part of the weekend slate of events.

BOULDER TACO FEST

Saturday, Aug. 26, Boulder Civic Area and Library, 1001 Arapahoe Ave., Boulder Tacos, tequila and craft beer — the holy trinity of a good time. This “fun-for-all-ages” festival features all three, and on top of that, live music and a roster of luchadores.

SEPTEMBER A TASTE OF COLORADO

Friday-Sunday, Sept. 1-3, Civic Center Park, 101 14th Ave., Denver Denver’s “farewell to summer” party, held annually over Labor Day weekend, celebrates the city’s love of food and music before things get cold. Five stages are set up for free concerts around the park, and food vendors line the city’s center.

DENVER FOOD + WINE FESTIVAL

September 2023 (dates TBA)

Awarded chefs, mixologists and numerous professionals bring out their very best for a grand tasting that spotlights our state’s food and beverage scene.

GREAT AMERICAN BEER FESTIVAL

Thursday-Saturday, Sept. 21-23, Colorado Convention Center, 700 14th St., Denver

For the 41st year, the Academy Awards of beer is coming to the Colorado Convention Center. Sweet, sour, light, dark, hoppy, funky, you name it, this massive event has got it.

PUEBLO CHILE & FRIJOLES FESTIVAL

Friday-Sunday, Sept. 22-24, Historic Downtown Pueblo/Union Avenue, Pueblo

Pueblo, Colorado, takes a whole lot of pride in its delicious chiles. Created in the mid-’90s to “promote Pueblo’s rich agriculture,” as well as to encourage local spending, street vendors, cooking competitions and buckets of chilies will be on display.

OCTOBER APPLEFEST

Friday-Sunday, Oct. 6-8, Town of Cedaredge, 235 W. Main St., Cedaredge

“Life is Sweeter” at the Cedaredge Applefest, and this year, this little Colorado town invites you to get in on the action. Besides the apple vendors, the weekend is full with a golf tournament, a pinup competition, a 5K run, car, tractor and motorcycle competitions, as well as a “five-alarm” chili cookoff.

FIRST BITE

Oct. 20-29, various locations, Boulder Boulder’s landmark local food celebration highlights the very best in our city’s dining. Featuring myriad restaurants in the Boulder scene, everything from “best-kept secrets to fine-dining stars” will showcase what they can do with the season’s best.

Photo courtesy Palisade Peach Festival

Pairing Boulder-made chocolate with

Better Together

BY COLIN WRENN

There’s been something of a wine renaissance on the Western Slope. This has coincided with the Boulder area’s development of some truly excellent chocolate. Here are some pairings that together are each greater than the sum of its parts.

LIFT CHOCOLATE BERRY BLONDE SPLITZ PAIRED WITH SAUVAGE SPECTRUM SPARKLET ROSÉ

Sauvage Spectrum is one of the fastest-growing wineries on the Western Slope, having just got its start in summer 2019. With

the combined talents of grape and tree-fruit grower Kaibab Sauvage and winemaker Patric Matysiewski, Sauvage has been instrumental in Palisade’s wine resurgence, both by making stunning juice and championing the other growers and producers in the region. Boulder-based

Lift Chocolate’s Berry Blonde Splitz combines dual layers of blueberry and caramelized white chocolate. While the blueberry accentuates the many berry flavors present in Sauvage Spectrum’s Sparklet Rose, the white chocolate smoothes out

some of the bottle’s more acidic notes. The burnt sugar notes also help to make the pairing a particularly sumptuous dessert. Sauvage Spectrum is available by way of its Cellar Select Society, a quarterly club in which wines are hand-selected and shipped by the winemaker. It is also available at liquor stores across the Front Range.

Lift Chocolate is named after founder Brandon Busch’s background as a CH-53 Heavy “Lift” helicopter pilot in the United States Marine Corps. What began in 2015 out of

Brandon’s home kitchen has now grown into a full-fledged operation with national distribution. Since 2017, he’s operated out of the space (6395 Gunpark Drive, Boulder) that once held Concertos in Chocolate, with a small retail shop looking into the production area.

LIFT CHOCOLATE SUNNY MANGO SPLITZ PAIRED WITH PERIPHERY CELLARS PUSH AND PULL

Periphery Cellars is one of the more exciting projects set to launch out of Palisade in May 2023. Founded by winemaker and level one sommelier Joe Flynn, the one-man project is based around small-batch, hardto-produce wines. The low-intervention juice is stemmed by hand and crushed by foot, with Flynn planning to release a mere 400 gallons, or 200-250 cases, a year. The Push and Pull is a barrel-aged rose of St. Vincent and Gewurztraminer that combine well with the dual layers of mango and premium dark chocolate in Lift’s Sunny Mango Splitz. The high natural sugar of the Gewurztraminer plays off the mellow sweetness of the mango for another great after-dinner treat. The wines will be available for shipment via Periphery’s website.

Western Slope wine

Photo courtesy Lift Chocolate

Photo courtesy Sauvage Spectrum

Photo courtesy Moksha Chocolate

Colorado Vintners is a family-owned winery from husband and wife Richard and Aly McDonald that produces its own expressions and acts as a tasting room for other wines from the region. Aly has taken particular care to make the tasting room a hospitality-driven location where folks can learn the stories of the wineries behind whatever it is they choose to sip. “This Provenceinspired rosé has an elegant dry finish and carries notes of rose petals and fresh strawberries, while keeping a bright and crisp demeanor,” says Aly. The Raspberry Patch Splitz has bold dark chocolate flavors with light, creamy fruit notes that smooth out the sharper edges of the Ghostdance allow-

ing its floral notes to shine through. Colorado Vintners is also available on the Front Range by way of its website.

MOKSHA CHOCOLATE 40% WHITE COCONUT CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY PAIRED WITH PERIPHERY CELLARS BLANC Y BLANCO VALLEY VERDE

Moksha is a Boulder-based chocolatier that got its start in 2019. Founded by husband and wife Michael and Jennifer Caines, the spot specializes in functional chocolates including lines of CBD bars and bars with mushroom blends. Much of Moksha’s cacao is sourced from their own farm in the Rio Mayo Valley in Peru where Michael travels annually to participate in the harvesting and drying process. All the bars are entirely vegan and use coconut milk instead of dairy producing a unique character, particularly in the more deli-

Photo courtesy Colorado Vintners

cate white chocolate. The Blanc y Blanco is a blend of Villard Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc and drinks much like a Vinho Verde. The combination is entirely refreshing.

MOKSHA CHOCOLATE ZORZAL ESTATE 70% SINGLE ORIGIN CACAO DARK CHOCOLATE PAIRED WITH COLORADO VINTNERS ESCALANTE RED BLEND

The Escalante Red Blend is built to go with dark chocolate and is often served alongside some in the tasting room. It’s a robust and sophisticated red, with hints of clove and baking spices and a strong sense of dark stone fruit and blackberries. The Zorzal Estate takes its beans from the Dominican Republic and has strong flavors of citrus and coffee. This pairing is ideal for folks with bold palates, with both the chocolate and the wine having long resonant flavors. The chocolate’s inherent bitterness is perfectly

matched by the stone fruit, making for a downright addictive back and forth.

MOKSHA CHOCOLATE 50% CRIOLLO MILK CHOCOLATE PAIRED WITH SAUVAGE SPECTRUM CANDY RED Sauvage

Spectrum’s Candy

Red is a fruit-forward sparkling red with plenty of effervescence. The Lambrusco-style wine is produced through carbonic maceration on Verona grapes, yielding a light to medium body sipper that is full of red fruit and black cherry. Moksha’s 50% Criollo

Milk Chocolate uses cacao from its own farm in Peru, with the lighter content allowing some of the coconut milk flavor to shine through. The rich creaminess of the bar plays nicely with the sturdier fruit flavors, with the whole experience being reminiscent of desserts like a torte or a cobbler.

Photo courtesy Moksha Chocolate

Go Ahead, Mock Me

DELICIOUS ZERO-PROOF DRINKS ARE ON THE MENU AROUND BOULDER COUNTY

BY KATE JONUSKA

Crystal Sagan loves helping people celebrate special occasions. As an event bartender and founder of boutique beverage catering company Cocktail Caravan, she makes the tasty drinks folks hold up to toast big milestones — and knows those drinks don’t need to contain booze to be celebratory.

“People are perhaps expecting sparkling water in a can or iced tea,” says Sagan, who instead offers mocktail versions of an event’s specialty cocktails such as a Q Sour, made with fresh orange juice, rosemary and maple syrup. She adds sparkling water rather than whiskey and cuts the sweetness by shaking with ice.

“People aren’t usually expecting to be offered something so fresh, vibrant and beautiful, whether it has alcohol in it or not,” Sagan says.

Given that many restaurant’s nonalcoholic offerings are the same as the beverages on the kids menu, of course those looking to abstain are thrilled when someone shakes up a special beverage for them. Bar programs that offer quality zero-proof options not only meet that demand but also make bar culture more inclusive.

One such program is at OAK at Fourteenth, where mocktails have been on the menu for years.

“It’s something near and dear to OAK’s program to cultivate a bar culture where you can get out and enjoy all the social components of a bar and not have it rely on alcohol to have fun,” says Collin Griffith, beverage director for both OAK, Corrida and the rest of Half-Eaten Cookie Hospitality’s collection of restaurants.

Certainly, none of the decadence of an espresso martini is missing in OAK’s N/ASPRESSO mocktail, which features decaf espresso, agave, chocolate bitters and Three Spirit’s Social Elixir. The Social Elixir is one of three drinks featuring Three Spirit currently served at OAK and Corrida, and each boasts certain neurotropic effects. In Social Elixir’s case, it claims to make you feel elevated, calm and connected.

“I think when you say nonalcoholic, there’s the connotation that

something is missing and we’re trying to go against that,” says Griffith, who explains that such alcohol-free spirits are one way to create sophisticated zero-proof drinks. “You don’t want something that’s flat and hits one note. You want to have an experience from the front of the palate to the back of the palate.”

Taking another tack, John Adair is serving gourmand Shirley Temples at Farow in Niwot, choosing to use homemade products to complexify and balance their zero-proof drinks. Rather than Sprite and Rose’s Grenadine, his Shirley Temple is composed of house lemon-lime cordial and homemade pomegranate grenadine, and the highlight of the Nada Colada is a base of homemade coconut cream shaken with pineapple, lime and Elemakule Tiki Bitters. Neither drink is too sweet, and both are delicious.

“We definitely want to have something that’s more than an afterthought. I want to create

something with fresh ingredients of good quality,” says Adair, who rolled out Farow’s dedicated mocktail menu to coincide with Dry January. The response was so strong, the zero-proof menu has become permanent. “We’re surprised and thrilled people are enjoying it.”

Adair notes that mocktails have also proved a great way to use ingredients more sustainably. For instance, he might utilize juice from an orange that might otherwise only be peeled for garnishes in a zero-proof special. “If you’re savvy about it, I think you’re also doing things to help maintain your margins,” he says. “Some of it is an effort to avoid waste.”

Drinking less alcohol is part of a growing trend toward healthier lifestyles, but the increased visibility and attention on NA drinks also reflect lessening stigma around not drinking.

“It’s not about abstinence, necessarily,” says Griffith, who says there are evenings he’ll switch from cocktails to mocktails to stretch out the celebration without overindulging on alcohol. “I like to have something in my hand. I like to toast with the table and have something to sip on.”

Photo by Eric Keeney

Lost in the (hot) sauce

THREE LOCAL COMPANIES TURNING UP THE HEAT BY CARTER FERRYMAN

Boulder might not be the first locale that comes to mind when you think of hot sauce, but you’d better think again. Our hamlet in the shadow of the Flatirons produces flavorful sauces for any palette, from those who recoil at the suggestion of heat to those who test the outer limits of their taste buds.

To give you a lay of the land, we talked to three local hot sauce makers about their origins, products and recommendations.

Harry Robertson was, among many other things, a “latchkey kid.”

Growing up without much supervision during the day, this bright-eyed kid in Alexandria, Virginia, had the world at his fingertips. Those fingers were used for growing and cooking. Learning the garden and the kitchen. Food — what he put into it and could get out of it — became a passion.

“He talked about a crazy idea of having a replacement stomach, so he could eat more on Thanksgiving,” his ex-wife, Bettsee Gotwald, says.

Thanksgiving was, unsurprisingly, Robertson’s favorite holiday. On that day in 2019, Robertson passed away. But he left a legacy inside an 5-ounce bottle that Gotwald and their son, Sam Robertson — a full-

time engineering student at CU — as well as Gotwald’s boyfriend, DeForest Sessoms, carry on through The Boulder Hot Sauce Company that Robertson founded in 1996.

Robertson’s vision remains on the company’s website today: “I have been lucky to work with manufacturing partners that realized early that I would not yield my dream of a clean homemade product for the sake of ease or profit.”

“The hot sauces are made with the same fresh ingredients that they were first created with,” says Gotswald. “The small batch philosophy will always be an element of our hot sauces.”

Poblano, serrano and habanero peppers, fresh carrots, onions and garlic, all prepped, grilled, smoked and processed by hand; these six ingredients, first grown in a warm, plentiful south-facing garden in South Boulder at the home Gotwald and Robertson shared, are nearly all they’ve needed to create BHSC’s only two sauces in nearly 20 years of small-business

magic: Smokey Serrano and Harry’s Habanero.

“Another testament to [Robertson’s] desire to provide flavorful hot sauces is the motto on the bottle: Use a spoon, not a toothpick,” Gotswald says.

On the first anniversary of Harry’s passing, a long-time fan emailed Bettsee and Sam, describing the first time he tasted Harry’s Habanero. In the message, the fan reminisces about a blind taste test held at the Daily Camera offices where, upon realizing the wooden toothpicks being used to try the sauces were interfering with the flavors, he

suggested to the panel that they use plastic spoons from the coffee table instead.

“I don’t recall anyone took my advice,” the message from “Bob the Burn Master” reads. “I always smile when I see my words on the back of your bottle.” The logo also carries the phrase, “I always sweat like this!”

“Harry loved the heat of peppers and hot sauces,” Gotwald says. “His physical reaction was beaded sweat on his bald head when he’d eat something with a good amount of heat.”

The bottle, inside and out, is a love letter of sorts, made out to the ones carrying on Harry Roberton’s dream, to the community that continues to buy it, and to those little beads of sweat.

Gotwald’s recommendation: “The sauces really go well with almost anything. I love Smokey Serrano on eggs. Sam got the cooking gene from Harry and uses the hot sauce in most of his cooking, including a taco night for his fraternity a couple of weeks ago. Some restaurants have used it for their chicken wing recipe. One of Harry’s longtime friends has been known to put it on ice cream and popcorn.”

THE BOULDER HOT SAUCE COMPANY: I ALWAYS SWEAT LIKE THIS!

SEED RANCH FLAVOR CO.: MUST BE THE UMAMI

Well before the Hot Ones Season 11 feature seen by millions, before the numerous national awards, David Delcourt had a bin of seed packets and a home garden to grow them in.

“We started making sauces with peppers grown off our front porch,” Delcourt says.

These were holiday presents for friends and family, then, eventually, a method of gathering opinions on a business idea ever-so-gradually taking shape. Delcourt’s recipes were laser focused on heat, a variety of pepper and vinegar. For Delcourt, it was about “taking flavors back to their roots.” More specifically, “the inception of all flavors,” the thing those roots spawn from: the seed.

A trademark for Seed Ranch Flavor Co. is its use of plantbased umami sources. Despite being one of the five basic tastes

(sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami), Delcourt recalls Boulder County Farmers Market-goers asking him,

“What do I use this on?” and “What is umami?”

“If you’ve ever eaten a savory dish and immediately wanted more, that’s umami,” Delcourt says. “It’s the root of cuisines around the world from miso soup to parmesan cheese to a slow-cooked tomato pasta sauce.”

It’s also the root of three particularly delicious sauces by Seed Ranch Flavor Co.

Umami Reserve Hot Sauce: A strong pairing of spicy and savory that uses tamari (fermented soybean), capers, dried olives, porcini and shiitake mushrooms, a bunch of other planted-based goodness, and the star of the show, the extravagant, elusive chocolate habanero.

Delcourt’s recommendation: “I love it with savory

breakfast options, an earthy kick on burritos, or a quick marinade for any type of protein you’re going to put on the grill.”

Everything but the Sushi and Dumplings: This one is pretty amazing: Seed Ranch Flavor Co. takes sweet and savory ingredients like pickled jalapeños, tamari, a blend of horseradish root and pure wasabi powder, sesame, miso and even maple syrup for a mild, familiar flavor reminiscent of the two foods in its name.

Delcourt’s recommendation: “It pairs wonderfully with rice bowls and Asian-inspired dishes. Because the sauce is so mild, it’s a really easy base for stir fries, soups and salad dressings.”

Truffle Hound: Among less familiar ingredients like agar agar (sea vegetables) and chickpea miso, Truffle Hound’s holy trinity is a blend of ghost pepper, chile de arbol, and the undisputed torchbearer of all things umami: summer truffles.

CHIPORRO SAUCE COMPANY: SIMPLE, FLAVORFUL, SEXY

For years, Carlos Ruiz dazzled as an executive chef at numerous five-star hotels across the country. But he saw the writing on the wall. With two kids on the cusp of college, and money dwindling, Ruiz shifted to focus on his own hot sauce company, Chiporro.

Ruiz recollects the moment he knew the name was right. Years ago, meandering in his basement, creatively loosened by way of a couple beers.

“I scanned my bookshelf and pulled a Venezuelan reading,” Ruiz says: “Herbario Tropicale,” or tropical herbs. He flipped to a random page and read a definition for Chiporro: “the tree of all giving.”

Not only did it roll off the tongue, it embodied what Ruiz does. Sure, he enjoys the taste of an immaculate preparation,

but not nearly as much as seeing smiles on faces of those who eat his invention.

“August 2013, we started at Boulder County Farmers market on Wednesdays,” Carlos says. “The beautiful thing about a farmer’s market is you get to hear what your client has to say immediately.”

Ruiz, a born-and-bred Peruvian, takes pride in his rich heritage, steeped in family and food.

“Almost every Saturday in Peru, as a kid, it was a sitdown feast at my aunt’s house,” Ruiz recalls. “Those moments of binding, by the food we had on the table, it’s the reason I got into the culinary world.”

Ruiz looked to his home for ingredients and recipes. Luckily, Peru has no shortage of native peppers. Three stand

out, each with their own unique personality and flair.

Aji amarillo pepper: Simple, earthy, deep in flavor, and indisputably “the backbone of Peruvian cuisine,” says Ruiz. It’s the driving ingredient in “uchu” — a traditional process Ruiz describes as a catch-all for any ground sauce in South America. Ruiz combined aji amarillo with the huacatay, a robust, native herb (typically used to make cream of black mint), to create an unmistakably Peruvian sauce: Uchu Hot.

Rocoto pepper: Flavorful, versatile, and a product of the southern Andes, grown along the western coastline of South and Central America, this chile is the “driver” in any sauce it touches. That’s why Ruiz opted to keep it simple, combining little more than fresh vegeta-

bles, herbs and the rocoto to create a sauce brimming with personality: Rocoto Hot

Aji Limo pepper: Sexy, spicy and true to its name, this chile, from the northern part of Peru, “is grown closer to the equator,” Ruiz says, “so it has a citrus tonality.” But, as Ruiz noticed that buyers’ flavor profiles became more tolerant to heat, he knew the Aji Limo needed a dancing partner. He traveled farther north and married it to the notoriously hot Trinidad Moruga Scorpion pepper. And hell, why not make it a ménage à trois? Ruiz substituted sugar, a standard bearer for the sweetness in hot sauces, for pineapple, creating a rich-orange color, and bridging the gap between the islands and Peru with a fiery new creation: Limo Hot.

W SOUTH BOULDER RD, STE 2300, LAFAYETTE |

— LOCATED IN THE ATRIUM INSIDE “THE DISTRICT” MALL —

Learning to Taste

Boulder County boasts a big roster of cooking, baking, cheesemaking, coffee brewing, truffle crafting and mixology classes

BY JOHN LEHNDORFF

You can look at cooking videos all day long on YouTube and Tik Tok, but the experience will never equate to learning in-person from a talented instructor.

At a cooking or food-crafting class, you use the right ingredients and equipment, get instant feedback and enjoy cooking with friends, family, mates and second dates.

Cooking classes got shelved during the pandemic, just when so many of us got interested in everything from sourdough baking to mozzarella making.

Happily, Boulder County’s full roster of schools and educational experiences have all re-opened, whether you want to hone your ability to brew coffee, cook vegan Thai cuisine, bake croissants, craft your own burrata or mix cocktails.

These courses provide handson instruction designed for all skill levels, from kids to teens and adults. Some classes are demonstration only and designed around socializing. Others are serious studies of techniques and ingredients.

A tip: If there is one single class you could take to upgrade your cooking and eat healthier, cheaper and more sustainably for the rest of your cooking life, it’s a session in choosing, using and sharpening knives.

AUGUSTE ESCOFFIER SCHOOL OF CULINARY ARTS

637 S. Broadway, Boulder; escoffier.edu

Boulder’s renowned professional cooking school is once again hosting a full range of classes for home cooks. Taught by chef Dallas Houle, these sessions focus on learning specific techniques, dishes and ingredients and are designed to spark a passion for cooking without being intimidating. Classes are open to singles, couples and for team building.

Upcoming classes:

• Vegetarian Indian cooking, March 27

• Mexican street tacos, sauces, tortillas and fillings, April 2

• Plant-based fresh pasta and stuffed pasta, April 10

• Knife sharpening and care, April 29

SUR LA TABLE

1850 29th St., Boulder; surlatable.com

The Sur La Table store maintains a busy schedule of cooking and baking classes for adults. Kids and teens get a chance to develop skills during summer classes.

Upcoming classes:

• Pistachio macarons, April 8

• New England crab cakes, April 12

• Bagels from scratch, April 20

• Spanish paella, May 6

• Date night: Tuscan villa, May 26

FOOD LAB

1825 Pearl St., Boulder; foodlabboulder.com

Boulder’s Food Lab is a warm and inviting environment offering diverse classes for adults, including date-night cooking classes. During the summer, Food Lab hosts ongoing cooking and baking camps for kids and teens.

Upcoming classes:

• Kids empanadas workshop, March 30

• Dim sum, April 5

• Fresh pasta workshop, April 16

• Japanese small plates, April 18

• Date night in Bordeaux, April 29

Courtesy Ozo Coffee Co.

JOURNEY CULINARY

706 Kimbark St., Longmont; journeyculinary.com

Longmont’s Journey Culinary offers an immersive approach to learning about international cuisines including Spanish, Mediterranean and Peruvian fare. Classes include the history and geography of a dish, and insight into techniques, equipment, ingredients and spices, plus appropriate music in the background.

Upcoming classes:

• A Taste of New Orleans, March 29

• Peruvian cuisine, April 26

• Mediterranean & Middle Eastern brunch, May 27

• Spanish tapas night, June 3

• Flavors of France, June 7

ART OF CHEESE

11227 N. 66th St., Longmont; theartofcheese.com

There are few culinary experiences quite as satisfying and fun as making cheese, especially when you get to meet the goats who supply the milk you use to make it. The Art of Cheese offers a hands-on opportunity to learn how to make everything from mozzarella and burrata to queso fresco and hard cheeses. The offerings range from casual classes on the farm to a curd nerd’s delight: cheesemaking bootcamp!

Upcoming classes:

• Full-day beginner cheesemaking bootcamp, April 8

• Mozzarella and burrata with goat farm tour, April 14

• Cheesemaking 101 with cheese and cider pairing and baby goats, April 19

• Intro to hard cheese, April 29

• Cinco de Mayo queso fresco class, May 5

• Farm-to-cheese: milk-a-goat cheesemaking and farm tour, May 19

OZO COFFEE

Ozo Coffee Roastery, 1898 S. Flatiron Court, Boulder; ozocoffee.com

For many of us, those first cups of coffee in the morning border on a sacred experience. Unfortunately, many of us actually make some fairly awful coffee at home. Boulder’s Ozo Coffee, which operates five coffee shops in the area, also hosts classes at its main roasting facility. Courses range from brewing using pour-over equipment to learning the skills necessary to craft espresso and other coffee drinks. Students go home to practice with samples of Ozo coffee.

Upcoming classes:

• Manual brew methods for home, April 16, May 14

• Barista (espresso) classes, April 23, May 28

PIECE, LOVE & CHOCOLATE

805 Pearl St., Boulder; pieceloveandchocolate.com

Kids of all ages flock to this cacao paradise for truffles, hot chocolate and more. True chocolate geeks know this Boulder shop as a place to learn from experts how to work with chocolate, truffles and ganache and make flourless chocolate cake, macarons and eclairs. You can also set up private group lessons for team building or a birthday.

Upcoming classes:

• Tasty truffles and ganache techniques, March 25, April 8

• Easter bunnies, Easter eggs, oh my!, April 1

• Chocolate souffle and flourless chocolate cake, April 22

• Chocolate eclairs and cream puffs, April 29

HARLEQUIN’S GARDENS

4795 North 26th St., Boulder; harlequinsgardens.com

This North Boulder garden center is a great source for instruction with experts on local home gardening and growing mushrooms.

Upcoming classes:

• Seed starting for home gardeners, April 1

• Intro to edible and medicinal plants, April 8

• Growing mushrooms on logs and stumps, April 15

• Culinary herbs, May 6

• Gardening with mushrooms, May 20

• Best fruit trees for Boulder, June 11

CHEZ DELPHINE

chezdelphine.shop

French-born pastry pro Delphine Gauvain of Chez Delphine, a cottage French bakery in Superior, offers French baking classes in her kitchen or your home. Learn how to make madeleines, palmiers, sacristains, palets bretons, sables a la fraise and other baked delights.

SIMA’S CHOCOLATE

Contact Sima at 720-688-5585 or chocolatesima@gmail.com

A Boulder chocolate pro teaches hands-on classes for one or more students in how to temper chocolate and make your own truffles, pralines and other seasonal chocolate treats.

OTHER LOCAL CULINARY CLASSES

Charcuterie and meat and cheese board classes: Al’s Artisanal Meats and Cheeses, Lafayette, alsmeats. com

Monthly mixology classes: Farow Restaurant, Niwot, farowrestaurant.com

Wood-fired, Texas-style barbecue classes: AJ’s Pit Bar-B-Q, Denver, pitbarbq. com/bbq-cooking-classes

introducing fresh mountain sushi. to-go or to-stay. 1932 14th St. Boulder, co

Courtesy Escoffier School of Culinary Arts

John Lehndorff hosts Radio Nibbles Thursday mornings on KGNU (88.5 FM, kgnu.org)

EVERY MONDAY WHEN YOU BUY ONE PRE-ROLL, GET THE SECOND PRE-ROLL FOR JUST A PENNY! UP TO 14 GRAMS. WHILE SUPPLIES LAST!