More local vendors than ever showcased at Food & Wine Classic in Aspen

Often referred to as the unofficial kickoff to summer, the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen has brought some of the world’s finest wine and cuisine to the Roaring Fork Valley for 41 years. This year, more local vendors than ever were celebrated alongside other world-renowned chefs, sommeliers, and food distributors.

The local food showcase program, which highlights local restaurants, chefs, and other vendors, has grown significantly in popularity and attendance in the last 15 years. What used to be two tables in the Grand Tasting tent has grown to ten, with local vendors from the valley and beyond.

“Over the last 15 years or so, our local restaurant program — which now reaches locally all the way to Denver — has really bloomed,” said Devin Padgett, special projects producer for Food & Wine, in an email. “We started small: two positions in our first year, and this year, we are completely sold out at 10-plus positions, which equates to over 50 different local food experiences across all five grand tastings.”

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With five Grand Tastings throughout the weekend, up to 50 local vendors had the opportunity to showcase their products at Food & Wine.

Local industry partners signed up in droves this year to be a part of the unofficial kickoff to summer in Aspen. From Michelin Star restaurants like Bosq to family favorites like Sundae, 20 familiar names in the valley joined the classic this weekend to represent local food and wine.

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Pollinator Chocolates, Madame Ushi, JUS, Gravity Haus, and more signed up for the local food showcase, too. Tuesday Foods, an organic, meal-delivery service based in Carbondale, participated in its first Food & Wine Classic alongside Boulder-based Masi Masa Spice Without Borders.

Lisa Cohen and Kelly Hollins started Tuesday Foods in 2019 to bring clean food to the valley. Their goal was to make plant-based eating easy and delicious.

They deliver to the entire valley, as well as Denver, Boulder, and the Vail corridor. In their first year as a Food & Wine vendor, Cohen and Hollins were excited to represent local businesses and bring their brand of health and wellness to the event.

“Food & Wine is a beloved event, and we’re just so honored to have a presence there and kind of bring our brand of health and wellness to a weekend in Aspen that is otherwise wildly indulgent,” Cohen said. “So it’s really fun for us to bring a healthy twist.”

Tuesday Foods has a commercial kitchen in Carbondale where five private chefs had all hands on deck throughout the week preparing their dishes for Food & Wine. They prepared tikka masala, Thai green curry, golden goddess soup, and chickpea salad, which they showcased at Grand Tastings on Friday and Saturday. 

“I feel like it’s a real celebration of our business and just to serve the local community and give everybody literally a taste of what we’re serving up every week,” she said. 

Tuesday Foods was joined in the Grand Tasting tent by other local vendors like Aspen Meadows Resort, The Little Nell, the St. Regis Aspen, Wise Bar, Afternoon Deelites, Pine Melon, Mrs. Barrs, Party Trick, Domingo Sausage, Air Culinaire, and Aspen Culinary Solutions.

Other local vendors also made their mark outside of the Grand Tasting local food showcase. Entourage Wine, Snow Tequila, Hickory House, and MOLLIE Aspen were exhibitors over the weekend. 

And several local brands contributed behind the scenes, offering catering services, staff, resources, and local talent to assist exhibitors during the Grand Tasting experience. Conundrum Catering, Fusion Catering, Mawas Kitchen, Aspen Chef, Catering By Design, Caribou Club, Aspen Elevated Catering, Backdoor Catering, European Catering, and Liquid Productions helped contribute to the 41st annual Food & Wine Classic. 

Guests from all around the world travel to Aspen every June to clink wine glasses, pop champagne, and share dishes made by the industry’s best. Showcasing local vendors in front of a global audience gives those vendors, and the food scene in the Roaring Fork Valley, a brand new spotlight. 

“The (Food & Wine) Classic audience is who our restaurant and hospitality partners want to be in front of,” Padgett added. “It’s a total win-win for everyone.”