March 22, 2012

30th Anniversary Events

One of the biggest challenges our team faces in planning the Classic in Aspen is how to make each year bigger and better than the previous. This task seemed even more daunting as we excitedly began brainstorming for our 30th anniversary celebration this milestone! Luckily, we think we have compiled quite a line-up of new and exciting events to celebrate our anniversary. So lace up your running shoes, kick your sweet tooth into gear and get ready to dance the night away in beautiful Aspen, Colorado!

5K CHARITY RUN WITH BOBBY FLAY

2012 is the 5th anniversary of FOOD & WINE’S charity initiative, Grow for Good, which supports local and sustainable agriculture. To celebrate, Bobby Flay will host a 5K Charity Run benefitting Wholesome Wave. Registration opens soon!

LATE-NIGHT DESSERT BASH

Hosted by Top Chef: Just Desserts’ Gail Simmons and featuring Johnny Iuzzini, this show-stopping party will be a celebration of decadence, featuring a never-ending spread of desserts, including buttercream-frosted cakes, pastries, meringues, parfaits, petit fours, tarts and galettes.Reserve your spot on the wait list today!

30TH ANNIVERSARY PARTY

A blowout bash featuring top talent in the music and culinary industry, FOOD & WINE is pulling out all the stops for this spectacular event at the FOOD & WINE Classic. Tickets on sale soon!

January 31, 2012

Staff Picks: Lunch in Aspen

In the days leading up to the kick-off of the Classic, before our staff begins consuming three meals a day in the form of samples from the Grand Tasting Pavilion, we enjoy grabbing a quick, delicious lunch – and eating with utensils! – around the town of Aspen.

Our healthiest choice is to join the line at the Big Wrap, where we know we can find wraps and smoothies to help us power through the afternoon. If we are more in the mood for a classic sandwich, we head to the Butcher’s Block Deli and watch the staff hand slice the cuts of meat and cheese right in front of us!

On the rare occasion that we have a few extra minutes for lunch, we indulge by enjoying lunch al fresco at Ajax Tavern. The only thing better than their cheeseburger and truffle fries is the beautiful backdrop of Aspen, Colorado!

For more of our staff recommendations around Aspen, please visit the Aspen Town Guide.

December 22, 2011

2012 Classic Talent Line-Up

Each year, our editorial team sits down to brainstorm the wish list of chefs and wine experts we want to feature at the next Classic in Aspen. This is always an overwhelming task, but the pressure was really on for 2012, when the Classic would celebrate its 30th Anniversary in Aspen! We could not fathom narrowing the invitation list, so we decided to take a new strategy: we invited everyone!

Here’s the best part – everyone said yes! That means not only will we have some of our Classic favorites, like Jacques Pépin, Mario Batali and Tim Love, but we also have Bobby Flay, Emeril Lagasse and Giada De Laurentiis joining the party! Rounding out the menu of chefs are wine experts, like: Ray Isle, Marnie Old, Paul Grieco, and Josh Wesson!

Check out our full list of Chefs & Wine Experts here and, as always, be sure to purchase your tickets early to ensure participation in your top-choice seminars!

December 5, 2011

Product Love

One of our favorite parts of the Classic in Aspen involves walking around the tents of the Grand Tasting Pavilion and discovering some of our new favorite foods, drinks and kitchen appliances. In 2011, one of our favorite discoveries came all the way from Tennessee and quickly became the star of the tents – Ole Smoky Moonshine! When we were able to stop sipping on the peach and apple pie moonshine, we loved samples of the White Lightnin’ Pickles and Apple Jack Moonshine Salsa.

When rain threatened to cancel Saturday night’s Publisher’s Party, Patrón’s Pomegranate Margarita, Blackberry Ginger and Grapefruit Hibiscus popsicles helped our staff keep calm in the most delicious way possible. Much to our relief, the rain clouds rolled out just in time, but not before we all became addicted to these frozen treats!

We can always count on KitchenAid to deliver inspiring products and this past year was no different! As part of KitchenAid’s Cook for the Cure partnership with Susan G. Komen, they introduced a new stand mixer color, Raspberry Ice, which we fell in love with at first glance.

We cannot wait to see what new products we will discover in the 2012 Grand Tasting Pavilion!

December 5, 2011

Classic Tips

We were all there at one point – attending the Classic in Aspen for the very first time, struggling to keep our heels out of the lawn at the Grand Tasting Pavilion, caught in an impromptu rain shower or overwhelmed by all of the amazing exhibitors in the Grand Tasting Pavilion. While these were all relatively minor inconveniences when looking back on an incredible weekend, we want to ensure our attendees – both new and veteran – arrive at the 30th anniversary fully prepared make it a weekend to remember, for all the right reasons! Here are some of the top suggestions, from our staff and attendees:

Remember: Tickets go on sale December 5, 2011. Seminars fill-up quickly, so purchase tickets well in advance to secure your desired seminars!
Always wear your pass: You need it to get into anything and everything.
Stay hydrated: The altitude and weather can quickly leave you parched.
One drink = two drinks: Alcohol may affect you more in Aspen.
Always have a camera: You never know who you will see.
Heels are not recommended in the courtyard: Unless you are trying to aerate the Grand Tasting Pavilion.
Know your chefs: By the time you ask someone, they might be gone. Chef and Wine Experts
Dress in layers: The weather is as lovely as it is fickle. Keep your hotel key away from your phone. Your phone will deactivate the key’s magnetic strip.
Wear sunscreen: Aspen is 7,908 feet closer to the sun.
Be ready to party the night away: Schedule time for a quick afternoon nap after your seminars and tastings.
Have an agenda: Enter each session of the Grand Tasting with a goal of tasting wines from a specific region.

Decemeber 5, 2011

Cocktails!

Here at FOOD & WINE our staff’s love for perfectly composed cocktails is well known. We are always dreaming up new combinations to fill our glasses, but are also quite content sipping on the classics.

If we aren’t quite sure of the proportions for the classics, we are quick to refer to this slideshow and we can always count on our resident cocktail lover, Gail Simmons, to offer some inspiring combinations. And when we have swizzled, stirred, and shaken up the perfect cocktail, Jim Meehan ensures we will be able to host the perfect cocktail party to impress our family and friends. Thirsty for even more tricks and tips? Plan on attending one of Jim’s seminars at 2012 Classic in Aspen!

Novemeber 21, 2011

Welcome!

Welcome to our newly redesigned Classic in Aspen website! We are so happy you stopped by and hope you will find the new and updated features helpful in planning your Classic experience. Reminisce over last year’s event through our photo galleries and videos and gain inside access to our talent through the Chef Q&A’s. We would love for you to learn more about our partner charity, Grow for Good, and think you will find their newly released video to be informative and inspiring. As we work towards securing our sponsors and exhibitors and finalizing our talent and seminar topics, we will continually update this site to bring you the most up-to-date information. We look forward to seeing you June 15-17, 2012 for the 30th anniversary of the FOOD & WINE Classic in Aspen where there will be lots of new activities and events to celebrate the occasion!