Aspen\u2019s traditional kickoff to the summer isn\u2019t happening in person this year, but that doesn\u2019t mean we can\u2019t do something to mark the special weekend. It wouldn\u2019t be Aspen\u2019s style to just let the weekend pass by without any fanfare.<\/p>\n
With the annual Food & Wine Classic in Aspen placed on the back burner until 2021, The Aspen Times has created the 2020 Summer Kickoff\/Virtual Culinary Weekend to help fill the void. With a number of virtual events to mark the third weekend in June when Aspen usually celebrates all things wine and food, The Aspen Times is hosting a collection of virtual events to fill in just a bit, at a time when the town usually is welcoming chefs and sommeliers for Aspen\u2019s annual rite of summer.<\/p>\n
\u201cHolding the space for what would normally be Food & Wine weekend and honoring the tradition of Aspen\u2019s kickoff to summer is as important as ever right now as our local economy restarts and our valley-wide restaurant community gets back on two feet,\u201d Aspen Times publisher Samantha Johnston said of producing the event. \u201cIn the spirit of taking care of our own, we\u2019ll honor all of our local talent from dishwashers and servers to chefs and sommeliers and every other instrumental player in the restaurant ecosystem and we\u2019ll host some really fun virtual events to keep the spirit alive until next year\u2019s event can happen in person.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beginning with a Virtual Run (5K, 10K or 1-mile walk), online visitors from around the world can take a trot in their neighborhoods while thinking about a Rocky Mountain high. All who register will be making donations to the Aspen Community Foundation\u2019s COVID-19 Regional Response Fund, and those donations will be earmarked specifically to provide economic assistance to Roaring Fork Valley restaurant workers. Go to aspentimesrun.com to sign up<\/a> for the race. All runners will be able to get custom medals \u2014 or more \u2014 as part of three tiers of participation. <\/p>\n Over what would have been the Classic weekend (June 19-21), The Aspen Times will host a series of Zoom and Facebook Live events featuring Aspen chefs, sommeliers and others cooking and hosting wine pairings. We will visit some of the favorite food and wine hangouts and have a few shout-outs from the Aspen restaurant community.<\/p>\n Some of our local favorites are participating virtually, including the Little Nell hotel\u2019s culinary director Matt Zubrod with wine director Chris Dunaway; Wendy Mitchell, owner of Meat & Cheese Restaurant and Farm Shop with sommelier Chris Schaetzle; Jimmy Yeager and sommelier Greg Van Wagner of Jimmy\u2019s: An American Restaurant and Bar; wine expert and manager Johnny Ivansco from Sopris Liquor & Wine; and Troy Selby of the newly christened Silverpeak Grill. <\/p>\n \u201cThe kickoff to summer is always the Food & Wine Classic,\u201d Mitchell said about the event, which began in Snowmass in 1983. \u201cWhen people show up in Aspen with their lanyards and pastel suits and dresses, you know summer has arrived. It\u2019s hard to know what this summer will bring, but at least we can try to emulate our traditional kickoff to summer while enjoying free-flowing ros\u00e9 and talking about cheese.\u201d<\/p>\n The Aspen restaurant scene continues to ride the pandemic with style and grace and a survival attitude. As public health orders loosen restrictions and restaurants gain more ability to serve their customers, the kickoff event will support the local restaurant community.<\/p>\n Stay tuned for more information, but for now to see what\u2019s in store for the 2020 Summer Kickoff Virtual Culinary weekend, go to www.aspentimes.com\/culinaryweekend<\/a> to check out the schedule and register for events.<\/p>\n \u201cWe hope to see our friends from around the globe sign up for the virtual run and give where they can so we can continue wrapping our community in love and support,\u201d Johnston said. \u201cWhile we\u2019re starting to see economic recovery, we know that we\u2019ve still got a big hill to climb.<\/p>\n \u201cOur hats are off to all of the restauranteurs who have spent many sleepless nights finding new ways to do business and who have kept the doors open when the alternative may have been easier.\u201d<\/p>\n