Like many events in 2020, the Cherry Creek North Food and Wine Festival was canceled last year. Like many other canceled events, its comeback in 2021 will be epic. This year’s event will begin on August 11 and end with a grand tasting event on August 14 that you won’t want to miss.
At this year’s festival, you can expect chefs to pull out all of their best dishes. After a tough year, they’re aiming to impress their existing clientele and woo newcomers. “I look at this as the pinnacle of celebration in Cherry Creek this summer. This year it’s going to be better than ever,” said Sean Huggard, owner and chef at Blue Island Oyster Bar & Seafood. Out of all of the food festivals and events that Blue Island participates in, this is the one that Huggard won’t miss shucking oysters at. “It really highlights the elegance of the neighborhood and showcases the great food and great wine that’s here,” said Huggard.
This year’s lineup of events includes an opening night kickoff dinner on Wednesday hosted by Toro ($240 per ticket), ceviche making ($75 per ticket) — also hosted by Toro — and poolside pairings ($90 per ticket) hosted by the Jaquard Hotel on Thursday evening. Friday festivities start a little earlier, beginning with a margarita making class ($75 per ticket) at Sol Mexican Cantina on at 1:30 p.m., oyster shucking and seafood at Blue Island Oyster Bar ($105 per ticket) at 3:00, a cocktail seminar at Le Bilboquet ($75 per ticket) at 3 p.m., caviar and cocktails at B&GC ($100 per ticket) — Halcyon’s speakeasy lounge — at 4:30 p.m. and concludes with dinner on the plaza ($190 per ticket) at 6 p.m..
The final day of events is on Saturday with Blooms & Bubbles at the Twisted Tulip ($45 per ticket), more oyster shucking with Blue Island Oyster Bar ($105 per ticket) at 3 p.m. and the grand tasting session at 5 p.m.. The grand tasting session allows you to sample bites from more than 15 Cherry Creek restaurants, delight in boutique wines and meet the chefs behind the dishes. “I want to execute the dish well and be able to speak to people about who we are and what inspires us,” said Joshua Sutcliff — executive chef at Halcyon Hotel and Local Jones. It’s Sutcliff’s first appearance at this festival, but he’s no stranger to food and wine festivals and cooking at large events. His goal is to keep it simple and focus on getting to know the patrons of the festival. “If you’re too busy cooking and creating your dish, you leave more room for error,” said Sutcliff.
It’s the perfect time of the year to enjoy some food outside and get to know your neighborhood restaurants again at the Cherry Creek North Food and Wine Festival. Though a few of the smaller events at the festival are already sold out, you can still get tickets for most of them here.
The Cherry Creek North Food and Wine Festival runs August 11 – 14 in the Cherry Creek North neighborhood. More information can be found here.
Next covid surge in 3…2…1