Food & Wine Telluride The Rockies: Food & Wine Telluride Telluride Festivals The Rockies
by maribeth
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Wining and Dining in the Rockies
Pouring the Beloved Nectar
For years I had heard about the Food and Wine Classic in Aspen, the big foodie event that just took place in Aspen last weekend. It wasn’t until I moved to Telluride six years ago that I learned about the Telluride Wine Festival, the gastronomic extravaganza that has drawn food and wine connoisseurs to our more subdued mountain town for almost three decades. Steve Olson, aka Wine Geek, plays a pivotal role in both of these happenings. In Telluride, he’s our Master of Ceremony for our food and wine celebration that’s taking hold of our town this weekend. Clearly Steve loves these festivals like a father who loves two very different children.
“Aspen Food and Wine Classic is truly one of the most important food and wine festivals in the world,” Steve said in a recent Travel Fun interview. “It draws some of the biggest chefs, vintners and food and wine enthusiasts from all over the globe and it continues to grow every year. We handpick experts that fit Telluride. There’s not a bone of pretense here. These professionals come to share, not preach. Telluride is more low key, more intimate,” Steve continues. “It’s more one on one—you can find yourself having a cup of coffee with a chef on Main Street.”
Chef Bertrand Bouquin
That chef might very well be Bertrand Bouquin, Executive Chef at The Broadmoor of Colorado Springs, the Grande Dame of resorts in the Rockies. As one of the culinary experts invited to the festival, Chef Bouquin will be preparing a special lunch tomorrow, Saturday, at Allreds where he’ll be serving up carrot soup with lime and cilantro, followed by veal tenderloin wrapped in bacon. All will, of course, be paired with exceptional wines.
Steve Olson and Bertrand Bouquin enjoy a professional relationship outside of the Telluride Wine Festival since Steve consults for the beverage program at The Broadmoor. He has, in fact, concocted a great variety of cocktails that serve as the perfect accompaniment to Bertrand’s innovative cuisine. Indeed all kinds of beverages from mezcal to lager are showcased at the Telluride Wine Festival along with a cellar-full of wines from near and far.
And like so many of the other beverage and culinary experts participating in the festival, Steve and Bertrand began in the hospitality industry at a very young age. Steve started out as a waiter and quickly caught the fever for the need to make others happy. Bertrand was working in a restaurant kitchen in Burgundy in his native France at the age of fifteen.
Thank goodness we have festivals that encourage us to celebrate the passions of these dedicated oenophiles and gastronomes. These events allow us to spend entire weekends learning, tasting and savoring. Once again, the world comes to us in our little mountain town. Maybe someday I’ll break out and attend the Aspen Food and Wine Classic.
A Scrumptious Salad from Summit at The Broadmoor
Hot Topics According to Wine Expert Steve Olson
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(Steve is largely known in the industry as the guy who is going to show you the next cool thing.)
Steve Olson, aka Wine Geek
-”Spain has emerged as a great wine-making country,” Steve says. Their wines are a good bet overall for great value and quality.
-”Greece is exploding now. There’s a whole renaissance of winemakers,” he says.
-”Colorado wines are taking their rightful place among the hierarchy of American wines,” he emphasizes. Some of his favorite wineries include Stone Cottage, Snowy Peak, Holy Cross Abbey, Boulder Creek and Canyon Wind.
Hot Topics According to Culinary Expert Chef Bertrand Bouquin
–Molecular gastronomy. “This is when chefs break down ingredients and reconstruct them,” Chef Bouquin explains. “You have the flavor of a food in a different form.” An example of this would be a carrot flavored gelée (a sort of Jello, but more refined). Apparently there’s a lot of this going on in the big cities. Sounds rather Sci Fi to me.
The Broadmoor: Where You Can Sample the Creations of Steve and Bertrand Year-Round
Cheers!
Aspen Colorado Skiing & Snowboarding Spas The Rockies: Aspen Colorado Skiing & Snowboarding Spas The Rockies
by maribeth
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Skiing and Spa Going: Part Two in Aspen
Pond Skimming at Aspen Highlands
Some nights ago I tuned into some pond skimming from Mammoth. I took a double take since we are almost in summer. Then I remembered that Mammoth Mountain doesn’t typically close until mid June; I also realized that I had switched on to RSN, or Resort Sports Network, a local’s favorite here in T-ride, a cable station that can satisfy a sports enthusiast’s hankering for outdoor adventure with the push of a button. The show that followed tracked some of the world’s most harrowing expeditions at both the North and South Poles. The channel was all about snow, risk taking and fun. And here it is mid June. Boy, do I love living in a ski town.
Pond skimming. The words themselves conjure up a variety of curious images. But I’m talking about some of the best end-of-season fun that can be had on skis and boards. I witnessed some impressive pond skimming late April of this year, the last weekend at Aspen Highlands. Crazy kids young and old challenged themselves and wooed the crowd by plunging from atop the hill onto a manmade pond hoping they had gauged their speed and balance enough to carry them across the water. Plouf! Inevitably a few unlucky souls didn’t quite make it. The audience howled.
I’ve since carefully stowed my skis away but thoughts of skiing and the upcoming ski season aren’t too far out of mind. The season ended on a particularly sweet note, so I can’t help looking forward to what next season will bring.
It has become a tradition of mine to ski Aspen once Telluride closes and I willingly obliged to this rite of spring again this year. I actually had been staying in Aspen a good part of off-season with my dad, so it was a given that I’d close the season much as I had in the past, especially since the Highlands opened for an additional two weekends. (Let’s hope they’ll do it again next year.) This year though I was going to be with Steve, my sweetie, and I knew that our last day would mark the end of a very full ski season spent as much happily together as apart. My brother, David, and his wife, Geri, also planned to join us, so it seemed we’d all strike a celebratory chord together throughout our last turns.
Mountain Living Telluride: Mountain Living Telluride
by maribeth
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Spring in Telluride: Mud and So Much More
I like showing a different view of Telluride each season by changing out my Bonjour Telluride banner. But I’m sorry I won’t be presenting you with any spring shots this year. The weather has been particularly gloomy and the reprieves have been as unpredictable and infrequent as wet days in the dessert (which is by the way only 2 1/2 hours away in Moab, Utah). We’ve had periods of rain, hail and even snow, magnificent displays of weather that have sometimes been thankfully interspersed with radiant rays of sunshine and the occasional rainbow. I haven’t been fast enough with the camera though to capture all this—or more precisely me in this environment—for the periods of luminosity have been quickly trailed by more inclement weather, steely grey skies and great gusts of wind.
Today has so far started out brilliantly sunny yet who knows how long that will last. The peaks have been dusted with freshly fallen snow the past few days, a coating of confectioner’s sugar on our monolithic mountains. All is green and lush and the mountain streams and rivers are running hard and fast. There’s no talk of drought or fires this year. These spring soakings have preceded our usual monsoons of July and August which many of us hope means an especially warm and sunny summer. I’m sure the wildflowers will be good this year, too.
I’m grateful I’ve adapted so well to this mountain climate. My closet is full year-round with a supply of fleeces, base layers, wool socks, hats, scarves and gloves. My winter ski jackets are easily donned in the summer, especially at night after a blazing hot day when temperatures typically plunge in our super dry climate. My bathing suit has so far only been pulled out for use in the neighboring hot springs. This being the mountains, I know, however, how quickly all that can change. We’re sure to have some blistering days yet.
Our seasons are marked by seemingly endless variations of weather created by our high elevation (8,500 to 9,500 feet for the most part) and strong southerly location (at least in comparison to my native New York). The lilacs and tulips are just blooming here now, most irises and roses won’t come out until July and many people haven’t dared to plant their summer flowers yet out of fear they’ll be nipped by a lingering frost.
Some say winter is long and summer is short in the Rockies. The brightness of our winters, however, easily carries me through our long snowy season that is perhaps more short-lived elsewhere. In truth, I get excited when I see the peaks emerge from the clouds, snow-capped in clean whiteness, even if it’s mid June. Telluride is among the finest of mountain towns in the world and here you have to marvel at the magic of the weather, even if it means not being always able to capture them in a Kodak moment or two.
To find out all that’s happening right now in Telluride and in the upcoming months, check out the Telluride Tourism Board. You may even see some nice images of our ever-changing sky.
French Life Paris Podcasts Travel: French Life Paris Podcasts Travel
by maribeth
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Paris and Marrakech in the Springtime
La Tour Eiffel Bien Sur!
Anyone that possesses even a vague interest in France, can’t help thinking about Paris in the springtime. I’ve made it a tradition on Travel Fun to do an April (or Springtime, if I’m a little behind schedule) in Paris program every year.
This year I whisked my listeners off to the French capital with the help of author, Diane Johnson. I’ll confess right off that I’m a huge fan of Diane’s novels, particularly “Le Divorce,” “Le Mariage” and “L’Affaire,” all intricately woven works that explore the cultural differences between Americans and the French with keen insight. A two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and a three-time finalist for the National Book Award, Diane is the best-selling author of fifteen books including her newly released “Lulu in Marrakech.” She divides her time between San Francisco and Paris, a city that has taken center stage in her most recent books.
“Many wonderful books have been written about France,” Diane explained in our interview. “My publisher is always sending me books about France and the French,” she continues. “I’ve noticed a constant theme that involves people dreaming about France as the ideal place.” I’ve found that to be true with so many people over the years as well. Most seem to embrace a romantic vision of France, especially when it comes to Paris. And it seems as though that image is rarely shattered.
To understand this more, I suggest you read Diane’s above mentioned books!
As for “Lulu,” Diane once again shines at spinning a tale that holds you in rapt attention with its people, place and story. She delightfully captures the sights, sounds and smells of this exotic Moroccan land in this novel about a California blond that finds herself living all kinds of adventures—romantic and otherwise—as a spy in an Islamic country. Diane beautifully describes all the subtleties of ex-pats abroad set against a colorful backdrop painted with vivid images of mosques, minarets, souks and the call to prayer.
L’Exotisme du Maroc
Diane lived within this culture for quite some time with her husband, a prominent doctor specializing in tuberculosis research, many years ago. She wrote about many of these experiences in her book, “Natural Opium,” a compilation of travel stores. Diane’s current project delves into even more adventures she had while traveling the world with her husband to faraway lands including Japan and China. Can’t wait to see what that will bring!
When asked about her thoughts on Americans abroad, Diane sounded insightful about her compatriots behavior outside of the U.S. “Americans are more polished and culturally sensitive than they once were,” she said.
I’m sure Diane is partly responsible for this—at least when it comes to France and now in terms of Islam, I thought. She is extraordinarily gifted at helping us understand other cultures, especially the French. And, of course, there’s always that je ne sais quoi, that inexplicable something, that makes many Americans so charmed by France. Especially Paris in the springtime.
Diane Johnson’s Advice to the Traveler to France
“Read a few good books on how to negotiate the trains and other necessary matters in France.”
“Don’t be the loud American. Don’t try to speak French by speaking English louder.”
Click Here to Listen to the Podcast of My Spring 2009 Interview with Diane.
Last Words from Diane
“The mood is good in Paris these days. The restaurants are still full.” We both agreed that food is an essential part of life in Paris.
Book Picks
“Le Divorce”
“Le Mariage”
“L’Affaire”
“Into a Paris Quartier”
“Natural Opium”
and many more by Diane Johnson!
Podcast (bonjourcolorado): Play in new window | Download
Art & Culture Telluride Travel: Art & Culture Ken Burns Nature Telluride Telluride Festivals Travel
by maribeth
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America the Beautiful
Upper Yosemite Falls, Yosemite National Park, California
I had been in Aspen most of off-season and didn’t return to Telluride until the tail end of Memorial Day Weekend which also marked the closing of Mountain Film. Fortunately I arrived in time to catch the last film in the six-part series of “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea,” by renowned documentarian Ken Burns. I was truly captivated.
I knew I’d see magnificent landscapes (which was part of the reason I wanted to see at least one segment on the big screen even though all will be aired on PBS this fall). I didn’t imagine, however, that I’d feel so emotionally connected to this work. Sure spectacular scenery and great vistas can be stirring, but it is largely the people that recount the many stories behind our national parks that moved me to tears. Most of our more than fifty national parks were born out of the efforts of extremely perseverant individuals and small groups of people, hearty, committed souls determined to preserve some of the most extraordinary corners of our country. Few of the parcels came easily and opposition arose from many factions including big business and government.
But as Ken Burns illustrates, our national parks (and national monuments and national forests) embody the spirit of our country. These sites are also where some of our most significant family memories have been forged. There’s a sense of nostalgia and familiarity evoked in both the old and new footage that makes up “The National Parks” and one can’t help considering many of the places featured like old friends even without having actually visited the location.
National parks are an American invention—it’s no wonder this concept of preserving a place has been exported to almost every country on earth. After eight years of considerable neglect and with interest that will surely be spurred by this fascinating documentary, we can only hope that our national parks will experience a surge of renewed interest. “We’re fast approaching the centennial in 2016, “ Ken Burns said at the Tellluride premiere of this great work. “This is a grand opportunity to reach people that haven’t been reached before.”
Biscayne National Park, Florida
The above photos were taken by Quang-Tuan Luong, a passionate photographer that has photographed all fifty-eight of America’s national parks. Quang was also present at Mountain Film with Ken. Be sure to visit his site to appreciate the full breadth of his work—it’s like taking a quick tour through our national parks! You can also purchase his prints online. And guess what? Quang grew up in France. I’ve found that it sometimes takes foreigners—often the French, in fact—to fully appreciate what we have in our own backyard.
Art & Culture Being Green Food & Wine Mountain Living Telluride: Art & Culture Being Green Food & Wine Ken Burns Mountain Living Nature Telluride Telluride Festivals
by maribeth
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Mountainfilm Mania
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Banner Over T-ride
Festival season has arrived here in Telluride and it kicks off today with Mountainfilm. “It’s a weird mix of film fest, think tank and jamboree,” says Mountainfilm Director, David Holbrooke. “It’s both low key and intense, loose, yet focused,” he continues. Indeed Mountainfilm is where some of the best minds in the country come to share their ideas through art, film, presentations and books. David discussed the essence of this Memorial Day weekend tradition in Telluride and its 2009 lineup during a recent Travel Fun interview. This year’s theme is food, so, of course, there will be a lot to whet your appetite—for your body, mind and soul.
For me, one of the main attractions this year includes the premiere of “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea,” by master documentarian Ken Burns. “I think he’s taught more people about the history of America than anyone else,” David says about Ken Burns referring to his documentaries on the Civil War, World War II, jazz, baseball and more. You can tune in to PBS this fall to view this six-part series about the history of our national parks.
“The people that come to Mountainfilm are leaders of a paradigm we need to head to whether culturally or environmentally,” David emphasizes. Such people include renowned chef Ming Tsai, mountain adventurer Conrad Anker, animal activist Paul Watson and reporter Nicholas Kristof, to name a few. David’s dad, Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, will participate via a tele conference since world affairs prevent him from being at the festival in person.
Be sure to visit the MF Store to purchase DVDs highlights from the festival and definitely take in some of the events if you’re in Telluride this weekend.
Book Picks
“Deep Economy,” by Bill McKibben
“Edge of Never,” by Bill Kerig
Both authors and many others will be present at this year’s Mountainfilm.
Colorado Hotels & Lodging Restaurants Romance & Relationships Skiing & Snowboarding Spas The Rockies: Colorado Hotels & Lodging Music & Dance Restaurants Skiing & Snowboarding Spas The Rockies
by maribeth
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Skiing and Spa Going: Part One in Vail, Colorado
Après Ski Necessities at Vail Plaza Hotel & Club
What? Don’t tell me you’re tired of hearing about skiing. While most die-hard skiers are still plowing through mashed potatoes and corn snow at ski areas such as A-Basin in Colorado and Mammoth Mountain in California, most of us ardent ski buffs have finally resigned ourselves to hanging up our skis for the season. But smart travelers should begin contemplating next season.
If any of you out there (devoted readers, for example) have been waiting with bated breath to read about my weekend with Steve (see Weekend Expectations blog below), I can tell you our time together scored exceedingly high marks. We, in fact, spent two weekends in a row together in April experiencing end-of-ski-season bliss. Plus we learned that spring is a great time to ski and spa go without dealing with the crowds. Bargains are excellent during this time as well. (The same, of course, holds true for early season in November and the first half of December.)
Vail and Its Fairytale-Like Village
We zipped off to Vail after Telluride officially closed to experience the fun and fanfare of their closing weekend. A spring storm dumped impressive amounts of snow on the mountain beginning the Thursday before. Had it not been for Steve nursing an extremely sore back (from apparently having skied too hard the previous weekend in T-ride which had also benefited from an outstanding snowfall at its closing), I would have feared more powder day problems. Instead we carried on like two lovers on a weekend getaway where skiing and mountain fun entered into only part of the equation (wink, wink).
I had only been to Vail once before many years ago for my PSIA (Professional Ski Instructor of America) certification, so this time I was eager to discover it for real. Steve gladly toured me around Vail’s renowned back bowls and I was thrilled to find myself cruising on black terrain considerably softer than what we have in T-ride. (Of course I love our steeps but they do require more effort.) After just a few hours of skiing, however, Steve declared that his back had had enough. That was fine with me since by then I felt as though I had a good grasp of the mountain and looked forward to the day when I could return and really wear myself out at this world renowned resort.
This left us with time to explore Vail Village, a pedestrian-friendly assemblage of shops, restaurants, bars and places of lodging that truly made us feel like we were on vacation. One might look at this Bavarian-inspired hamlet as hokey (I have in the past), but it really does transport you to a faraway land and we jumped on for the ride. Steve, with his family ties to the Italian Alps, pointed out how authentic these alpine chalets really were in their construction and interpretation. This enchanted me even more, so I suggested we stop for a coffee and a strudel at Hotel-Gastof Gramshammer, one of the more charming wooden establishments in the area, founded in 1965 by Austrians Sheika and Pepi Gramshammer.
It was a good choice. We sat at their German beer garden terrace and then later discovered that this classic alpine establishment also housed two other restaurants, a particularly animated bar and hotel rooms above. I wasn’t sure whether I was more wooed by its charm or Steve’s attentiveness.
Hotels & Lodging Restaurants The Rockies Travel: Hotels & Lodging Restaurants The Beach The Rockies Travel
by maribeth
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Grace and Grandeur on Florida’s Gold Coast
Florida's Gold Coast
I’ve been hanging out in Aspen for nearly two weeks now. I often spend a part of off-season here with my dad in his condo where he resides part-time. We both enjoy this in-between time when the crowds have gone home and life is no busier than the patio of Mezzaluna on a bright, spring day. (Still totally manageable.) There’s also more to do and see here than in Telluride during the shoulder season, especially with Aspen Highlands remaining open an extra two weekends in April. (More on that later.)
As our high-altitude sun melts the winter snow, however, I can’t help thinking about how nice it would be to find myself on a beach. Thankfully I’m able to live many wonderful travel experiences through friends and contributors that dutifully report back to me. So when I can carve out the time to travel some distance, I know exactly where I want to find myself.
A Colorful Cozy Nook at The Colony Hotel & Cabana Club
I recently sent my friend Peter, from Resort Maps, to The Colony Hotel & Cabana Club in Delray Beach, Florida. He selected Delray Beach; I zeroed in on The Colony. Both proved to be winning choices. (Resort Maps exist in some of the most charming travel destinations in the U.S. and Peter was headed there on business which proved to me that Delray Beach was a place to report on.) Known as an artists’ colony during the 1940s, Delray Beach is still considered to be a hip, trendy destination today. I recommended Peter stay at The Colony Hotel & Cabana Club, an historic landmark built in 1926 that is a member of Historic Hotels of America (a clear sign of distinction!). I didn’t know that this part of Florida’s Gold Coast exuded so much history and grace, but clearly there’s a surplus of it in Delray Beach as well as at The Colony where Old Florida meets today’s sunny chic. One of the highlights of The Colony is lunch at the Cabana Club, an unpretentious haven of calm along the Atlantic where lunch is served to hotel guests and club members only. Peter enjoyed a hamburger there with friends while I drooled over the pictures.
Boca Raton Resort & Club
He experienced an even more elevated culinary experience at Morimoto, a stunning sushi restaurant, headed by Masahuru Morimoto (of Iron Chef fame), located within the tony confines of the Boca Raton Resort & Club. Boca—like nearby Delray—is steeped in history and the Boca Raton Resort & Club radiates all the glamour and glitz of its roaring Twenties era. And then some. Built the same year as The Colony by legendary architect Addison Mizner, this icon of elegance blossomed from a 100-room hotel (the most expensive ever constructed at the time) to a 1,000 plus-room resort now part of The Waldorf-Astoria Collection. Modeled after a Spanish castle, I liken this impressive assemblage of buildings and outcroppings to The Broadmoor, the Grande Dame of the Rockies in Colorado Springs. Fortunately I can speak about the Broadmoor from firsthand experience, although my Boca Raton Resort & Club information has come from a variety of sources including Carole Boucard, P.R. Director of the resort. Carole recently chatted about Boca and her fine property on Travel Fun and the feedback from members of my audience was remarkable. Both the radio interview and its announcement prompted many people to write in about their memorable experiences at the resort and its environs. Clearly the Boca Raton Resort & Club ranks as one of America’s more treasured places of lodging. And their selection of dining options places them as an important culinary destination along Florida’s Gold Coast as well.
Morimoto: One of Many Superlative Restaurants at the Boca Raton Resort & Club
Carole rounded out our program by informing me about some of the hotel’s great summer deals, many of which must be booked by May 10th. I quickly thought about the often chilly string of days that typically occur here in the Rockies during July and August, the period so aptly named monsoon season. For me, the current so-called mud season is just a small puddle to cross compared to those months. I’m happy to hole myself up in Aspen as the warm days of spring emerge between a torrent of wet, snowy days. But I’m thinking about more balmy locales nonetheless and Delray Beach and Boca Raton, both just a short distance from easy-to-get-to Miami, have recently been added to my must-see list of destinations. And, of course, I’m a sucker for historic properties every time.
Porch Days Are Calling at the Boca Raton Resort & Club
The Colony Hotel & Cabana Club, 525 East Atlantic Avenue, Delray Beach, 561-276-4123, www.thecolonyhotel.com
Boca Resort & Club, 501 East Camino Real, Boca Raton, 888-491-2622, www.bocaresort.com
More Colony Quaintness
Suggested Reading
“Boomtime Boca: Boca Raton in the 1920s,” by Susan Gill and The Boca Raton
Historical Society
“The Boca Raton Resort & Club: Mizner’s Inn,” by Donald Curl and The Boca Raton Historical Society
“Skinny Dip,” by Carl Hiaasen
Boca Resort Dressed for a Wedding
Thank you to Bob Biener, one of my Travel Fun readers and listeners, who passed on the above photo (and many more fabulous shots) to me. His cousin was married at the resort just recently.
