Beauty Colorado Mountain Living Spas Telluride: Beauty Colorado Mountain Living Spas Telluride
by maribeth
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Telluride’s Beauty Boutiques
Mountain Therapy at Mountain Lodge Telluride
I love the notion of a beauty boutique. I frequented Beauté Boutique in the seventeenth arrondissement of Paris for many years. It consisted of a sectioned off little space where (mostly) women had a variety of body parts attended to with the efficacy and regularity of a man’s visit to the barber shop. It was a totally no frills operation but women maintained their monthly appointments for a short menu of treatments that included waxings, pedicures and facials. “In France, all this is part of la hygiene personnelle,” la directrice once explained to me.
The approach in Telluride is not too unlike what I encountered in Paris. Here the salons and spas are considerably more inviting than my neighborhood beauty boutique in Paris but these purveyors of poufing and pampering are indeed accustomed to meeting the needs of an equally demanding clientele. In Telluride, many women remain just as committed to maintaining their beauté as the French. This sort of fervent dedication to spas and salons is somewhat unusual in America but in my Rocky Mountain town where the air is often single-digit-humidity dry and the sun beams hard and bright most days of the year, personal upkeep is more of a necessity than a luxury.
Denver Food & Wine Restaurants Telluride: Denver Food & Wine Restaurants Telluride Telluride Festivals
by maribeth
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Top Chefs
Pasta from Panzano
What does it take to become a top chef? Certainly lots of training, years of experience and a passion for creating a memorable dining experience. The desire to make people happy seems to be the driving force behind the success of most culinary whizzes, professional and amateur alike. (Just think of your grandma baking you your favorite cake. My grandmother’s was a special boiled raisin cake with thick butter cream frosting that neither my mother nor I have been able to duplicate.) This notion of people-pleasing became abundantly clear to me recently when I interviewed two notable chefs on Travel Fun.
Chef Kenny from Capella
Chef Kenny Gilbert, Executive Chef at Capella in Telluride, told me that he became interested in food when he’d watch his father barbecuing as a child. Growing up in the South, there was always lots of barbecuing and Kenny had many opportunities to see how people enjoyed it so much.
Chef Elise Wiggins, Executive Chef at Panzano in Denver, talked to me about a similar experience. She explained that in her native Louisiana, much of life revolves around eating. “It’s about good times with family and friends. I learned at a young age that you can make a lot of people happy by cooking.”
Both went on to pursue their love of cooking at culinary school and began to rack up experience at home and abroad in the kitchens of some of the best known restaurants in the world. Chef Kenny draws largely upon basic French techniques that emphasize such fundamental practices as kitchen organization and garde manger (pantry) management. Chef Elise has been greatly influenced by her mother who spent summers in northern Italy, preparing regional dishes for her family and also by many Italian chefs with whom she studied over the years. Her regular travels to Italy have helped her to hone her knowledge of largely northern Italian cuisine, the emphasis at Panzano. Chef Elise pays particular attention to how flavors change according to the terroir in Italy, especially in products such as cheese and salumi.
Chef Elise from Panzano
So it comes as no surprise that at Capella in Telluride you might find a barbecued pulled pork sandwich on the menu at Suede, the hotel’s swanky informal bistrot, and a superior cut of meat served up at Onyx, this tony establishment’s more high-end restaurant. Chef Kenny’s whimsical note is rolled out in the form of a multi-tiered candy cart that showcases everything from puckery lemonheads and swirl pops to luscious truffles and pâte de fruits. “I like to serve up childhood favorites,” Chef Kenny says. “I’ve seen a diner moved to tears over Swedish fish.” Creating and conjuring up memories is after all an essential part of the dining experience.
At Panzano, gorgeous plates of food composed of the freshest ingredients and many house made specialties such as hand cured meats delight discriminating diners in Denver, a city that is quickly becoming one of the food capitals of the country. If you haven’t tried one yet, this is where you’ll find the best grilled Caesar salad on the planet. Who would ever think grilled romaine could taste this good? “It’s a simple technique with simple ingredients,” Chef Elise says.
Lighting Up Mountain Village with Telluride Festival of the Arts
Chef Kenny and Chef Elise will have the opportunity to meet up and create some culinary magic together at the Telluride Festival of the Arts, a celebration of the visual and culinary arts that’s taking place this year August 14 through 16. They’re both participating in a gastronomic extravaganza with Hosea Rosenberg, winner of Bravo’s 2009 Top Chef. “It’s a well-organized, flawless event that features a great mix of people,” Chef Elise told me. This will be her second year at the festival and my first. I’m really looking forward to it, too, not only since one of this year’s highlights will be a free concert by Joan Osborne but also because it has become abundantly clear to me that foodie events big and small are about making people happy.
One of Chef Kenny's Creations
Kitchen Tip from Chef Kenny Gilbert
“Time management is key. It’s really about the mise en place,” Chef Kenny emphasizes. “Have everything in place, write your list out, check inventory and have everything right in front of you.” I’m hoping this will up my chances of having everything ready at once and served at the desired temperature!
Culinary Advice from Chef Elise Wiggins
Memorize flavors. “Act like a three year-old and put everything in your mouth in its raw state and then you will remember its flavor,” Chef Elise says. “This also helps you to realize that you can overdue it with certain herbs.”
Onyx and Suede are the two signature restaurants of Capella, Telluride, 970-369-0880, www.capellatelluride.com
Panzano, located in the Hotel Monaco, 909 17th Street at Champa, Denver, 303-296-3525, www.panzano-denver.com
Note that Chef Elise gives cooking classes once a month specializing in everything from pickling and preserving to the preparation of turduckin, a classic Cajun dish served at Christmas.
Type Capella or Panzano into the search in the upper right hand corner of my Web site to read more about my dining experiences at Onyx and Panzano. You can also read my story on Hotel Monaco by typing Hotel Monaco into the search. You’ll notice that I put a quirky spin on it.
Book Picks
Chef Kenny recommends “Developing the Leaders Around You,” by John C. Maxwell. This book has helped him to look at his employees as potential leaders, not just employees. “In the kitchen, I feel everyone is a struggling artist, so it’s important to understand people’s skill sets in order to help them create goals and to achieve them,” Kenny says. “If I can give to the employee and they give to me, then they’ll give back to the guests and the guests will feel their passion.”
Chef Elise loves “Eat, Pray, Love,” by Elizabeth Gilbert and so do I. The food scenes in particular are extraordinary!
Bon Appétit!
Food & Wine Telluride: Food & Wine Music & Dance Telluride Telluride Festivals
by maribeth
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Summer in Telluride: A Sea of Festivals and More
Shopping for Chic in Telluride---Yet Another Summer Activity!
Lolling at the pool at The Peaks. Hiking. Gazing at the riot of colors created by the wildflowers that dot our hillsides and valleys. Indulging in simple picnics of wine and cheese at the Wednesday Sunset Concert Series. Wearing flip flops, shorts and a fleece. Soaking in a hot tub after having gotten caught in a summer storm and been chilled to the bone. Watching the ever-changing dance of gathering clouds and distant rains form in the sky high above our mountain tops. Smelling the freshness of our air, grass, plants and trees. Admiring the pert and pretty flower displays that embellish the town’s array of Victorian houses. Spotting the marmots sunbathing on the rocks beneath the gondola. Eating a fresh Palisade peach from the open-air markets. Sipping a cup of tea on a rainy summer afternoon. Consulting the calendar for the upcoming weekend’s line up of events.
Carbon Neutral Smoothies: Only In Telluride
These are a few of my favorite things about summer in Telluride. And as usual, this season kicked off with a stunning set of events. Summer was officially ushered in the last day of Bluegrass when the Telluride House Band (consisting of Jerry Douglas, Béla Fleck and Sam Bush, to name a few) played past the longest day of the year and furnished foot-stomping music into the dark of the night. Wine Festival weekend followed and for the first time ever I attended their Sunday Brunch, a lovely affair where one can sip seemingly bottomless glasses of Champagne and delight in a delicious spread in one of the most awe-inspiring settings in the world: Telluride Town Park. I was thrilled to partake in this elegant party—complete with white tablecloths and petits fours—made even more magnificent against such a stunning backdrop. As is the case at nearly all Wine Festival events, there was a lot of wine on hand to sample and many discoveries to be made. (My latest is Windmill, an Old Vine Zinfandel that I can buy at the local liquor store for just over $10.)
The July 4th holiday marked the third weekend in our now renowned summertime trifecta of events. It was a good ‘ole fashioned 4th of July replete with a big parade, root beer floats, barbecue, lots of games and a fireworks display that could be the envy of many a town, big and small. And since this is Telluride, all was spiced up with a flash of flesh, humor and politics, most notably in Irrational Exuberance, the top prize winner of the parade, that spoofed the greed and conspicuous consumption of our country in recent years.
George Clinton: The Godfather of Funk
Thank goodness the Telluride Yoga Festival is on the docket for this weekend. By now, many of us need to tone it down a few notches. Oh, but wait. There’s the KOTO Doo Dah tonight, the radio station’s annual summer concert that has featured artists such as Jackson Browne, Lyle Lovett and Bob Dylan in the past. George Clinton, godfather of funk, and Parliament are this year’s headliners. Word is that some twenty-five people including dancers and back up will be on stage for this funkadelic happening that’s sure to go down as one of the summer’s best concerts. Rusted Root opens the show, a percussion-heavy, World Music-sounding act that could easily receive top billing themselves.
Then next Tuesday is Bastille Day, the French equivalent of our 4th of July. I’ll be doing an event from 1 to 3 p.m. at Between the Covers bookstore here in Telluride to mark that holiday in characteristic French flair. Wine will be poured by the Wine Mine at Pacific Street Liquors and sweet and savory treats will be provided by the New Sheridan Chop House, La Marmotte and Jean-Louis.
The following weekend marks the Nothing Festival where supposedly no scheduled event takes place in T-ride except for a bunch of nude people pedaling down our main street. (We know, though, that there’s always something going on in our spectacular mountain town.)
July wraps up with the Cajun Festival, a Friday-night event that promises to be a hot and happening affair punctuated by great music and delicious eats from the Bayou.
And that’s just a brief overview of a Telluride summer through the end of July! I hope that before August roles around, I’ll be able to carve out more time for my favorite things because they represent the very best part of Telluride.
Telluride Travel: Telluride Telluride Festivals Travel
by maribeth
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Sound and Travel
Alanna in Sync with the Sounds of Times Square
Sometimes you just have to turn it off. I had CNN blaring for an hour and a half last night; talking heads and replays of Michael Jackson’s riveting rehearsal at the Staples Center inundated my little apartment for perhaps more than I should have allowed. Then I heard only the quiet sounds of dusk in the mountains: birds tweeting, the din of a trickling mountain ravine, the occasional distant muffled cries of folks enjoying the last moments of a glorious holiday weekend and finally as dark settled in, the fizzy crackling and whistling of a few leftover fireworks.
I love Michael Jackson’s music and am deeply saddened by his passing, but that quiet moment came as a welcome relief. Noise—in all its forms—can be numbing.
I became more tuned in to this reality last week when I interviewed Alanna Kaivalya on Travel Fun. Alanna, a yoga expert, readily admits a life-long obsession with sound and vibrations. When I asked her how she maintains her serenity while traveling, she, of course, focused on the relationship one typically has with noise while away from home. Alanna travels about fifty percent of the time, participating in various yoga workshops and programs around the world, so I figured she was a good person to ask about establishing a calm on the road.
Alanna Striking a Pose in Bali
“The airplane provides a challenging auditory experience,” Alanna stressed right off. She finds the noise of jet engines deafening and the often intrusive in-flight announcements—combined with the comings and goings of other passengers—to be disruptive. I couldn’t agree with her more. For this in particular, she travels with noise-blocking earphones available at Shure.
“If you’re able to choose what you listen to, you can have that be the determinant of your attitude,” Alanna says. She put this belief into practice big-time on a recent trip to India where it was hard to get away from incessant traffic noise and other commotion from the streets. Travel speakers remedied these annoyances greatly and when she tuned into her choice of music from her iPod, the rest seemed to just fade away.
On other occasions, Alanna taps into the natural ambient sound of her environs in an effort to feel more of a connection to the place she’s visiting. On the Big Island of Hawaii, for example, she enjoys sleeping outside so that she can fully embrace the sound and vibration of the magical little frogs native to this destination.
“Be mindful of sounds,” Alanna emphasized. “Take in what you like and block out the rest.” I remembered this as I switched off the rhythmic beat of Michael Jackson’s last performance last night. Balance in everything you do and take in is after all key in life both at home and away.
More Travel Tips from Alanna Kaivalya
-Try to do yoga while traveling. “Studies show that yoga helps combat jet lag,” Alanna adds.
-Create some kind of routine in your place of lodging, something that makes you feel like you’re coming back home even when you’re not.
-Bring along favorite snacks to serve as some kind of touchpoint. A special brand of chocolate is hers.
Alanna will be in Telluride this weekend to participate in the second annual Telluride Yoga Festival. The festival is a great place to get in touch with your inner spirit for novices and advanced yogis alike. There are also many levels of participation from attending guided meditations to yoga dance performances.
“The vibe in Telluride is really sweet and communal and it’s felt throughout the festival,” Alanna says. “The quality of the teachers is excellent. The festival provides a wonderful opportunity to learn from very masterful teachers.”
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!
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.
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.
