Celebrity Chef Tour Dinner Series

VENUE:
Uley's Cabin
Crested Butte Ski Resort
Crested Butte, CO 81225
303-685-8120

DATE:
July 23, 2010

Time:
6:00 PM

PRICE: $200 per person inclusive
Tickets available June 24, 2010

Visa Signature Price: $130 per person inclusive
Visa Signature® tickets available June 21, 2010

Does your card say Visa Signature? Check your wallet.

HOST VENUE - Uley's Cabin

Uley's Cabin takes it's name from local historical figure / bootlegger Uley Scheer. Uley Scheer's major claims to fame as a provider of food and moonshine are the inspiration for the dining and entertainment Uley's Cabin.

Far from the burly, sometimes grubby mountain man image that so many of his generation sported, he was known as a strikingly tall figure with a long neatly trimmed beard and clean white hair to his shoulders.

As an excellent cook and perhaps even better supplier of libations until his move to the "cross bar hotel" at the Gunnison County Jail (for unintentionally providing local lawmen with moonshine), Uley was one of the friendly, legendary cast of characters that make our community memorable and his memory is commemorated in Crested Butte's newest dining experience.

Experience Uley's Cabin for an elegant sit-down lunch, cocktails or a fantastic dinner. Reservations are recommended for lunch and required for dinner during Ski Season.

GUEST CELEBRITY CHEF - Ryan Hardy
RESTAURANT - The Little Nell, Aspen CO

The Little Nell's Executive Chef Ryan Hardy has developed a famous reputation for creating menus that appear to be straightforward and healthy culinary masterpieces that then explode with innovative and exuberant flavors. To supply his guests with the freshest ingredients, Hardy grows produce and raises livestock on his 15-acre farm, Rendezvous Farms, in addition to discovering local sources for his handcrafted foods. He also produces masterful cheeses and freely uses them in his recipes and offers them as appetizers.

As a leading light in the new generation of young chefs, Hardy improves upon many of the current trends in gourmet cooking such as: Selecting lighter foods that are still strong on flavor Adhering to the "slow food" movement that celebrates the bounty of the Earth Mastering the use of electrifying spices that naturally stretch flavors Sourcing the majority of the food from local farmers, ranchers, and his own organic farm Consciously avoiding the preparation of endangered fish species.

Chef Ryan's passion for cooking began as a child in Lexington, Kentucky where Ryan was entering (and winning) cooking contests while his friends were still dreaming of being astronauts or firemen. His path to The Little Nell is paved with an impressive list of experiences including the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, the acclaimed San Francisco restaurant Rubicon, and the celebrated Rustique restaurant in Aspen.

Chef Ryan has been nominated for the prestigious James Beard Award in 2008, 2009 and 2010

GUEST CELEBRITY CHEF - Richard Sandoval
RESTAURANT - Sandoval's Kitchen, Tamayo, Zengo; Denver and New York

Born in Mexico City, Mexico, Richard Sandoval grew up surrounded by Mexican culture and food. His father, a successful restaurateur, instilled in him a passion for the cuisine of his heritage and the art of hospitality. From the age of 12, Richard worked in his father's highly regarded restaurants Madeiras and Villa Fiore restaurants, confirming his desire to be a chef.

After living in California where Sandoval learned to appreciate the ingredients indigenous to the area, he enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America. Upon graduation, Sandoval returned to his father's kitchens, immersing himself in the cuisine of his homeland where he was ultimately awarded the National Toque d'Oro, Chef of the Year.

The energy and challenge of New York City beckoned and Richard Sandoval made a splash – not with Mexican cuisine - but with a modern French menu at the successful Savann, followed by Savann Est. While Sandoval gained attention at each of these restaurants his passion for the foods of his native Mexico took hold and in 1997 he opened Maya to widespread acclaim. It was Maya that enabled Sandoval to introduce New Yorkers to the exciting, bold and flavorful foods that have become known as Modern Mexican, and it is Chef Sandoval who has redefined Mexican cuisine. Richard Sandoval and the restaurant soon became local culinary celebrities earning a rave 2-Star review from The New York Times. Maya, San Francisco soon followed and earned 3-stars from the ever-discerning San Francisco Chronicle.

In 2001, Richard Sandoval headed west to bring his inventive style of gourmet Mexican cooking to an initially skeptical Denver, Colorado audience. Tamayo, with its casual take on refined Mexican cuisine, captured the hearts (and stomachs) of food- and fun-loving Denver and Richard Sandoval became a household name. The recently launched Zengo (February 2004), which received a glowing 3 ½ -star review in The Denver Post, is poised to do the same with innovative Latin-Asian cuisine.