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


DATE:
July 22, 2011

Time:
6:00 PM

Matt Selby is the community driven chef behind the critically acclaimed restaurants Vesta Dipping Grill and Steuben's Food Service in Denver, Colorado.   One of Denver's few native chefs, Chef Selby has been at the helm at Vesta since 1997.  Over the past ten years, Vesta has consistently been named one of Denver's "Ten Best Restaurants" helping to launch Matty's reputation as one of Denver's top chefs while he was still in his twenties.  Steuben's, while only one year old, has been named "Best New Restaurant", and made its debut on the "top ten" lists as well.  At twenty-two years old, most cooks aren't ready to supervise themselves, never mind a kitchen full of cooks. Now, at age 32, after nine years as Executive Chef, Matt Selby has done his part to put Denver and Vesta Dipping Grill on the culinary map.

Born and raised in Denver, Selby's kitchen odyssey began by serving up burgers and cheese sticks in Bennigan's kitchens. After a five year stint at Bennigan's, Matty got the first big opportunity to work under two of his greatest influences, Tim Anderson, and Jimmy Schmidt at The Rattlesnake Grill in Denver. It was here that Matty chose to dedicate his professional life to food. In 1995, with Anderson and Schmidt, Matty participated in City Meals on Wheels in New York City. This was a dream come true meeting of some of the best chefs in the country, before the term "celebrity chef" ever existed.

Vesta Dipping Grill offers a unique concept with a special kind of menu freedom that has allowed Matty to be whimsical, creative, and worldly all at the same time. After only a year in business, Vesta was receiving incredible reviews, and Matty's reputation as one of Denver's best new chefs was growing. And the raves just kept coming: Best Chef in Denver, Denver's Top Ten Restaurants, Best Dessert, Best Appetizer, Best Cheese Plate, Best Duck, Best Place for a First Date, Best Place for Groups, Most Romantic, and the list goes on. Vesta has been noted in the New York Times, Food and Wine, Bon Appetit, The Washington Post, Travel and Leisure, National Geographic Traveler, and Maxim (the most respected of food magazines). Recently Vesta was featured on The Food Network's Unwrapped, and Rachel Ray's Tasty Travels. In her magazine Rachel Ray claimed Matty is "going to be a rock star." Perhaps one of the most gratifying highlights in Matty's career was an invitation to represent Denver at the James Beard House in New York City in 2005.

Matty could be the only chef in Denver that has remained in the same kitchen for nine years. His loyalty to Vesta and his continued desire to make it better has allowed Vesta to remain one of Denver's best restaurants year after year. Finally, in June of 2006, Matty took on another challenge by opening Steuben's, with the team and partnership he had built at Vesta Dipping Grill. While Vesta allows Matty to cook with his mind, Steuben's regional American and comfort menu has allowed Matty to get back to his roots and cook with his heart. After only two months Steuben's has been called "retro fabulous", "the hottest new joint in town", and recognized by the New York Times as "where to eat now."

Matty regularly contributes his time to a variety of local charity work including Vesta's annual "Small Plates For The Spot", Co-Chairing Culinary Conversations for the Liver Foundation, Too Many Chefs in the Kitchen (Children's Hospital), nine years in a row of Share Our Strengths Taste of the Nation, Chef's Out Front Operation Front Line, Dining out for Life, and numerous local art openings. Matty teaches regularly at The Seasoned Chef, and Mise en Place cooking schools. He has broadened his horizons with stages at Chez Panisse, An American Place, Goodfellows, and Gramercy Tavern.

GUEST CELEBRITY CHEF - Alex Seidel
RESTAURANT - Fruition, Denver CO

Alex Seidel, now Chef/Owner of Fruition Restaurant, began his career in the kitchen at age 14 in his home state of Wisconsin.  From there, he quickly moved from the line to Sous Chef of Main Street Bistro by age 20. Inspired by food at a young age, Seidel studied at Western Culinary Institute in Portland, Oregon, graduating at the top of his class. After graduation, he wanted to move to the California coast and work with the best chefs, local produce, and bounties from the nearby waters.  He found his way at Hubert Keller's Club XIX at the prestigious Pebble Beach Resort, along with some of the state's finest kitchens. He went on to become Sous Chef at Antione Michelle and Chef at Carmel Valley Ranch both in Carmel, California.  From there, he left the coast for the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.

After a spontaneous trip to the Vail Valley, Alex fell in love with the strikingly beautiful natural setting and quality of life in a mountain town. He found a home as the Chef De Cuisine in one of Colorado's most renowned establishments, Sweet Basil in Vail, Colorado. Keeping his roots in Vail, Alex's thirst for culinary knowledge and experience took him to France, Italy and Morocco, where he experienced first hand the foods that formed his foundation in French cooking techniques. Following his first love (wife Melissa), Alex moved to Denver and became the Executive Chef at Mizuna. There he stayed for four years compiling the necessary ingredients (Vision, Hard Work and Ethics) needed to grow and understand what it takes to become a successful restaurateur.

Seidel opened his first restaurant, "Fruition," in the historical 7th Avenue district tucked between downtown Denver and Cherry Creek. Fruition quickly became popular with a 31/2 star rating in the Denver Post. In June of 2007, Gourmet Magazine featured Alex's new eatery, noting, "Fruition has opened a whole new chapter for Denver." The next month, Denver's 5280 Magazine rated Fruition with four stars.  "Spectacular technique, innovation and precision define this dining destination that is destined to become a superstar in the metro area".  Gayot.com rated Fruition as one of the top 10 new restaurants in the U.S. for 2007, along with World-renowned Chefs such as Gordon Ramsey, David Burke and Michel Richard.  Zagat Guide has honored Fruition by rating the food the highest in the state. Recently, Seidel was recognized by the James Beard Foundation via an invitation to cook for the 20th Anniversary "Dinners across America."

Honored by his success and recognition from the national media, Alex's focus remains on the quality and consistency of his food and the ultimate dining experience for Fruition's patrons.

GUEST CELEBRITY CHEF - Eric Skokan
RESTAURANT - Black Cat Farm to Table Bistro, Boulder CO

Born in San Diego, California and raised in Virginia, Eric Skokan studied history at the University of Virginia. While moonlighting at the award-winning Silver Thatch Inn in the Virginia Countryside, he quickly realized that he preferred the cookbook to the textbook. After graduation he moved around the country working in some of the best restaurant kitchens, until 2006 when he opened Black Cat Farm Table Bistro in Boulder (www.blackcatboulder.com). Eric lives in Boulder with his wife Jill and their four children, and enjoys farming, eating and fixing his tractor, Buttercup.

And yes you've heard it before - farm to table bistro. But with chef Eric Skokan, this is not a supply truck making daily deliveries, this guy literally has his hands in the dirt. Chef Skokan owns his own farm, which supplies the majority of what he cooks at the Black Cat in Boulder, Colorado - free-range chickens, ducks, quail, hogs and a variety of organic produce. He also takes a farm stand at the Boulder County Farmer's Market.

Chef Skokan learned about sustainable, organic cooking from one of the pioneers in the field, Nora Pouillon of Restaurant Nora in Washington, D.C. After Washington, Skokan worked briefly in San Francisco, followed by eight years at the Gold Lake Mountain Resort and Spa in Ward, Colorado. He moved to Boulder to open the organic ice cream place, Hatton Creamery, and in October of 2007, chef Skokan opened the Black Cat.

HOST CHEF - Eric Jaeger
RESTAURANT - Crested Butte Ski Resort