Eat and Eat Again

It’s been 25 years since Gabby Gourmet Pat Miller and the late Noel Cunningham co-founded the Taste of the Nation, one of the city’s oldest and best-attended foodie events, featuring up-close sessions with top chefs and mountains of great local food and drink for charity. That alone makes tonight’s annual event a little bit more special — and, in light of Cunningham’s passing, a lot more poignant. “The Taste has a long history in this city, and it’s always one of the largest in the country,” says spokeswoman Stephanie Jones, who adds that more than forty chefs and mixologists will be showing off their stuffing this evening.

There will also be food trucks, “and we’re going to have a phenomenal cocktail contest,” Jones says. “Each team will be assigned a different liquor to use for making a cocktail. The award winner is based on who gets the most tips in their tip jar.”

But what’s most important is what remains the same: The sheer magnitude of the event, and an interactive format that puts participants on the front line while chefs they’ve only read about prepare dishes before their very eyes.

“This is a chance for foodies to get face time with the chefs,” says Jones. “Even I can’t get to thirty fine restaurants in a year. It’s a tough order. So where else in Denver can you go, meet the chefs and try food from the best restaurants in town?”

Taste of the Nation runs from 5 to 8 p.m. at Mile High Station, 2027 West Colfax Avenue; for tickets, $75, go to
Sun., Oct. 14, 5 p.m., 2012

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