Video edit by Salvador Tovar

Food & Wine Classic: Heritage Fire Snowmass

Diving in to Heritage Fire yesterday with our crew, which included the outrageously fun celebrity chef Susie Jimenez, we covered a lot of ground in a short amount of time.

Noted as THE favorite event of the year from many of the attending chefs, Heritage Fire is a culinary feast where those less adventurous foodies such as I can extend our palates and experience the taste of global food cultures.

Admittedly, since I am eating less beef and only drinking tequila for my alcohol intake these days as part of my plan to be more healthy, I lingered at the Codigo 1530 booth, traveling away to taste as much fish and vegetables as possible, and then bee lining it back to Ron and Brice for some more Rosa tequila.

[su_box title=”Codigo 1530 Origen”]Blue agave is cooked in stainless-steel ovens, then fermented using an organic family baker’s yeast. After two runs through the still, the juice goes into French oak previously used to age Cabernet Sauvignon in Napa. The spirit spends six years getting acquainted with the wood before bottling, making it one of the oldest extra-añejos on the market. Origen smells of roses and caramel candy. That sweet floral characteristic is also evident on the palate, along with dried fruit notes and a fair amount of smoke. It’s meant to be consumed neat, of course, and by all means do so. But, boy, does it ever taste spectacular in an añejo Old Fashioned. (codigo1530.com) [/su_box]

The energy and good cheer at Heritage Fire is not to be beat as incredible chefs and butchers form teams to show off their pitmaster and grilling prowess as they present the ultimate in taste of their responsibly raised heritage-breed animals.

[su_box title=”Heritage Fire”]Created in 2008, Heritage Fire Snowmass is a showcase over 50 notable chefs and butchers, each grilling heritage-breed animals en plein air against the Rocky Mountain backdrop. The event features responsibly raised food and traditional outdoor cooking inspired by global food cultures. It is all paired with free-flowing wines from boutique producers, craft beers, and small-batch artisan ciders. The list of heritage and heirloom foods includes dry-aged beef, whole pigs, lamb, goat, squab, rabbit, duck, fish, chicken, artisan cheeses, oysters, and heirloom vegetables.[/su_box]

Photo Credit: Bear Matthews