Press Room
Colorado Mountain Winefest Announces Headlining Chef
Kelly Liken of Restaurant Kelly Liken, Vail, Colo., headlines 19th annual event
PALISADE, Colo. (June 15, 2010) – Colorado Mountain Winefest is proud to announce its celebrity chef as Kelly Liken of Restaurant Kelly Liken in Vail, Colo. Liken will participate in chef demonstrations, seminars and V.I.P. events during the Sept. 16-19 festivities.
Chef Kelly Liken, who recently appeared on the Food Network’s Iron Chef America and is one of the contestants on Season 7 of Top Chef D.C. airing June 16 on Bravo TV, is one of Colorado’s most promising and influential young chefs.
“We’re absolutely thrilled to have Kelly headlining this year’s Colorado Mountain Winefest,” Executive Director Sarah Catlin said. “We wanted to put additional emphasis on food this year and Kelly knows high-end Colorado cuisine that complements our Colorado wines.”
A student at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., Liken graduated first in her class. After interning at the renowned Inn at Little Washington, outside of Washington, D.C., Kelly worked at Splendido at the Château in Beaver Creek, Colo.
Passing up offers from well-known establishments around the country, Liken stayed in Colorado and opened her own restaurant in Vail Village, making Restaurant Kelly Liken one of the state’s most sophisticated dining destinations. The menu at Restaurant Kelly Liken reflects Liken’s passion for Colorado and Colorado’s fresh produce.
“Colorado has an amazing selection of ingredients you can’t get at the local farmer’s market including bison, elk, wild porcini mushrooms grown on the local hillsides, or turnips and potatoes grown at 8,300 feet above sea level that are truly divine,” Liken said.
Catlin said, “We’re fortunate to have Kelly’s creativity and passion available to us at this year’s Colorado Mountain Winefest.”
To learn more about Kelly Liken, visit www.KellyLiken.com.