Restaurant and food truck showcase set for Sept. 6-9

By the Thirst Team

Chile con Quesadilla will defend its title as Denver’s Best Food Truck next month. But it faces competition from seven other mobile eateries at the Shake and Brake Showdown on Thursday, Sept. 7.

The shake part of that event is a concurrent cocktail contest. Bartenders from ChoLon, Hey Kiddo, the Denver Press Club and nine other Denver bars will compete for the Best Cocktail title. Attendees will enjoy unlimited cocktails, and appetizers from the acclaimed food trucks.

The showdown is one piece of the four-day Denver Food and Wine Festival at the Tivoli Quad on the Denver Auraria campus. The event is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the non-profit Colorado Restaurant Foundation.

“There’s something for everyone at this year’s Denver Food + Wine Festival, from the Shake + Brake Showdown food-truck and cocktail competition to Riedel wine seminars to the epic Grand Tasting,” says Laura Shunk, president of the Colorado Restaurant Foundation. “The proceeds fund training and hardship grants for the restaurant workers at the heart of our communities. It’s a win-win.”

The festival opens with Riedel wine glass seminars on Sept. 6 and 7. Sommelier Shelley Sale will demonstrate the relationship between wine and its wine glass shape, and attendees will take home a four-glass wine set.

The closing event is the Grand Tasting starting at noon Saturday, Sept. 9. Award-winning chefs, bartenders and wine experts will offer unlimited tastes. GA tickets for the tasting cost $150, and will likely sell out. VIP tickets also are available for $300. Click here for details and a list of participating chefs and restaurants.

Additional wine seminars will also take place during the tasting, with a focus on women in wine and on Old World vs. New World wines.

Festival proceeds benefit culinary training and apprenticeship programs, including the Colorado ProStart program for high school students. Some ProStart students also will volunteer throughout the festival.