Fun Virtual Culinary Events in May to Keep You Connected

Stir-crazy Denverites, rejoice: Local food-and-beverage businesses are hosting a variety of virtual experiences, from cooking classes and cocktail-making sessions to concerts and movie screenings. Read on to find out what’s on the menu this month.

Chef Stories: Burmese Cuisine | May 6, 6–7:30 p.m.

Food Bridge, a nonprofit organization that celebrates diversity at the table and supports chefs of color through professional development, has launched a series of online cooking classes and live interviews. Its first Chef Stories event features Zin Zin, a refugee and talented cook from Myanmar who has a passion for sharing the secrets behind the dishes of her homeland. Learn how to make Burmese chicken curry and biryani rice; enjoy a live storytelling session and Q&A with Zin Zin; and receive access to her digital recipe book Burmese Village. Tickets cost $33 and proceeds directly support Zin Zin and her family.
Where/How: Zoom
What to Eat/Drink: The fruits of your labor after taking the class

Bierstadt x Joyride x Westbound & Down Virtual Tasting | May 7, 6–8 p.m.

Ashleigh Carter (co-owner and head brewer at Bierstadt Lagerhaus), Dave Bergen (co-founder of Joyride Brewing Co.), and Jake Gardner (head beer drinker at Idaho Springs’ Westbound & Down Brewing Co.) will co-host a virtual tasting and happy hour spotlighting two beers from each brewery. The trio will offer tasting notes and stories behind the beer while answering questions via live chat.
Where/How: Facebook Live
What to Drink: Bierstadt’s Slow Pour Pils and Cerveza Clara y Mas Fina Especial; Joyride’s Elefante Ámbar the IPA Experiment #12; and Westbound & Down’s Colorado Pale and Double Barrel Louie. Order your brews for pick up prior to the event from each brewery.

Virtual Yoga & Beer with Westfax Brewing Co. | May 16, 11 a.m.–12 p.m.

Lakewood’s Westfax Brewing Co. is teaming up with Move Mountains Outdoor Apparel for a yoga and beer party. All yogi levels are welcome, and $10 gets you access to the class and 25 percent off the to-go suds of your choice.
Where/How: Zoom
What to Drink: All Together Hazy IPA, Strawberry Fruit Shake Smoothie Sour, Colfax Cream Ale, and other selections from Westfax; those who register for the event can claim their 25 percent off beer any day before the yoga session.

Blanchard Family Wines Tasting for the Wounded Warrior Foundation | May 24, 7–9 p.m.

Blanchard Family Wines, a veteran-owned company, is paying tribute to those who have served in the military by offering a special wine-tasting class on Memorial Day weekend. For $70, the Denver-based winery will ship or deliver four half bottles of vino to you for a guided tasting and discussion with co-owner James Blanchard and his team. 20 percent of ticket sales will go to the Wounded Warrior Project.
Where/How: Zoom (register by May 17 to receive your wines in time)
What to Drink: Options include the 2017 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir; 2017 Blake Street Blend; and other selections from Blanchard Family Wines.

Cocktails & Culture with Dan & Dano’s | Tuesdays, 6:30–8:30 p.m.

Steamboat Springs-born Dano’s Tequila, which won Best in Class and Double Gold in this year’s San Francisco World Spirits competition for its añejo tequila and Gold for its reposado, is hosting weekly virtual cocktail hours and lessons on making margaritas, palomas, and more. The company will donate $5 to the U.S. Bartenders Guild Foundation for every person who joins each happy hour, and an additional $5 for every person who orders a bottle for delivery via ReserveBar, with the goal of raising up to $50,000.
Where/How: Zoom
What to Drink: Dano’s 100 percent agave blanco, reposado, or añejo tequila, in the cocktail of your choice or straight up; order here

“Tasting Notes” with Lettuce and Benny and Zoid Selections | Every Wednesday, 7 p.m.

Trumpet player Eric Bloom and saxophonist Ryan Zoidis, the horn section for the psychedelic funk band, Lettuce, are bringing their two passions—music and natural wine—to your screen. Each week, the wine distributors will star a different guest winemaker and musical group, guiding you through a virtual tasting before launching into a community jam session.
Where/How: Zoom
What to Drink: Designated wines from the Proper Pour (prices start at $54 for two bottles); pick up the Viña La Fanfarria Classic and Stirm Wine Co. Riesling for sessions on May 6 and 13

Virtual Cooking Classes With Aspen Peak Cellars | Fridays, 6 p.m.

Bailey micro-winery Aspen Peak Cellars is teaching us all how to cook every Friday at 6 p.m. For $60, you’ll a meal kit with all of the ingredients to make a featured dish for two, such as mint-pesto-crusted rack of lamb with polenta and garlic au jus, along with a bottle of wine. Aspen Peak co-owner/chef Marcel Flukiger will walk you through the process and the class will feast together once everything is prepared.
Where/How: Zoom
What to Drink: Aspen Peak Cellars 2018 Colorado Vintner’s Reserve Rockin’ Rapids; order online here or call 303-816-5504 and pick your meal kit up on Thursday

Flatiron Food Film Festival’s Dinner and a Movie | Fridays, 6:30 p.m.

Every Friday, the Flatiron Food Film Festival streams a culinary film and partners with local restaurants to create menus related to the film topic. For $5 (and the price of the meal, if you wish to order for takeout), you can literally have dinner and movie from the comfort of home. This week, chef Daniel Asher of Ash’kara, Mother Tongue, and River and Woods will introduce the documentary Make Hummus, Not War and 5280 food editor Denise Mickelsen will lead a post-film Q&A with Asher and award-winning cookbook author Joan Nathan. Ash’kara, Ali Baba Grill and Basta in Boulder, Sugarbeet in Longmont, and Moxie Bread Co. in Louisville are providing takeout dinner options, while Savory Spice Shop is providing recipe pairings, if you prefer to whip up your own feast.
Where/How: Zoom
What to Drink: Beer, wine, or cocktails from the participating restaurant of your choice, such as the Moroccan Mint Mule from Ash’Kara or the Sherry and Tonic from Basta.