Cooking at the Governors Mansion

Last night I was invited to cook a few courses at the Governor's mansion. The event was for file://www.projectpave.org/, a organisation promoting alternatives to youth violence through education. Chef Greg Barnill from the Broadmoor along with Joe, Phil and myself prepared and served this menu in a amazing setting.





Walking into the house was like stepping back into time. The dinning room had a large wooden table with very fine linen and set with china from the 1800 and 1900's.


The kitchen was nicely updated with a large buthcer block and a commercial stove. It reminded me of the Beard House kitchen before the remodel a few years ago.


There was a long corridor behind the dinning room where staff could move freely as they cleared plates and poured wine. The dinner went perfect. Chef Greg's dishes were based on Colorado ingredients, solid in flavors and technique. My dishes were challenging with some surprising textures and flavors. It was a perfect balance of new and old styles. It was a quite a honor to be there, we found out that it is a very rare site to see outside chefs come in and cook. The staff of the house always takes care of all functions, they made a exception for us and I will never forget it. We ended our evening sipping Colorado distilled whiskey with the Governor and his wife.

The Governor’s Dinner
with Colorado Governor & First Lady Bill & Jeannie Ritter
Benefiting Project Pave
Honored Guest David Scanavino & Friends

Amuse Course
Seared Ahi in Wonton Cup with Chucka Salad Wasabi Tobiko Caviar
Paired with Philieponnat Brut Royal Rose, Rems Champagne

Salad Course
Compressed vegetable Salad with Colorado Goat Cheese Marbles and Balsamic caviar
Paired with Cakebread Sauvignon Blanc

Fish Course
Smoked Colorado Trout with Apple Textures and Tempura Cranberries
Paired with Cakebread Reserve Chardonnay

Intermezzo
Wild Strawberry and Yuzu Sorbet with Frozen Olive Oil Dust
"The Floating Egg"

Meat Course One
Juniper Crusted Colorado Elk with Maple Roasted Root Vegetables and Colorado Chokecherry JusPaired with Cakebread Syrah

Meat Course Two
Grilled Colorado Bison with Blue Cheese Crust, morel mushroom ragout and stone ground grits
Paired with Cakebread Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Dessert Course
Chocolate Cinnamon Flan with Homemade Churros and Hazelnut Cream
Paired with Monastrell, Olivars, Jumilla Spain

Presenting Chef’s
Greg Barnhill, Executive Chef, Charles Court, The Broadmoor
Ian Kleinman, Executive Chef, The O’s Steak and Sea Food, Westin
Joe Hubbard, CPA, Sommelier, Chef at Anne Hubbard’s Kitchen
Sommelier, Phil Laramore, Baroness Distributing & Insatiable Wines