2018 Colorado FIVE - chefs, sommeliers & mixologists.

Alum member of The Colorado FIVE, Chef Elan Wenzel and team are gearing up to cook dinner at The James Beard House in NYC. The 2018 team includes Chef Josh Niernberg, Chef Chris Jakubiec,

Hosted by Leigh Sullivan and her husband Travis Plakke, this is the 11th year FIVE has represented Colorado at The James Beard House. FIVE is a labor of love for Leigh, as she believes Colorado is on par with other major cities in the US. The culinary scene has truly blossomed in Colorado and the Denver metro area, in part because of Leigh’s FIVE. As well as running The Sullivan Restaurant Group, Leigh supports Colorado year after year despite her busy schedule. She’s known for her ability to wrangle Colorado’s top chefs, sommeliers, mixologists and food purveyors to produce 7 events by the FIVE team — 5 local dinners, Aspen Food & Wine Festival and the grand finale, dinner in Lower Manhattan’s James Beard House.

Each chef takes a turn hosting one of the local dinners. Hosting chef chooses theme and location. The team will then collaborate on a five-course dinner paired with wine and cocktails. Tickets are available for all of FIVE’s events, so please follow along on social media for links and tickets. As the year comes to a close, FIVE is honored and excited to represent Colorado in NYC.

The team will feature Colorado products like Western Slope fruits and vegetables as well as Colorado lamb, game meats and beef. Menu items such as Colorado Elk and Smoked Palisade Baby Beet Tartare, Palisade Umeboshi Apricot & Plum, and Dayspring Egg Yolk, exhibit this team's passion for excellence.

Stay tuned for future blogs as we explore each team member and reflect on another successful year of FIVE.