More than 20 top Denver chefs will put their exceptional skills to use in competition to win Best Dish for a worthy cause during the 34th Annual Great Chefs of the West on Thursday, March 16, 6 p.m., at the Denver Marriott City Center. March is National Kidney Month, and the culinary event’s purpose is to raise funds for the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) and increase awareness about the prevention and treatment of kidney disease.
Great Chefs of the West will be Denver’s foodie event of the season on the heels of Restaurant Week. Among participating restaurants are Tommy Lee-owned Hop Alley and Uncle, reviewed as top restaurants in Denver by 5280 Denver Magazine. Liz Farrall, executive sous chef at Uncle, says she is “thrilled” to be a 2017 Chef Chair at Great Chefs of the West along with Blake Edmunds, executive sous chef at Bar Dough. Ms. Farrall is especially motivated to continue giving by cooking at this year’s event. She donated one of her kidneys to her mother in 2014.
“This is a cause near and dear to me personally, as I was able to give the gift of life…” Ms. Farrall said. “Being able to save my mother’s life was the best thing that I have ever done, and most people don’t realize that they have the ability to do this, too. We are all given two kidneys, but we only need one functioning kidney to live a healthy life,” she added.
The complete list of restaurants that will be featured are: Bar Dough, The Bindery, Brazen, Charcoal, D Bar Denver, Highland Tap & Burger, Hop Alley, Interstate Kitchen + Bar, Kachina Southwestern Grill, Max Gill and Grill, Max’s Wine Dive, The Populist, The Oceanaire Seafood Room, range, The Rib House, Rioja, Root Down, The Squeaky Bean, Table 6, TAG, The Telegraph, Truffle Table, Uncle, Work & Class and more to come! The chefs are encouraged to pull out all the stops in the competition. They pair their food with beverages by local producers. Enotec Imports, a Denver-based Italian fine wine import company, will provide wine pairings for each dish. Signature cocktails, craft beer by Avery Brewing Company, and coffee from Copper Door Coffee also will be served. The Teresa Carroll Jazz Trio, a local favorite, will be featured along with exciting live and silent auctions.
Tickets are $200 and available now at www.kidney.org/greatchefswest. A portion of each ticket is tax deductible.
Facts about Kidney Disease: 1 in 3 American adults is at risk for kidney disease. 26 million American adults have kidney disease—and nearly 90% aren’t aware of it. Risk factors for kidney disease include diabetes, high blood pressure, family history, and age 60+. People of African American; Hispanic; Native American, Asian; or Pacific Islander descent are at increased risk for developing the disease. African Americans are 3 ½ times more likely, and Hispanics 1 ½ times more likely, to experience kidney failure.