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After more than a decade, the Five Colorado is expanding to include members outside of Denver and Boulder. The team of five chefs and two beverage experts forms each year since 2007 to represent Denver’s dining community at area events, at the Aspen Food & Wine festival in June, and at the James Beard House in New York City in October. This year’s Five festivities will kick off April 9 with a dinner at Hinman’s Bakery. Four more dinners will follow throughout the year, and they’re open to the public.
The 2018 Colorado Five members are Elan Wenzel, chef and owner of Element Knife Company; John Hinman of Hinman’s Bakery; Josh Niernberg of Grand Junction restaurants Bin 707 Foodbar, Dinner Party, and Taco Party (see daily changing apps, tacos, and soft-serve); Chris Jakubiec, formerly of The Art hotel and now owner of Hutch Supper Club; and Spencer White, chef and co-owner of Dio Mio. The beverage team this year is made up of cocktail expert Steven Waters, who will open Run For the Roses later this year at the Dairy Block; and sommelier Kendra Anderson, who late last year opened Bar Helix in RiNo.
Choosing the team each year is local restaurant consultant Leigh Sullivan. “Since 2007, FIVE™ has been a dedicated collaboration between Colorado’s most influential chefs in an effort to put our state’s exceptional regional cuisine on the national culinary map,” Sullivan writes on the project’s website. Check back there for dinner announcements and updates.