Chef Alex Seidel
Pairing Dinner May 12; Grand Tasting May 14
Join the University of Denver’s Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Management May 12 and 14 for the 10th annual DU Vin Festival with Cossack Family Guest Chef Alex Seidel. Seidel is the most recent Denver-based winner of the James Beard Award and chef-owner of restaurants Fruition, Mercantile, Füdmill and Chook.
DU Vin is Fritz Knoebel’s signature event where the public samples amazing food and wine, and students test the skills they’ve learned over the course of their program. The DU Vin dinner is Thursday, May 12, from 6-9 p.m. Guests begin the evening with hors d’oeuvres paired with sparkling wine, and once seated, are served a custom four-course food and wine pairing dinner.
The dinner is chosen by the guest chef. Seidel’s many accolades include Food & Wine magazine’s Best New Chef in 2010 and Chef of the Year titles from local media including Denver Magazine and 5280. Seidel was awarded the 2018 James Beard Foundation Best Chef: South West. In addition to his restaurants, Seidel owns Fruition Farms Creamery, Colorado’s first artisan sheep’s milk creamery, located in Larkspur, Colorado.
Seidel began his culinary career at 14 and, by age 20, worked as sous chef at Racine’s Main Street Bistro. He attended culinary school at Western Culinary Institute in Portland, Oregon, finishing at the top of his class.
Under Seidel’s direction, the Fritz students will plan, prepare and execute the evening. Students are paired with refugees or immigrants who are in the Ready for American Hospitality (RAH) program. RAH prepares refugees and immigrants for jobs in hospitality while giving DU students experience in hiring and developing human capital. The award-winning program is a partnership between Fritz Knoebel and the Ethiopian Community Development Council’s African Community Center.
The DU Vin Grand Tasting is Saturday, May 14, from 1-4 p.m. Guests will sample more than 100 wines and food from Knoebel Events. DU Vin is the signature event in Denver for Republic National Distributing of Colorado, the DU Vin Festival’s beverage sponsor.
“The Fritz Knoebel students shine at this event,” says David Corsun, director of Fritz Knoebel. “The DU Vin Festival is one of Fritz Knoebel’s really special student-driven events. It is planned and executed by the juniors and seniors in a couple of our courses. They do an outstanding job.”
Event Details:
Date: Thursday, May 12 – Dinner
Time: 5:45-9 p.m.
Price: $135 per person
$1,080 per table of eight
Date: Saturday, May 14 – Grand Tasting
Time: 1-4 p.m.
Price: $55
Buy Tickets: daniels.du.edu/duvin-festival/
Location: Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Management, Joy Burns Center
2044 East Evans Avenue, Denver, Colorado 80208
The dinner is served and managed by students majoring in hospitality management at Fritz Knoebel and all proceeds support the RAH program and student scholarships.