by Caleb Stento
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The Taste of Ouray certainly lived up to expectations; people came, they saw, they ate, taste buds were pleased.
The Ouray Chamber Resort Association (OCRA) provided an estimate that over 500 people came through the Ouray Community Center last Wednesday night. In addition to the partakers, local vendors had a strong turnout.
Heidi Pankow, OCRA Marketing Director, said, “We have so many amazing restaurants and caterers for such a small town. And, they go out of their way to provide an amazing tasting experience for locals and visitors. People come up to us before and after the event and tell us it’s their favorite event and look forward to it every single year.”
Lines of eager folks from Durango, Montrose, Grand Junction and, of course, Ouray County tasted their way around the community center and voted for their favorites of the evening.
“We had one lady who was taking notes to decide what place she wanted to come back and have dinner at,” Pankow said.
Winners included:
The Outlaw – Best Savory Dish
Saloon at the Historic Western Hotel – Best Sweet Treat
Creekside Café at the Ouray KOA – Best Vendor overall
This year, the Ouray Community Cupcake War’s theme was “My favorite thing about Ouray.” Taking the cake, were:
Michelle Poirier of the Blue Pear in the Business Category
Peggy Cox in the Adult Category
Hannah Pankow for her representation of the Ouray Hot Springs Pool in the Kids Category
Of course, the annual Ouray Culinary Master Chef’s competition was another exciting highlight of the evening. Chefs Charlie Bartosek of the Ore House Restaurant at the Beaumont Hotel in Ouray (reigning champion) and Adrian Musgrove of the Four Corners Café at the Chipeta Solar Springs Resort in Ridgway battled it out with local foods and meats.
Judges were obviously seasoned vets of the eating game. Several references to the hit show “Chopped” were proof. After chewing on it for a bit, judges served up the decision in flavor of Chef Adrian. Score cards revealed a close race with only a three point margin of victory.
OCRA is pushing for more participants in next year's competition. “We were hoping for a bunch of local chefs to face off,” said Kat Papenbrock, OCRA operations director. “But it was two super talented guys facing off in the kitchen with their respective sous chefs.”
“We really want to challenge the local chefs to step it up next year and get in the ring. We’ve got more talent out there and people need to not be shy.”