Aspen Food + Wine CLASSIC
Celebrating 40 years of a great weekend party
Oh, Aspen. A wildly gorgeous, not-so-easy to get to (if you’ve flown into Aspen…you know) bucolic, expensive mountain enclave that is totally worth visiting. If you love nature and are so lucky to be able to have an extended stay, in any season, I think you will fall deeply in love.
Sitting on the Roaring Fork River, and surrounded by 4 incredible ski mountains, the stunning little town of Aspen has everything: great restaurants, culture, music, art, and for 40 years has been home to the creme de la creme of wine and food events: the Aspen Food + Wine CLASSIC.
A (or the) premier culinary event that takes place in Aspen over three days with cooking demonstrations, wine and spirits tastings, panel discussions, and LOTS of parties, and draws the top talent in the US celebrity food and wine worlds. It has been happening for 40 YEARS now. What?!?! That is wild to me. However, a great party shall not be denied (except RIP Pebble Beach - see more on that below).
Think, walking down the street and passing Gail Simmons, Guy Fieri, Jacques Pepin, Giada DeLaurentis, and Bobby Flay….and you have landed at the CLASSIC.
Let me share a little personal secret with you.
When I decided I was going to move to Portland, Oregon in 2006 to “be in the wine business” I had some goals. To work for a winery and learn all I could about the process of making great wine. To bring my communications, marketing, and development/event planning skills to a winery and do my best to create incredible experiences for guests.
But, one of my biggest goals? To attend and be fully immersed in a CLASSIC: Aspen Food + Wine event.
I had been a die-hard Food + Wine magazine reader for years. Having worked for a multi-James Beard award-winning chef for 6+ years and being exposed to and involved in high-end events as part of my job, CLASSIC: Aspen Food + Wine was my north star. I wanted to go and be a part of all the glamour I read about in the pages of the magazine.
In 2009, I got my wish times two and was a part of Pebble Beach Food + Wine, which was an incredible event that I loved very much and am sad is no longer, and I went to the CLASSIC in Aspen (the caps is how Food + Wine always refers to it in print so doing the same here) Food + Wine for the first time.
In no way did these events disappoint. I would go on to attend Pebble Beach Food + Wine for several years and really enjoyed that event immensely. I’m sad to say that it no longer exists, not coming back after the Covid shutdown in 2020. Pebble Beach is a stunningly gorgeous part of the world and I write about it in this post, California Dreamin’. Staying at the Inn at Spanish Bay was so dreamy (a TRUE luxury experience) and the activities, dinners, and events were all so delicious and fun.
The Aspen CLASSIC was everything I thought it would be, and more, and I absolutely adored attending and working (I went with wineries I represented) and was able to attend things like the Publisher’s Party (at the top of Aspen Mountain) and a big bottle party thrown the Thursday before the event officially begins, as well as many fun parties, tastings, and gatherings around the town. I brushed shoulders and made small talk with many celebs, who were awesome, and also met some of the most enthusiastic, lovely guests of the CLASSIC to chat all things wine and food. I drank champagne and ate frites until the wee hours, and almost ran into (literally) a bear, walking home barefoot late at night. To say the CLASSIC was never a dull moment is an understatement.
There is always a cool party happening somewhere, all the time, over the three days of the “official schedule”.
During my visits for the CLASSIC, I would typically go into Aspen for 2-3 days prior to the event and spend time eating at the restaurants I love before they were too crowded, and just enjoying the gentle buzz of the town. Then it would ramp up Thursday to Sunday for the official event and I would stay, depending on my schedule, for another 2-3 days to unwind and soak up as much of the mountain air and gorgeous hikes as possible.
So, when people learn that I have been to the CLASSIC, I often get asked “Is it worth it?”
If you love food and wine, watch TOP CHEF religiously, enjoy posh mountain towns then I would say 10000% YES.
But, I will also say Aspen is worth visiting outside of the CLASSIC as well.
I’ve visited Aspen quite a few times over the last 10-15 years. I’ve gone for wonderful trips in the autumn (I highly recommend early autumn for a visit if you want the town “less crowded” and love breath-taking scenery) a couple of times, for F+W in June, and in August to visit my son, who was the production manager for Aspen Music Festival for two summers, living there from May-September. June is still considered late spring in Aspen, as the snow has been known to still fall into May in the past, so I’ve been autumn, spring, and summer.
I have never been in winter, even though I grew up skiing and Aspen is known for winter being a ‘scene’, I’ve never been. Likely because it is booked up way in advance and can be very spendy.
Here is a short list of places to eat, drink, stay, and explore. I usually stay in an airbnb when I go to the CLASSIC but I have stayed at several of these hotels as well on other trips.
STAY:
St. Regis - I’ve personally stayed here and it is pretty wonderful. Easy walking to everything and high-end.
The Little Nell - THE PLACE - spendy, wonderful, amazing dining room. Walk out the door to the gondolas on Aspen Mountain. Soak up the luxury and power.
Hotel Jerome - I have not stayed but been to plenty of parties here. Hip and fun.
EAT:
My favorite place to eat since my first visit in 2004: The Wild Fig
I adore the Wild Fig. The owners are delightful. The food is fantastic. The scene is buzzy in season and perfectly local in shoulder season. I’ve sat at the bar and had the best convos with people. I kind of compare it to the feeling I get at Buvette in NYC (or London) which is very “neighborhood-y but also Hi to famous A-list celebrities quietly reading the paper”. J’adore!
Meat & Cheese - this was the first place my son took me to when I visited him in Aspen and it’s great. “World farmhouse” is how the owner describes it.
Bosq - gem of a bistro
J Bar at the Jerome Hotel - great cocktails, snacks, and dinner. Locals and the international crowd meet and mingle.
Rooftop Cafe at the Aspen Art Museum - go for the museum itself for contemporary collections and stay for the bistro which is buzzy and yum.
Matsuhisa - a must.
Ajax Tavern at the Little Nell - fries and people watching
Clarks Oyster Bar - summer time and the living is easy with the seafood centric staple
HOT TIP FOR ASPEN:
THE BEARS - there are lots of bears in Aspen. Not just “around” the town but IN TOWN. Be on the lookout and know before you go.
HOT TIP FOR FOOD + WINE EVENTS:
Again, I am so sad that Pebble Beach F+W is no longer but I feel like the newly formed Ojai Food + Wine could be a strong contender. It looks AMAZING. Late October in Ojai is pretty darn dreamy. I feel like I can confidently recommend this event even without attending.