Tidbites | Week of Feb. 26, 2015

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DINNER AND A MOVIE

Lucky for us food freaks, the Boulder County dining scene will not be left out of the Boulder International Film Festival fun.

On Friday, March 6 from 6-7 p.m., seven local chefs will participate in CineCHEF, an event run by the film festival that challenges the chefs to “choose a movie theme and create film-inspired dishes for a fun and friendly competition.”

Participating chefs include Dave Query of Centro Latin Kitchen, Kyle Mendenhall of The Kitchen, Bradford Heap of Salt and Colterra, Kelly Kingsford of Brasserie Ten Ten and The Med, John Platt of RIFF’s, Radek Cerny of L’Atelier, and Alec Schuler from Arugula.

The chefs will create tasting stations and serve small plates based on their chosen theme. Wines from the Francis Ford Coppola Winery will be served, and Lucky’s Bakehouse pastry chef Jen Bush will supply desserts. There will be live music from Maxwell Hughes, formerly of The Lumineers, and directors, actors and producers will be at the event as well.

CineCHEF takes place at Rembrandt Yard on the corner of Spruce and 13th in Boulder, and tickets are $95, the proceeds of which benefit the Boulder International Film Festival. For tickets, visit www.biff1. com.

JAMES BEARD AWARD SEMIFINALISTS ANNOUNCED

The semifinalists for the 2015 James Beard Awards, which honor the best chefs and restaurants across the U.S., were announced on Feb. 18 and include several Front Range professionals.

In the Outstanding Restaurant category, Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder was nominated alongside 19 other restaurants. Frasca won a James Beard Award in 2013 for its wine program, and sommelier Bobby Stuckey won Wine Enthusiast magazine’s Sommelier of the Year award in January.

Frasca will now compete against national perennial contenders Per Se and Momofuku Noodle Bar in New York City, Spiaggia in Chicago, Acquerello in San Francisco and a number of newcomers.

Elsewhere, Steve Redzikowski of Oak at Fourteenth in Boulder was nominated for Best Chef in the southwest region. Last year, Redzikowski brought home Food & Wine magazine’s “People’s Best New Chef,” which is awarded based on public feedback to the magazine.

Joining Redzikowski in the category are Denver chef’s Dana Rodriguez of Work & Class, and Alex Seidel of Fruition. The southwest region includes Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and Utah.

The only other Denver nominee in any other category is Yasmin Lozada- Hissom at Spuntino for Outstanding Pastry Chef.

Finalists will be named March 24, and the winners will be crowned on April 24. The James Beard Foundation receives about 35,000 applications every year, and a committee of critics, writers and editors narrow down and judge the field.

CHEESE FOR CHARITY

The Art of Cheese in Longmont will be hosting its monthly “Cheese for Charity” class on Friday, Feb. 28 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

For $39, this month’s class includes demonstrations on how to make Brie and Camembert, which the shop says are easy to make. The class will be spent “highlighting the similarities and differences, and [participants] will also sample several other versions of mold-ripened cheeses including Saint Maure, which is coated in ash for a rich and pungent flavor.”

Half of the entry fee will be donated to charity. Attendees will have the opportunity to nominate their favorite charity, tell the class about it, and then the students will vote on which charity to donate to this month. For more information, visit www.theartofcheese.com.

Respond: letters@boulderweekly.com