Dine in an aspen grove at a Colorado ski resort this fall
4X4 tour and gourmet luncheon part of new Epicurean Adventure event at Beaver Creek
Beaver Creek Restor/Courtesy photo
If you’ve ever stopped in the middle of an aspen grove, especially during the fall when the leaves are changing, you know how magical of a place that can be.
That is what David Gutowski thought when he was asked to come up for a new offering for Beaver Creek’s inaugural Epicurean Adventure, which is a multi-day food festival encompassing what Beaver Creek Resort has to offer held Sept. 21 through Sept. 23.
“I love fall and I’ve been dying to do a lunch in the middle of the woods, and I envisioned a super rustic gathering where we can show people how awesome fall is,” said Gutowski, who is the senior manager of food and beverage and executive chef of Beaver Creek Resort.
Gutowski drove around this summer to look for spots and settled on a place near the top of Bachelor Gulch that still had views but also had cover from the aspens. The guests will be driven to that point by Beaver Creek’s knowledgeable 4×4 Jeep Tour drivers who will sprinkle in some historical and environmental points about Beaver Creek while the guests enjoy the scenery and possibly spot some wildlife. Once the Jeep arrives at the location, there will be a short walk down to the aspen grove, but along the way, guests will be treated to hors d’oeuvres and a cocktail.
Gutowski plans to serve up an appetizer made with veggies to keep it light for lunch and hopes to utilize the harvest for cocktail inspiration.
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“I am leaning toward something like a play on a Bellini where we can use peaches, nectarines or even apples. I’m not 100% sure, but it will be something that speaks to this time of year,” Gutowski said.
The luncheon menu will be sourced locally, even from Gutowski’s garden.
“I’ve been growing tomatoes all summer and on our menus it says that they are from my garden. I just took some green ones and pickled them so we’ll have a bunch of different variations of tomatoes for the luncheon,” Gutowski said.
The rest of the produce comes from a connection at a farm in Gypsum. Gutowski has worked with Chris LaVenture for years and uses her products at Beano’s Cabin and Citrea in Beaver Creek. They planned the menu around what they thought would be in season this time of year.
“I wanted to tie it all in and have the guests eat food from the valley so we have potatoes, carrots, corn, zucchini, squash coming from her garden. We’re going to use some local beef from Riley Romanin, executive chef at Hooked restaurant in Beaver Creek from his R Farm,” Gutowski said.
For dessert, Gutowski is sparing no effort and is going to make homemade ice cream on the mountaintop.
“I’m obsessed with the idea of having a scoop of ice cream in the middle of the woods with nothing around. So, we are going to make some brown butter ice cream to go with the caramelized Palisade peaches, and then I’m going to add that to a corn cake from the corn I got from Chris’ farm in Gypsum,” Gutowski said.
Hauling all the ingredients, utensils, serving plates and glassware, heating elements — and an ice cream maker — up to the top of Bachelor Gulch might be laborious, but Gutowski is up for the challenge.
“If you’re going to do something, you may as well go all-in on it. And since I was the one who said I really wanted to do this, I can’t short-cut it,” Gutowski said. “I just want to do something that we’ve never done before and give guests an experience that you could not have anywhere else because I kind of think that is our theme here at Beaver Creek.”
The Wild Luxury: 4×4 Tour and Gourmet Luncheon is limited to only 14 guests, so get your tickets for this event being held on Sept. 23. Other events include the Epicurean Adventure Golf Tournament and Cocktail Reception, farm-to-table dinners, hiking or horseback riding to lunch and more. To see the full schedule, go to BeaverCreek.com/SignatureEvents.