Local youth organization takes first place in Taste of Vail event
Zach Mahone/Courtesy photo
As the Taste of Vail’s Apres in the Streets of Vail tasting event was gearing up to greet hordes of food and wine enthusiasts for a day of delicious tastings, heavy competition was taking place in the judges’ tent right off Solaris Plaza.
Your humble narrator, joined by a local restauranteur, a local rancher, a manager of one of Vail’s esteemed fine dining establishments and a Boulder-based foodie journalist discerningly devoured 15 servings of beef in The Fitch Ranch Head to Tail Beef Apres Tasting, quietly taking notes and picking favorites to determine who would rule the streets that day.
As deliberations are kept to a minimum in a blind tasting, the subtle sounds of amazement bouncing off the tent walls during one dish hinted at an obvious favorite. The real surprise came later, after the judges left the tent and learned that this year’s winner was at the hands of a local youth organization.
Under the mentorship of Executive Chef Santosh Koradi of the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek, the kids of YouthPower365, a program headed by the nonprofit Vail Valley Foundation, wowed the judges and guests with the most impressive creation of the day while representing 8100 Mountainside Bar & Grill. The dish – juniper berries and sambuca sirloin gravlax with potato waffles, yuzu caviar and micro greens – was served with superior artistry and delivered a tantalizing array of distinct flavors in one single bite.
Forming a winning team of 15 kids and one other colleague from the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek is perhaps the only part where Koradi takes credit. “I’m the supporter and they are the main leaders today,” Koradi said. “All the kids said, ‘Chef, this is one of the best dishes we’re going to be doing for the Taste of Vail.’ I said, ‘Okay, let’s do this.’ So that’s all about all the ideas came.”
Support Local Journalism
“And that’s the reason I say, ‘You guys are going to be driving today. I’m going to help and support.'”
Koradi has a history of donating his time and expertise to the kids in YouthPower365. Last summer, he led the group in preparing 11,000 meals in its Future Leaders Camp for incoming students in grades one through eight. Earlier this year, Koradi introduced some of these young cooks to celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern at the Beaver Creek Winter Culinary Weekend, further helping educate and inspire young locals with an interest in culinary arts.
The runner-ups
While each of the 15 dishes had their merits, there were also some clear runner-ups that kept the competition tight. In second place was Leonora with tongue & cheek salsa verde, lime crema, pickled onions, salsa roja and cilantro. Third place was a tie between Revel Lounge with their 24-hour sous vide tri tip with papaya salad, fried garlic and grated black truffles, and a guest chef from Makan in Mexico City with a savory and sweet take on beef rendang.
