Each year well over a thousand food and wine fanatics gather in Park City Utah to wine and dine up and down Main Street, with a culmination event, the Grand Tasting, at Canyons Resort. It’s truly a weekend of indulgence as lucky ticket holders have a chance to sample some of Park City’s finest cuisine paired with more wine and spirits than you can imagine. I was fortunate enough to attend the Main Street Stroll, two seminars, a fabulous party, and the Grand Tasting. Whew! It was amazing! At the end of the weekend, I was looking forward to a little R&R, and perhaps a soak in a bubbling hot tub!
Chef Daniel Joly Created Delicious Dishes Infused With Beer
The Park City Food & Wine Classic is loaded with amazing ticketed seminars that a limited number of participants can enjoy while learning about wine, champagne, cooking, pairing, beer, and many other interesting wine and food related topics. I happened to attend a seminar on cooking with beer. Now, this may sound as if we were cooking brats and eating cheese curds, however, you would be surprised! The guest celebrity Chef, Daniel Joly, taught is how to cook delicious mango and lobster tacos infused with Hoogarten beer, braised buffalo with vegetables sauteed in Stella Artois, and light and creamy ice cream created with Leffe beer. The tastes were all quite surprising, and engaging “Beer Sommelier” that was present to assist provided participants with loads of beer facts, history, and pouring tips (down the center, not on the side of the glass!).
Sampling Wine On The Wine Stroll
After the seminar, a group of us took a walk up and down Main Street and enjoyed the Main Street Stroll event. Participants were able to leisurely walk up and down Main Street entering in to art galleries and outdoor stroll stops and enjoy gourmet food bites provided by some of Park City’s best restaurants all paired with a multitude of wines and spirits. What a fun way to spend a beautiful evening in Park City! It also was a reminder of how many beautiful and unique art galleries and shops we have lining our Main Street – it truly is amazing! Gazing at fabulous art while sipping on delicious wine is not a bad way to spend a Friday evening!
Finally, Friday evening was capped off with a festive event – a party hosted by the Cayman Islands! The 4th floor Sky Blue lounge, located at the corner of Main Street and Heber Avenue, was decorated with beautiful palm trees, live parrots, and in the center of it all; Chefs flown in from the islands charged with whipping up some island favorites for party goers to sample. Guests enjoyed delicious tropical drinks, and were inspired by the steel drum music floating through the air – if you closed your eyes, you almost felt like you were transported to the Caribbean!
As if that all wasn’t enough, after another interesting seminar addressing healthy eating and white wine, we were off to the grandaddy event – the Grand Tasting! The Resort Village at Canyons resort was transformed in to a large-scale tasting area where patrons could again sample delicious food, wine, spirits and beer. The local food being sampled was truly amazing – the talented Chef’s we have working in our Park City restaurants would wow even the pickiest foodie. Each taste was a journey; from pork belly from Easy Street to shrimp and grits from Silver – there was something for everyone! Although the afternoon was put on hold briefly as a short downpour of rain passed by to cool everyone off, it was a beautiful day filled with great food, a wide array of wine, and great friends. Park City truly does have something for everyone! With festivals focusing on wine, food, art and music, there is always something to look forward on the calendar! Next up? The Deer Valley Music Series kicks off this weekend with the Utah Symphony’s’ tribute to Michael Jackson. We’ll be there with our picnic basket ready to enjoy a night under the stars in Deer Valley! What will you next adventure in Park City be?
About Jim Bizily
I am an outdoor enthusiast, parent of two awesome boys, and Property Manager in beautiful Park City, Utah. After years in engineering and entrepreneurial projects, I decided to move to Park City Utah to start a business managing lodging and vacation rentals.
