Where to get ‘incredibly delicious’ pecan pie, a last-minute turkey, a box of local produce – or take notes for next year if your favorites are sold out.
The new Lady Boss Festival celebrates women in the food, beverage and hospitality industries those who take charge and rise up within their professions. The Colorado chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier International created the event in order to honor twelve female professionals in the state who are leaders in restaurants, agriculture, food retail and other fields. And while the inaugural event was virtual this year for approximately 45 members and sponsors, Les Dames already has the date planned for next year’s in-person event.
“We want to do something fun but also educational,” says Lori Tieszen, chair of the Lady Boss committee. The 2022 in-person festival will be a time to teach and honor women making an impact within the culinary world. And it will also be a moment to raise funds for scholarships aimed at supporting young women in pursuing education in culinary-related fields.
Some restaurants serve food grown on local farms. Eric and Jill Skokan moved their restaurant, Black Cat Bistro, to their own farm at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. Some restaurants compost. The Skokans are using compost to help heat the dining cabanas that have kept guests at their farm cozy all winter.
These are just a few of the things that the Skokans have accomplished over the past year that recently earned Black Cat the Virginia Patterson Business of the Year award from the Boulder Chamber. Just about the only thing they haven t done is reopen the dining rooms of Black Cat Bistro and its sibling, Bramble & Hare, both on the Pearl Street Mall in downtown Boulder. But that could happen soon, too.