Feasting at Keystone Resort’s Winter Culinary Festival

A couple of weeks have passed since I last visited Keystone for their Winter Culinary Festival. I remember a lot of great things about my last visit, such as seeing old friends, meeting new ones, getting to experience the resort in a new way, the spa, the sparkling wine, and the food. Oh my goodness, the food.

You would wonder why I would be so shocked at the amount of food, considering that I was at a culinary festival and all.

But, this wasn’t just a lot of food, this was a showcasing of some of the best food, by the best chefs in the area. There was no skimpy on flavor or quantities here. Keystone’s culinary community had prepared their very best and were presenting it with pride.

The Winter Culinary Festival, only a weekend long, is packed with a lot to do. Presentations hosted by some of the resorts best chefs and sommeliers not only provided a great-insight into the passion they each have for their craft, but were also incredibly educational.

At a cooking demo led by Keystone’s Executive Pastry Chef, Ned Archibald, attendees got some tips on how to shape chocolate, what the best chocolate went well with what ingredients, and even got to taste a chocolate dish made on the spot.

At a “Decadent Wellness” seminar presented by the Keystone Spa provided attendees with an information on the benefits of wellness. Here we learned stress reduction and massage techniques while sampling savory spa cuisine with wine pairing. We also received a 20% off spa coupon.

At a Champagne Seminar hosted at The Ranch, we sipped sparkling wine, while learning about the history and various kinds of wines and champagnes around the world. Watch the interview below for more coverage on this fun event!

These were just three of several other demos and seminars hosted during the weekend. At $15 each, guests were able to really walk away with a true experience of Keystone’s culinary scene without spending a fortune.

All of these smaller events led up to the Grand Tasting, the final major event of the festival where the restaurants and chefs came together to showcase the best their eateries have to offer. For $100 guests were able to drink and eat to their heart’s content, as well as meet and greet the masters behind their favorite dishes.

I had the honor of interviewing a few of my favorite chefs as well and hope you enjoy the video of our conversations below.

The Winter Culinary festival is just one of several similar festivals the resort hosts throughout the year. Another major festival, and one which several people made mention of during my time there takes place in the warmer months.

Stay tuned to annoucements made on the Keystone Resorts website for information on these and other upcoming events, and when heading to Keystone Resort expect to be delighted not only by the views, the people, and all the fun activities they have to offer year round, but also by the great dishes from their fabulous culinary masters in their featured restaurants. And mark your calendar for next year’s Winter Culinary Festival, is an event you will not want to miss!

For photos of the festival please check out our Flickr page:

Disclosure: Individual travel and accommodations were provided courtesy of Keystone Resort for the purpose of this review. The views and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. For more information please refer to the disclosure page.

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