Feast for Food Fanatics in Gunnison County, Colorado

Flavors of Gunnison kicks off a gourmet spring, summer & fall on April 20 - 29

GUNNISON-CRESTED BUTTE, Colo. (April 17, 2012) - Great food and Colorado's Gunnison County go hand in hand (or hand to mouth!).  Not only do Crested Butte, Mt. Crested Butte, Gunnison and Almont have more than 80 restaurants, the valley has a calendar of culinary events sure to please any culinary aficionado.

Schedule of Culinary Events
April 20 - 29 - Flavors of Gunnison (Restaurant Deals for $18.80)
June 8 - 15 - Crested Butte Restaurant Week (Restaurant & Lodging Deals)
June 10 - October 14 - Crested Butte Farmers' Market, Elk Avenue, Crested Butte (Sundays)
June 23 - November 3 - Gunnison Farmers' Market, Virginia & Main Street (last 4 weeks at Fred R.
Field Western Heritage Center), Gunnison (Saturdays)
June 24 - September  9 - Tour de Forks, Various Gunnison-Crested Butte Valley Locations
August 3 - 5 - Crested Butte Arts Festival Culinary Events, Crested Butte
August 20 - Chefs on the Edge Competition, Crested Butte
September 8 - Fall Festival of Beers & Chili Cook-Off, Mt. Crested Butte

Flavors of Gunnison, April 20 - 29
This new event focuses on the stellar dining scene in Gunnison, a college town and county seat, and plays off the incorporation date of 1880.  Look for $18.80 dining specials and 18.80 percent off discounts from April 20 - 29 at Mario's Pizza & Pasta, 5 Bs BBQ, House of China, Twisted Fork, Gunnisack Cowboy Bistro, Palisades, El Pueblo Bonito, Blue Iguana, The Trough, Taco Bell, Almont Resort, El Paraiso, Dos Rios Golf Club, Garlic Mike's, Pie-Zans Pizzeria, Pizza Hut, Ol' Miner Steakhouse, Rare Air Café (Western State College), The Power Stop and Brick Cellar Bar & Bistro.  Flavors of Gunnison is sponsored by the Gunnison Country Chamber of Commerce and The Gunnison Country Shopper.  For information, call (970) 641-1501 or visit www.gunnisonchamber.com

Crested Butte Restaurant Week, June 8 - 15
The second annual Crested Butte Restaurant Week will provide culinary aficionados with great dining and lodging deals from June 8 - 15.  Diners and overnight guests in Crested Butte, situated at 8,885 feet above sea level, can revel and relax to their hearts' content for the price of $88.85 for meals or lodging.  Participating restaurants will offer multi-course dinners for $88.85 for a party of four, or $22.21 per person.  Establishments that do not serve dinner will provide multi-course lunch promotions for $8.85.  Special lodging rates will be available starting at $88.85 per night.  Prices do not include tax and gratuity. Participating businesses and menus will be posted at www.crestedbutterestaurantweek.com. 

11th Annual Tour de Forks, June 24 - September 9
Tour de Forks 2012 is ready to celebrate the summer and fall in style, running from June 24 - Sept. 9.  With locations ranging from beautiful mountain homes and stunning outdoor vistas, the gourmet dining series promises culinary delights and architectural summits.  Twenty themed events will be prepared and delivered by local and visiting chefs in tandem with local hosts.  A few examples are a TeePee Party at the Hidden Mine Ranch with Nashville singer/songwriter inductee Dean Dillon, an intimate concert with music legend Richie Furay from the pivotal rock group Buffalo Springfield, an exclusive guided hike at the homestead of the Roaring Judy Ranch and a ghost tour dinner on Elk Avenue in downtown Crested Butte.

Another favorite is Chefs on the Edge on Aug. 20, where two chefs from the Crested Butte Valley will square off with a renowned Denver chef on stage at Crested Butte Center for the Arts to decide who will win the 2012 title.  Each event is individually priced and includes gourmet cuisine, fine wines and other beverages; reservations are required.  Brochures and reservation forms are posted at www.crestedbuttearts.org or call (970) 349-7487.  These events frequently sell out so register early.

Crested Butte Arts Festival Culinary Events, August 3 - 5
The 40th annual Crested Butte Arts Festival continues to expand its culinary offerings, kicking off with the Art of the Ride on Aug. 3 from noon to 4 p.m. A bike ride with local biking celebrities, bike maintenance clinic from Peak Sports and Oskar Blues Brewery beer tasting are the focus of this unique event.  A Farm to Table Dinner on Aug. 4 from 7 - 10 p.m. will pair a Colorado farmer with a Colorado chef for each course.  The culinary arts also will permeate the festival on Saturday and Sunday with free chef demonstrations and tastings inside the culinary demonstration tent from 11:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.  A distillers' event, with a focus on Colorado spirits, is being planned with the date and time to be announced soon.  As the festival nears, visit www.crestedbutteartsfestival.com to view a full schedule of culinary events and chef demonstrations and to purchase tickets.

Fall Festival of Beers & Chili Cook-Off, September 8
Get into the spirit of autumn with Mt. Crested Butte's annual Fall Festival of Beers & Chili Cook-Off held on Sept. 8 at the base of Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) ski area.  Heat up by sampling great chili prepared by area cook-off contestants, cool off with beers poured by several microbreweries and savor live music all afternoon.  For admission costs and times, contact the Crested Butte-Mt. Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce at (800) 814-8893 and visit www.cbchamber.com.  

Dinner Float Trip
Enjoy the area's only dinner cruise, Rocky Mountain style!  Start out at Three Rivers Resort in Almont by 4 p.m. and enjoy a 10-mile scenic float trip on the Gunnison River to Garlic Mike's Restaurant for a delicious Italian dinner. The cost is $65 per person and $40 for children ages 10 and under and includes the float trip, vehicle shuttle and a voucher for up to $27 per adult and $10 per child (age 10 and under) for Garlic Mike's.  Anything above those amounts, including tip, is additional and payable at the restaurant.  The total time required is approximately three hours.  The trip is available seven nights a week with at least 24 hours notice and a minimum of four people.  To book, call Three Rivers Resort at (888) 761-3474.

Cooking Classes
Mike Busse, owner/chef of Garlic Mike's and 2009 winner of the local Chefs on the Edge competition, hosts demonstration-style classes at Interiors with Oohs & Aahs' demonstration kitchen in downtown Gunnison. Or gather your own group of at least eight participants to book a class that promises to be entertaining, tasty and full of zest.  Busse also has been named the people's choice winner for best chef in Gunnison every year since 2001.  To inquire, contact Mike at (970) 641-2493 or mikegarlic@aol.com.  Also visit www.garlicmikes.com.

Farmers' Markets
Farmers' markets in Gunnison and Crested Butte have become favorite places to shop for fresh regional produce, preserves, baked goods and other tasty treats on summer and fall weekends.  On Saturdays, the Gunnison Farmers' Market takes place from 9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. at Virginia and Main Street (June 23 - Oct. 6) and the Fred R. Field Western Heritage Center multi-purpose room (Oct. 13 - Nov. 3).  Go to www.gunnisonfarmersmarket.com for the details.  On Sundays, June 10 - Oct. 14, the Crested Butte Farmers' Market is on Elk Avenue between First and Second Streets from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.  Visit www.cbfarmersmarket.org for information.

Visitor Information & Personalized Vacation Packages

To request visitor information or to book personalized vacation packages, visit www.GunnisonCrestedButte.com or call (800) 814-8893.  Also find the Tourism Association on Facebook at www.facebook.com/gcbta or follow us on www.twitter.com/gcbta.  During summer and fall, air access to the Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport is provided by United Airlines.

About Gunnison-Crested Butte, Colorado

Gunnison-Crested Butte is nestled among almost two million acres of pristine wilderness in southwest Colorado.  Winter sports enthusiasts know the area for its world-class alpine skiing and snowboarding at Crested Butte Mountain Resort, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and ice fishing.  Gunnison-Crested Butte is also a haven for outdoor summer activities.  In the warmer months, visitors can choose from recreational activities such as hiking, climbing, mountain biking, boating, whitewater rafting, kayaking, fly-fishing, camping and horseback riding.  Year-round visitors enjoy distinctive restaurants, unique shops and stimulating cultural opportunities, and have a wide range of lodging options - from rustic inns to guest cabins and bed-and-breakfasts to full-service resort hotels. 

Gunnison, county seat and a real western town, is home to the Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport, Gunnison Whitewater Park, Gunnison Valley Observatory, Pioneer Museum and Western State College, which offers bachelor's and master's degrees in liberal arts and sciences and pre-professional fields.  Both Crested Butte and Gunnison have thriving historic central business districts packed with shopping and dining opportunities. 

Recognized as the "Official Wildflower Capital of Colorado" by the Colorado Legislature and one of the National Trust for Historic Preservation's "Dozen Distinctive Destinations" in 2008, Crested Butte is 28 miles from Gunnison and the site of rich mining, ranching and skiing heritage and home to the Crested Butte Mountain Heritage Museum and Mountain Bike Hall of Fame.  Only three miles up the road is the resort village of Mt. Crested Butte, home to the ski area, an active base area, the area's conference center, and outstanding hiking and biking trails. 

Marble is located in the Upper Crystal River Valley along the Elk Mountains and is the gateway to nearby Crystal, home to one of the most photographed mill sites in the country. Marble has seven sites on the National Register of Historic Places and is the location of the Yule Marble Quarry.

In Gunnison County, visitors will find the Curecanti National Recreation Area, where dinosaur fossils were recently discovered; the Blue Mesa Reservoir, Colorado's largest body of water and home to the largest Kokanee salmon fishery in the United States; and The Black Canyon of the Gunnison, one of our country's newest national parks.  Gunnison County includes the quaint and historic towns of Pitkin, Gothic, Tin Cup, Marble, Powderhorn, Almont and Crystal, plus the better-known communities of Gunnison, Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte.  Gunnison County is part of the West Elk Loop and Silver Thread Scenic & Historic Byways.

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Photo: Tour de Forks 

For a Word version of this press release, clickon the link below.

Contact:                        Beth Buehler                                        

Gunnison-Crested Butte Tourism Association                 

(970) 349-1168, (970) 901-6970 cell or bethbuehler@qwestoffice.net

http://www.gunnisoncrestedbutte.com/