HISTORY 32 Years 1983 Founders Gary Plumley of the Grape and Grain in Aspen and Bob and Ruth Kevan of Chez Grandmere in Snowmass Village launch the Aspen/Snowmass International Wine Classic in June. Hosted by the Aspen Resort Association and Snowmass Resort Association and sponsored by American Express, the inaugural Classic attracts more than 300 people and is held in Aspen and Snowmass Village. 1986 Food & Wine Magazine becomes title sponsor of the Aspen/Snowmass International Wine Classic. 1987 Name is changed to Aspen/Snowmass Food & Wine Classic. Program is expanded to include food exhibitors, food authorities as speakers and cooking demonstrations by master chefs, in addition to wine tastings and seminars. More than 1,000 people attend the Classic. Annual concurrent trade program for restaurateurs is introduced, along with annual “Dining Out with the Winemaker Program.” “Great Chefs Dinner” features chefs Wolfgang Puck of Beverly Hills’ Spago Restaurant, Jimmy Schmidt of the Rattlesnake Club in Detroit, Michael Pieton of Four Seasons Hotel in Newport Beach and Gordon Naccarato of Gordon’s in Aspen. 1988 Program features wine experts Robert Finigan, Rory Callahan, Joshua Wesson, John Frederick Walker, Elin McCoy, Eunice Fried and Kevin Zraly, as well as master chefs Alex Patout, Bradley Ogden, Dean Fearing, Jasper White, Gordon and Rebecca Naccarato and Jim Dodge. Nearly 1,500 people attend the Classic. Food & Wine Magazine introduces “America’s Best New Chefs” award. 1989 Program features wine experts Coleman Andrews, Robert Finigan, Alexis Bespaloff, Rory Callahan, Joshua Wesson, David Rosengarten, John Frederick Walker, Elin McCoy, Barbara Ensrud, Eunice Fried and Kevin Zraly, as well as master chefs Bradley Ogden, Jimmy Schmidt, Hubert Keller, Robert Del Grande, Gordon and Rebecca Naccarato and Jim Dodge. Nearly 2,000 people attend Classic. American Express presents the third annual concurrent trade program for restaurateurs. 1990 Julia Child is featured speaker at what is now the most renowned event of its kind. Other chefs on program include Jim Dodge, Hubert Keller, Joyce Goldstein, Robert Del Grande, Robert McGrath, Emeril Lagasse and David Liederman. Wine experts include John Frederick Walker, Elin McCoy, Dan Berger, Bill St. John. Alexis Bespaloff, Rory Callahan, Coleman Andrews, Barbara Ensrud, Joshua Wesson and David Rosengarten. More than 2,500 attend the Classic. 1991 Celebrity chefs on program include Julia Child, Jacques Pépin, Patricia Wells, Marion Cunningham, Mark Miller, Bruce Cost and Penelope Casas. Wine authorities include Robert Parker, Jr., John Frederick Walker, Elin McCoy, Bill St. John, Alexis Bespaloff, Rory Callahan, Barbara Ensrud, Joshua Wesson and David Rosengarten. More than 2,500 people attend. 1992 Name is changed to Aspen Food & Wine Classic as event outgrows facilities in Snowmass Village and moves solely to Aspen for its tenth anniversary celebration. Celebrity speakers on the consumer program include Patricia Wells, Robert Parker, Jr., Jeremiah Tower, Giuliano Bugialli, Barbara Tropp, Nancy Silverton, Paula Wolfert, John Frederick Walker, Dan Berger, Bill St. John, David Rosengarten and Kevin Zraly. More than 3,000 people attend. Food & Wine Magazine’s “Top 25 Restaurants in America” awards are announced at a luncheon sponsored by Champagne Mumm. Recipients of the first Distinguished Restaurants of North America (DiRoNa) are honored at the Classic. 1993 The 11th Annual Aspen Food & Wine Classic celebrates an expanded all-star cast of more than 25 culinary masters and wine experts including Julia Child, Marcella Hazan, Patricia Wells, Robert Parker, Jr., Jacques Pépin, Marion Cunningham, Barbara Troop, Elin McCoy, John Frederick Walker, Victor Hazan, Rory Callahan and Joshua Wesson, to name a few. The event draws a 3,000-plus crowd of food and wine lovers and restaurateurs. 1994 The 12th Aspen Food & Wine Classic features cuisine and wine from nearly 30 food and wine experts, led by Julia Child, Marcella Hazan, Victor Hazan, Jacques Pépin, Patricia Wells, Marion Cunningham, Frank Prial and Alan Richman. Other participating food and wine authorities include Barbara Tropp, Stephen Pyles, Giuliano Hazan, Rory Callahan, Barbara Ensrud, James Galileo, Danny Meyer, John Frederieck Walker and Joshua Wesson, among others. Food & Wine Magazine’s Best New Chefs in America award honors Rick Tramonto and Gale Gand of Trio, Evanston, III, Greg Sonnier of Gabrielle, New Orleans; Robbin Haas, Colony Bistro in Miami; Michael Cordua of Churrascos in Houston; Allesandro Stratta, Marey Elaine’s in Scottsdale; Charles Wiley, The Boulders Resort, Carefree, Ariz.; Gerald Hirogoyen, Fringale, San Francisco; Reed Hearon of Lulu in San Francisco; Tamara Murphy, Champagne, Seattle; and Matthew Kenney of Matthew’s in New York City. Event draws more than 4,000 people. 1995 Having earned the reputation as the “granddaddy of them all” by the New York Times, the 13th Annual Food & Wine Magazine Class at Aspen continues to attract an all-star cast from around the world. Included are the renowned masters—Julia Child, Jacques Pépin, Marcella & Victor Hazan, Patricia Wells and Frank Prial—as well as other culinary leaders, including Gerald Hirigoyen, Barbara Troop, Zarela Martinez, Don Yamauchi and Penelope Casas, all of whom provide unique insights and cooking tips about ethnic cuisine and cooking styles. Event attracts record attendance of 5,000. Food & Wine Magazine’s “Best Chefs in America” awards, presented by Baileys Original Irish Cream, are given to nine rising stars including Terrance Brennan of Picholine, New York City; Charles Dale of Renaissance, Aspen; Traci Des Jardins of Rubicon, San Francisco; Clifford Harrison and Anne Quatrano of Bacchanalia, Atlanta; the late John Neal of Peristyle, New Orleans; Pascal Oudin of The Grand Café, Miami; John Schenk of Monkey Bar, New York City; and Hallman Woods of Le Rosier, New Iberia, LA. 1996 Now reputed to be the largest epicurean event of its kind in the country, the event attracted a capacity of 5,000 participants and was aired live on Good Morning America. Featuring a seminar or wine tasting for everyone, every minute of the day, the 14th Annual Food & Wine Magazine Classic at Aspen showcased 20 master chefs and 80 seminars on cooking, wine and industry trade programs. In addition, the Classic debuts its first-ever International Pavilion, including culinary and wine representatives from around the world including Portugal, Canada, France and Ireland. Ten recipients are announced and honored as Food & Wine Magazine’s “Best Chefs in America” and include: Scott Byran of Luma, New York City; Gilles Epie of L’Orangerie, Los Angeles; Maria Helm of PlumpJack Café, San Francisco; Matthew Lake of New Heights Restaurant, Washington, DC; Barbara Lynch of Galleria Italiana, Boston; Jim Moffat of 42º, San Francisco; Nick Morfogen of Ajax Tavern, Aspen; Monica Pope of Boulvard Bistro, Houston; Michael School of Café Louis, Boston; and Lance Dean Velasquez of 1848 House, Marietta, GA. 1997 The 15th Annual Food & Wine Magazine Classic at Aspen culminates in a panel discussion with Jacques Pépin and Julia Child, with culinary authorities posing questions for the master chefs to answer. Bobby Flay makes his first appearance at the Classic, joining other food and wine experts such as Marcella & Victor Hazan, Allen Susser, Robert M. Parket Jr., Joshua Wesson and the “Too Hot Tamales.” To help Food & Wine commemorate the 10th year of the Best New Chef award, more than 50 of the former recipients are reunited at the Classic. The Wall Street Journal devotes prominent coverage to the event. The number of participants hits maximum capacity, with more than 5,000 people in attendance. Ten recipients are honored as Food & Wine Magazine’s “Best New Chefs in America” and include: George W. Brown, Jr. of Seventeen in Dallas, TX; Josiah Citrin and Raphael Lunetta of JiRaffe in Santa Monica, CA; Tony Clark of Tony Clark’s in Philadelphia, PA; John Cochran of Rupperts in Washington, DC; Kelsie Kerr and Marsha McBride of Café Rouge in Berkeley, CA; Sotohiro Kosugi of Soto Japanese Restaurant in Atlanta, GA; Keith Luce of Spruce in Chicago, IL; Tim McKee of D’Amico Cucina in Minneapolis, MN; Daniel Patterson of Babette’s in Sonoma, CA; Dan Silverman of Alison on Dominick in New York, NY. 1998 Good Morning America is on hand once again, gaining live coverage of the 16th Annual Food & Wine Magazine Classic at Aspen. The Classic Cook-Off is introduced and becomes an instant hit featuring a cooking contest between Bobby Flay, Emeril Lagasse, Jacques Pépin and Susan Feniger. Other members of the all-star cast include Patricia Wells, Frank Prial, Joshua Wesson. Charlie Palmer, Mary Ewing Mulligan, and Andrea Immer. The number of participants is capped with more than 5,000 people in attendance (although demand remains higher). Food & Wine Magazine’s Best New Chefs in America for 1998: Oliver Altherr of Hoku’s in Honolulu, HI; Rene Michelena of La Bettola in Boston, MA; Danielle Custer of Laurels in Dallas, TX; Guillermo Pernot of Vega Grill in Philadelphia, PA; Trey Foshee of The Tree Room in Sundance, UT; Katy Sparks of Quilty’s in New York, NY; Lee Hefter of Spago Beverly Hills in Los Angeles, CA; Michael Symon of Lola Bistro in Cleveland, OH; Anne Kearnet of Peristyle in New Orleans, LA; Laurent Tourondel of the soon to open Cello in new York, NY. 1999 A complete redesign of the tents takes place for the 17th Annual Food & Wine Magazine Classic at Aspen, adding square footage and making room for more international participants such as New Zealand. More than 40 of the world’s foremost authorities on food and wine are on hand to make this one of the strongest epicurean line-ups ever to assemble. The culinary superstars include Mario Batali, Jacques Pépin, Patricia Wells, Bobby Flay, Jacques Torrés, Madhur Jaffrey, Dean Fearing, Too Hot Tamales, Danny Meyer, Joshua Wesson and Andrea Immer. The TV Food Network devotes a one-hour special to the event, while CNN airs a half-hour segment on its Travel Now show.