Chef de Cuisine Martin Woods of Sweet Basil took home top honors at the 15th Annual American Lamb Cook-Off at Taste of Vail for his Lamb Manti with Harissa, Whipped Curds and Whey and Mint. Second place went to Hooked/Revolution and third place went to Splendido. Mountain Standard was awarded the People’s Choice award.
The lamb cook-off, sponsored by the American Lamb Board and held throughout the streets of Vail Village, showcased 23 of the area’s finest chefs preparing diverse dishes featuring Superior Farms Colorado leg of lamb. The lamb bites were complimented by samples from participating wineries.
Lamb is a common protein used in handheld Turkish dumplings, said Chef Woods. “We marinated the lamb in a mixture of olive oil, lemon zest, dried harissa, cilantro, mint, parsley, salt and pepper overnight before grinding. We stuffed the ground lamb in the dumplings which were roasted until golden brown and then steamed in chicken stock.”
“Even after 15 years, the amazing diversity and creativity of the leg of lamb dishes by Vail chefs at the Lamb Cook-Off is always so exciting,” said Megan Wortman, executive director of the Denver-based American Lamb Board. “From merguez stuffed peppers to braised lamb empanada, many of this year’s dishes highlighted unique flavors and trends and showcased the remarkable innovation by Vail Chefs.”
Additional restaurants that participated in the 15th Annual American Lamb Cook-Off include:
* Bistro 14
* Bol
* Beano’s Cabin
* Elway’s
* Fitz Bar
* Frost on the Creek
* Game Creek Restaurant
* Gessner
* Grill on the Gore
* La Tour
* Leonora
* Mid Vail
* Remedy
* Sauce on the Creek
* The 10th
* Toscanini
* Two Elk
* White Bison
* Wildwood Smokehouse
About the Taste of Vail
Rated among the top food and wine festivals by Forbes, Travel Channel and USA Today, Taste of Vail is held at several different venues throughout North America’s most popular mountain resort from April 3-6, 2019. In addition to Lamb Cook-Off offered during this year’s Taste of Vail, the event includes Debut of 2018 Rosé, The Mountain Top Tasting and the Grand Tasting as well as extraordinary seminars held throughout the week. Taste of Vail is the nation’s only event that invites dozens of winemakers and owners from all over the world to pour wine and interact with participants. For more information visit www.tasteofvail.com
About the American Lamb Board
The American Lamb Board is an industry-funded research and promotions commodity board that represents all sectors of the American Lamb industry including producers, feeders, seed stock producers and processors. The Board, appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture, is focused on increasing demand by promoting the freshness, flavor, nutritional benefits, and culinary versatility of American Lamb. The work of the American Lamb Board is overseen by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the board’s programs are supported and implemented by the staff in Denver, Colo. For more information, visit www.americanlamb.com.
