SNOWMASS, CO (June 20, 2017) — Heritage Fire by Cochon555, America’s cult culinary tour, returned to Base Village in Snowmass on June 17, 2017. Entering its ninth year, Cochon555 continues to attract sold-out crowds nationwide. The greater goal of all Cochon555 events is to promote honest food prepared by singular artisans; to celebrate family farming; and to shine the gastronomic spotlight on the hard-working people who are responsibly (though often silently) raising heritage-breed animals. Please find event photos here: https://flic.kr/s/aHskYrFTz2

Heritage Fire aims to foster the relationship between local farmers, chefs, and restaurateurs, who grapple with having to pay premium prices in order to serve their guests safer, more responsibly raised and flavorful food that is also raised locally. Heritage Fire features whole animals, fish, and vegetables roasted over open fires built that morning by local and national chefs alike. The event benefits Piggy Bank, a farm devoted to providing free heritage-breed piglets to small farms in exchange for transparent business plans that are posted online.

This year, Heritage Fire Snowmass showcased over 30 notable chefs and butchers with a focus on Colorado talent,   each grilling heritage-breed animals from area farms like Aspen Nature and Boulder Lamb en plein air among the area’s towering peaks. Their dishes were paired with free-flowing wines from boutique producers like  Kosta Browne, Cirq, and Silver Oak and spirits from Breckenridge Distillery, Angostura, and Courvoisier. The list of heritage and heirloom foods included dry-aged beef, pork, lamb, goat, squab, rabbit, duck, salmon and sturgeon, chicken, artisan cheeses, and heirloom vegetables. All told, over 3,200 pounds of meat was cooked.

Below, a list of the participating chefs and the fire-roasted delights they presented during Heritage Fire:

Heritage Fire Chefs and Their Fire Roast of Choice Included:

Will and Coral Frischkorn of Cured – Cheese and Cured

Peter Jacobsen of Jacobsen Orchards – Toast

Taylor Garrigan of Home Team BBQ – Beef (BBQ and Pig)

Will Nolan of Viceroy Snowmass – Beef (BBQ and Pig)

John Manion of el Che Bar – Beef Primals

Steven Nelson of Plato’s at Aspen Meadows – Beef Burger

Jeff Weinstock of Cake & Bacon – Tartare

Daniel Asher of River & Woods – Bird/Squab

Michael Gibney of Emmerson Restaurant  – Bird/Duck

Linda Hampsten Fox of Bindery – Bird/Capon

Joshua Pollack of Rosenberg’s Bagels & Delicatessen – Lamb

Bill Miner of il Porcellino Salumi – Lamb

Jim Butchart of Aspen Skiing Company Mountain Dining – Lamb with Vegetables

Andrew Helsley of Aspen Skiing Company Mountain Dining – Lamb with Vegetables

Eddy Chimal of Venga Venga – Lamb

Daniel O’Brien of Breckenridge Distillery Restaurant – Lamb

David Gutowski of Grouse Mountain Grill – Goat

Felix Florez of Ritual – Goat

Nate Singer of Blackbelly Catering – Goat

Korey Sims of TAG – Pig

Pedro Angel Garcia of El Meson Restaurant – Pig

Oscar Padilla of TAMAYO – Pig

Kelly Whitaker of Basta – Fish

Jason DeBacker of The Edge Restaurant – Fish

Arik Markus of Fate Brewing Company – Fish

Jean-Philippe Gaston of Izakaya – Ramen

Kate Kavanaugh and Josh Curtiss of Western Daughters – Butcher

Patrick Kennedy of Free Range Kitchen and Wine Bar – Rabbit

Christopher Mosera of AikoPops – Dessert

Ashley Jenkin of Viceroy Snowmass – Dessert

Jeb Breakell of Emmerson Restaurant – Dessert

Sienna Trapp-Bowie of Fortuna Chocolate – Dessert

“It’s always a thrill to have Heritage Fire in Snowmass, whose setting and people are the perfect hosts,” says Brady Lowe, Founder of Cochon555. “Through age-old methods of live-fire cooking and community feasting, we’re putting the spotlight on heritage-breed animals and the family farms behind them; safer and more honest foodways; and talented, thoughtful chefs, bakers, and butchers. We hope the guests leave feeling not just full but inspired to seek out these incredible products to cook and enjoy on their own.”

In addition to the meat-laden feast, the event also featured The Pop-Up Butcher Shop with Josh Curtiss and Kate Kavanaugh of Western Daughters Butcher Shoppe, where guests helped raise $1,000 by bidding on packages that included rare bottles of wine, high-end spirits, fresh cuts of heritage-breed pork, Boos cutting boards, and gifts from Williams-Sonoma. Other experiences included the Ramen Bar presented by Wines of Germany with Jean-Philippe Gaston of Izakaya Houston; The Perfect Puree of Napa Valley’s Innovation in Pastry section by Chef Ashley Jenkins of Viceroy Snowmass and Christopher Mosera of AikoPops (DEN); the Tartare Bar, spotlighting wines from Antica Napa Valley paired with Chef Jeff Weinstock of Cake and Bacon’s tartare; the wood-fired Farmstead Cheese Bar with Cured featuring Savile Row, Cypress Grove, and Divina; and much more.

Heritage Fire Snowmass also wishes to thank an exceptional roster of partners and sponsors, including Snowmass Tourism, Breckenridge Distillery, House of Angostura, The Perfect Puree of Napa Valley, Courvoisier, Wines of Germany,  Williams-Sonoma, Poached Jobs, DRY Sparkling, La Brea Bakery, Modern Luxury/Aspen Magazine, Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, Antica Napa Valley, Bayou Rum, Creminelli, Sabatino Tartufi, Three Little Pigs, Divina, John Boos, Luxardo, Somerdale, Cypress Grove, Creekstone Farms Premium Beef, Traeger Wood-Fired Grills, BenMarco Wine, High West Distillery, Viceroy Snowmass, Rhum Clement, Rombauer Vineyards, Codigo 1530 Tequila, Silver Oak, Pax Wine Cellars, Kosta Browne, Gourmet Foods International, Sun Noodle, Blanchard Family Vineyards, Delicacies, Birchware, and ACES.

About the Cochon555 US Tour

The Cochon555 US Tour executes a yearly host of authentic, hyper-local food events focused on raising awareness for heritage-breed pigs through a nose-to-tail pig-cooking competition. This epic pork feast visits 14 major cities in North America. The tour is comprised of an array of live expressions, including Heritage Fire (live-fire cooking in mountainside and vineyard settings) and Heritage BBQ (global grilling traditions). All Cochon555 events cultivate a long-term impact for heritage species raised by family farms. Both educational and inspirational messages are circulated among 16,000 guests, 2,200+ chefs, 150+ family farms, and 16 culinary schools. For more details and videos of events, visit www.cochon555.com or follow @cochon555 on Twitter and Instagram.

About Piggy Bank

Launched in 2015 by Brady Lowe — founder of the Cochon555 US Tour and Taste Network — Piggy Bank is a pig farming sanctuary. Harboring a Noah’s Ark-worthy selection of heritage breeds, it provides free genetics and business plans to emerging family farms. Piggy Bank aims to change the future of food by creating a community in which small farmers can learn about safer, more responsible practices and benefit from the sharing of genetics, livestock, and the very information needed to not just survive, but to thrive as small businesses. The Piggy Bank farm, located in Missouri, raises pigs to be gifted to communities dedicated to elevating the cause and expanding through a model of social and agricultural transparency. Piggy Bank is a nonprofit corporation with federal tax exempt status as a public charity under Section 501(c)(3). Follow the Piggy Bank conversation on Twitter @PiggyBankOrg. For more information, watch the video http://j.mp/PIGGY_BANK or visit www.piggy-bank.org.

About Heritage Fire

Heritage Fire is a live-fire event which began seven years ago in the Napa Valley. Today, the event has joined the ranks of the most raved about events during the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen. Heritage Fire is the nation’s only hyper-local, whole animal live-fire outdoor culinary event cooking 3,000 pounds of heritage breed animals in celebration of pasture diversity and family farming. The list of heritage and heirloom foods to be featured include dry-aged beef, spit-roasted large format fish, whole pigs, lambs, goat, lobster, squab, rabbit, duck, chicken, artisan cheese, oysters and heirloom vegetables. Heritage Fire is a collection of culinary teams cooking together for a crowd of meat and wine loving gourmands to spotlight traditional outdoor cooking techniques paired with amazing wines, ice-cold brews, spirits and crisp ciders. To see pictures from Heritage Fire please visit Cochon555’s Flickr Site here: http://j.mp/COCHON_PICS or to see the video, click here: http://j.mp/FIRE_VIDEO.

About Snowmass

A vibrant summer playground and renowned winter destination, Snowmass offers a wide variety of outdoor activities, nearly 30 restaurants, 95 percent on-slope lodging and great shopping, as well as exciting special events and music – all year-round. Summer in Snowmass features more than 80 miles of hiking and biking trails, a full lineup of weekly events, and much more. Consistently ranking as one of the best ski areas in the world, Snowmass boasts the second longest vertical drop in the United States, with 3,332 skiable acres. Located six miles from the Aspen Airport and with 300 days of sunshine per year, Snowmass is an ideal summer and winter destination. For more information and a complete calendar of events and activities, please visit: www.gosnowmass.com.

Media Contact

Ruth Tobias/Denver, Sara Stookey/Snowmass

E: ruthfrancestobias@gmail.com, sstookey@snowmasstourism.com

C: 617.319.0098