Slow Food Nations Food Festival Returns to Denver

The three-day celebration will take place in Larimer Square from July 19-21 with the theme “Where Tradition Meets Innovation.” 

Put on by Slow Food USA, the schedule for the Slow Food Nations Food Festival features over 100 free and ticketed events including cooking demonstrations, food tastings, family activities, block parties and talks centered around food that is clean, fair and good for all.  

Opening with a Colorado-themed block party and ending with a zero-waste community supper made from the leftover food from the weekend, festival entry is free, with select ticketed events starting at $20. 

Among the guests at the event will be chef, restaurateur, activist and author Alice Waters who played a role in pioneering California cuisine, Denver chef and restaurateur Alex Seidel who took home the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest in 2018, and the Gangsta Gardener Ron Finley. 

The centerpiece of the weekend is the Slow Food Nations Taste Marketplace. Spread across several streets, the marketplace will be open on both Saturday and Sunday and is open to the public. Head there to sample, shop, and meet the makers behind the food. 

Highlights of the weekend include:

The Kitchen Counter Demo Stage: a public stage in Larimer Square will have nine cooking demos and discussions throughout the weekend. 

Senegalese Chef Pierre Thiam will showcase fonio, a forgotten ancient "miracle grain" from West Africa. 

New Orleans chef Kristen Essig will join expert Sheila Bowman of Monterey Bay Seafood Watch and Colorado chef Sheila Lucero to explore sustainable seafood.

Culinary historian Adrian Miller and chef Kevin Mitchell will offer a journey to Africa as they create different tastes using ingredients of the African Diaspora. 

Colorado Fare, on Friday, July 19, will bring together farmers, restaurants and purveyors to showcase the best tastes of Colorado. Tickets range from $65-$85.

Food Over Fire, on Saturday, July 20, will explore cultural traditions, innovative techniques and unexpected preparations over open fire. Tickets range from $65-$85.

And Chefs Steven Satterfield, Caroline Glover, Kristen Essig, Eric Lee and others will collaborate to host the Zero Waste Community Supper to repurpose all the rescued food from the weekend with this pre-service style meal. Tickets are $65.

Tickets are on sale at slowfoodnation.org