15th Annual Taste of Vail to Kick-Off April 6 With New Event: Vail Valley Chefs Colorado Lamb Cook-Off Competition in Vail Village

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- First-Ever Chef Cooking Competition at Taste of Vail

- First-Ever Open-Air Taste of Vail Venue Staged in Vail Village

VAIL, Colo., March 8 /PRNewswire/ -- To celebrate its 15th year, the 2005 Taste of Vail, to be held April 6-9, will add an exciting new event this year to kick-off the nation's premier spring food and wine festival -- the Vail Valley Chefs Colorado Lamb Cook-Off Competition, to be held Wednesday, April 6, from 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. on Gore Street in the Vail Village.

"For the first time in our 15-year history, the Taste of Vail will showcase the Vail Valley chefs' talents in a live cooking competition in the open air, public venue of Vail Village," said Paul Ferzacca, organizer of the event and Taste of Vail board member and Chef/Owner of La Tour Restaurant & Bar in Vail. "This is a kick-off party everyone in town can enjoy together, from snowboarders and skiers coming off the mountain that afternoon, to shoppers in fur coats. We are excited to reach out this year to more people by introducing them to a Taste of Vail event they can enjoy for only a dollar."

For $1 people can enjoy lamb prepared by the world-class Vail Valley chefs competing in the contest. For $2, enjoy perfectly paired wine poured by many of the participating Taste of Vail winery owners. The American Lamb Board and Rosen Lamb will donate the Colorado lamb.

"We are expecting upwards of a dozen chefs from the Vail Valley to participate in this first-ever event," explained Ferzacca. "They will find out at the Grand Tasting event Saturday night, April 9 which chef will win the first prize trip to Napa. Second and third prizes for the participating chefs include cookware, knives and grills."

During the live event, each chef will be cooking up to 32 pounds of Colorado Lamb using their own special ingredients. The chefs will be judged by a panel of celebrity judges, including those from the food, restaurant and ski/travel media. There will also be a People's Choice Award.

The Vail Valley Chefs Colorado Lamb Cook-Off is not included in the Full Events Package. Tickets are only available at the event. Prices are $1 apiece for lamb samples and $2 for wine samples.

About Taste of Vail

In its 15th year, the Taste of Vail is the nation's premier spring food and wine festival, held at several venues throughout North America's #1 ski resort. During the annual four-day event upwards of 4,000 people are able to "taste the Vail Valley lifestyle" which showcases Vail's world-famous resort village set against dramatic mountain vistas. Participants at the Taste of Vail experience the Vail Valley's world-class restaurants, fine wine poured by winemakers and winery owners from top wineries around the globe, along with interactive seminars, an auction and dance, apres ski tasting, Vail Valley Chefs Colorado Lamb Cook-Off Competition and the popular mountaintop picnic sensory extravaganza at the top of Vail Mountain. Proceeds from the Taste of Vail benefit Vail Valley charities. For more information go to http://www.tasteofvail.com.

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