Food festivals like The Big Eat, which took place July 18, can be a fascinating way to pinpoint food and beverage trends. Set against a clear blue sky at the open-air Galleria at the Denver Performing Arts Complex, this year’s event attracted 1,200 attendees and 80 vendors, and it didn’t disappoint. The excitement (and hunger) was palpable.
“The Big Eat started at Union Station before Union Station was even developed. It was kind of just a dirt pit, and it was circus-themed,” said Kristen Rauch, executive director of the nonprofit EatDenver, which hosts the event. “There were only around 30 vendors, and tickets were $20. It was more of an industry party and a way to bring people together.”
This year also featured more caterers, food trucks, and food halls than ever before, she said. “A huge mission of EatDenver is to be more representative of our food system and understanding that a food and beverage operator is not always in a brick and mortar anymore. Especially as that becomes a harder financial barrier to entry. I think something people don’t realize is the average profit margins for a restaurant are 2% to 5%, and people are still competing post-COVID.”
Ultimately, Rauch’s goal is for people to leave The Big Eat with a better understanding of how local dining differs from eating at a chain restaurant. “You can go back into a restaurant and say, ‘Oh my gosh, I saw you at The Big Eat and I can’t wait to try more of your food.’ ”
As we scoured the stalls and tried all the delectable dishes, we took note of the throughlines throughout the night. Here are just a few of the standout ingredients and trends we noticed.
Jose Avila of La Diabla Pozole y Mezcal brought mushrooms to the table. (Staff photo/Jonathan Shikes)
Mushrooms
“Mushrooms are going to be one of the food trends for the summer,” said Kenneth Wan, chef and co-owner of MAKfam. “I see a lot of people talking about foraging and eating mushrooms, both raw and cooked preparations. That’s something I’ve noticed personally.”
Mushrooms appeared prominently at The Big Eat, both as featured and complementary flavors. It even showed up in cocktails like Madre Mezcal’s Desert Water with mushroom, sage, and honey.
Linger served king trumpet mushroom skewers with black garlic marinade, while Woodie Fisher had Chanterelle Tlacoyo, a thick oval corn dough tortilla topped with roasted chanterelles. La Diabla offered yellow and king oyster mushrooms on a skewer with salsa macha.
Mercantile Dining & Provision offered attendees caramelized shiitake mushroom tacos. “One of my favorite ingredients is a sauce called Amatosa, made with tamari (a gluten-free soy sauce) that we submerge with bonito, and then we add yuzu, extra virgin olive oil, cayenne, and yuzu butter emulsified with truffle and honey. That creates the base of our mushroom tacos and makes for a really impactful flavor,” shared Mercantile executive chef Alex Grenier.
Comfort foods
“I feel like people are gravitating back to the food they grew up with, and more cultural homestyle food. For me, it’s the Thai food that I grew up eating and that my mom cooked all the time, and putting a modern twist on that,” said Ace Eat Serve’s executive chef Khamla Vongsakoun.
Steuben’s, known for its classic regional American favorites and cocktails, featured Steuben’s Reuben with marbled rye, pastrami, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing. The offering, which had previously only been available on Fridays, is in such high demand that they recently placed it on the regular menu available seven days a week, according to general manager Renee Stern.
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Tessa Delicatessen served mini chopped cheese sandwiches with Angus beef, American cheese, sweet bell peppers, caramelized onion, and scallion mayo, while Rooted Craft Kitchen brought an impressive take on traditional tuna salad with confit albacore tuna on sourdough bruschetta.
Mezcal
Mezcal “is one of the fastest-growing spirit categories in the U.S. I think its rise in popularity is tied to the slow food and drink movement, where people are increasingly interested in the story and origins of their spirits,” said Emily Thomas of Madre Mezcal.
Madre showcased its line of Desert Waters (inspired by the mix of tequila and soda water dubbed as ranch water) with flavors like prickly pear and lemon and grapefruit and yerba.
Mike Mitchell, general manager at Mercantile, said one of the biggest mixology trends right now are riffs on classics, and mezcal can help make a traditional cocktail taste new. “We have one drink right now called the Silent Disco, and it’s a riff on basically a Last Word. We make ours with mezcal, saffron liqueur, yellow chartreuse, and anchos reyes chile liqueur.”
Smoked elements
Mezcal wasn’t the only smokey item on the menu at The Big Eat. There was definitely a larger theme of smoked meats, vegetables, and even sauces — like the smoked oyster aioli on top of Taco Tequila Whiskey’s Pinche surf and turf — that added depth and complexity.
“We smoke all our brisket, pulled pork, and chicken wings on site and then throw a lot of love in there,” said Dominick Duncan, chef at Gayle’s Texas BBQ, which was serving a cherry-smoked brisket with white BBQ sauce.
Similarly, Adobo Restaurant & Bar, a Filipino-Mexican food truck and restaurant, offered a smoked pork belly with queso, sweet chili, jalapeno, green onion, and sesame seeds. “We smoke everything, then we put it on the pan and fry it up,” said food truck manager Nick Magana.
Lady In The Wild, a farm-to-truck eatery known for its seasonal and locally sourced offerings, presented lamb meatballs served with Green Goddess hummus. (Staff photo/Jonathan Shikes)
Lamb
Maybe because it’s summer. Maybe because Colorado has some of the best lamb in the United States. Or maybe because the American Lamb Board was a sponsor of The Big Eat. But lamb was heavily featured at multiple booths.
“We’re making a paella with mushrooms, chicken, chorizo, tomato, garlic on top, and local Colorado lamb which will be the highlight of the dish,” shared Hannah Lavoy, pastry chef and line cook at Lucina Eatery.
Santo, a rustic-modern eatery known for its New Mexican fare, featured Buckner Family Ranch Lamb Tacos. These tacos highlighted smoky braised lamb shank paired with Salsa Arabe and served in Pochitos blue corn tortilla.
Lady In The Wild, a farm-to-truck eatery known for its seasonal and locally sourced offerings, presented lamb meatballs served with Green Goddess hummus. The dish was light while the lamb’s rich flavor still shone through.
Odie B’s — which recently changed its name from Bodega Denver — offered a chopped lamb pastrami sandwich with gruyère on a pretzel hoagie, demonstrating the inventive ways lamb can be used in casual dining.
Jackfruit
The trend towards plant-based dishes was well-represented at the event, and jackfruit – a tropical fruit known for its unique shredded-meat texture – was the star of the show.
SAME Café Denver featured vegan jackfruit-based burgers on rye bread with caramelized onions, vegan cheese, and vegan mayo, while Roaming Buffalo BBQ, a South Denver barbeque joint, dished up smoked jackfruit, a vegetarian alternative to its smoked pork belly burnt ends.
Boulder’s The Jackfruit Company also sponsored The Big Eat.
Michael Kimball, owner and ice cream chef for Sad Boy Creamery, presented his s’mores frowny ice cream. (Staff photo/Jonathan Shikes)
Modern desserts
“We flash fry the mini waffle bites. Our chef’s son said it tastes like beignets, and I thought, what kind of 8-year-old knows what a beignet is?” Karen LuKanic, owner of Chef Zorba’s, joked. But he was right. The banana was subtle and balanced, sitting atop the beigne-esque waffle bite.
Other modern desserts included boozy ones like Restaurant Olivia’s whiskey tiramisu, with Stranahan’s whiskey and espresso-soaked ladyfingers, and Tacos Tequila Whiskey’s Carlota de Limón, which was described as “a margarita in a cake,” made with Maria cookies (a Latin staple) soaked in tequila, triple sec, and lime, topped with a Gran Marnier-infused whipped cream.
Michael Kimball, owner of Sad Boy Creamery, presented his s’mores frowny, made with honey graham cracker ice cream, an Oreo for texture, a brownie and a toasted tuft of marshmallow fluff. “I use a combination of gelato custard and ice cream-making techniques, so my ice cream kind of has the best of all three worlds,” he said. “It’s quite dense, and very creamy and rich. But it has, it’s very milk and like bold flavors, like a gelato. And I do make it in a gelato machine because it churns at a slower speed so it has less air so it’s denser and has more flavor.
Sweet Rice Flour stood out with its selection of airy, gluten-free mini choux puffs in flavors like Earl Grey and black sesame coffee. And there was even a savory everything-bagel and smoked lox mini eclair from Le Clare’s Patisserie, which opened its doors last weekend at 2260 E. Colfax Ave.