Talent
A curated gathering of the visionaries behind the glass and the plate. Join world-renowned chefs, master vintners, and industry icons as they bring their craft to the heart of the Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
The People Behind the Festival
Steamboat food & Wine Festival brings together a diverse group of culinary leaders, winemakers, sommeliers, and hospitality experts whose work reflects craftsmanship, collaboration, and mentorship. Throughout the festival, these collaborators lead tastings, dinners, and conversations that explore the culture of food, wine, and hospitality from multiple perspectives.
Our Talent
CHEF
Joe Campbell
Executive Chef Joe Campbell’s path runs from Midwest kitchens to Le Cordon Bleu, the James Beard House, Bésame, Yampa Valley Kitchen, Mambo Italiano, and The Madeline, where travel, craft, and place shape every dish. His food reflects a life spent chasing flavor, creating experiences, and bringing people together across kitchens, continents, and mountain tables alike.
CHEF
Alberto Collarte Pindar
Chef Alberto Collarte Pindar cooks from a Baja point of view shaped by coastal ingredients, open fire, and the rhythm of shared meals. At Rhythm of the Ranch, his perspective adds smoke, spice, seafood, and a deep sense of place to the evening.
CHEF
John Courtney
Chef John Courtney, owner of Chop Shop and The Bake Shop Park City, built his career from finance to fine dining. Former Culinary Director of Block 16 at The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas and Chef de Cuisine at DB Brasserie and Yardbird, he is also a Chopped Champion.
CHEF
Chris Curren
Chef Chris Curren is known for high-energy cooking, sharp technique, and bold seasonal flavor. At Culinary Collective Dinner, he joins Collin Kelley and John Courtney in an open-kitchen collaboration built around personality, timing, and the kind of dinner guests feel as much as taste.
SOMMELIER & MIXOLOGIST
Chad Michael George
Chad Michael George is a sommelier, mixologist, and Director of Community at Bars.com. His work connects spirits, storytelling, and hospitality, making him a natural guide for an agave-focused tasting rooted in flavor, place, and the culture behind the glass.
CHEF
Russell Goodman
Chef Russell Goodman works at the intersection of farm, pastry, and seasonal cooking at Elkstone Farm. Across the chocolate seminar and Terroir to Table Dinner, his perspective connects ingredients, technique, wine, and place with quiet precision.
SOMMELIER
Patrick Houghton
Sommelier Patrick Houghton of Wine Down Selections leads with candor, curiosity, and a clear point of view. At What You Should Be Drinking, his role is to challenge safe choices and spotlight wines that feel exciting, relevant, and worth talking about now.
CHEF
Collin Kelley
Chef Collin Kelley leads from the center of Primrose’s open kitchen, where hospitality, pace, and seasonal mountain cooking meet. His role in Culinary Collective Dinner anchors the evening with a local Steamboat perspective and a menu designed for collaboration.
SOMMELIER
Jane Ledford
Sommelier Jane Ledford brings clarity, curiosity, and an approachable edge to the glass. At What You Should Be Drinking, she helps guests move past default choices and into wines with character, energy, and a stronger point of view.
CHEF
Kevin Nashan
James Beard Award-winning chef Kevin Nashan brings the perspective of Sidney Street Cafe to Elevated Expressions Dinner. His cooking is polished, generous, and relationship-driven, making him a strong fit for a seven-course collaboration built around trust, timing, and craft.
CHEF
Paul C. Reilly
2025 James Beard Foundation semifinalist for Best Chef: Mountain & James Beard Foundation scholarship winner Paul C. Reilly is Culinary Director and proprietor of Denver’s beast + bottle group. Known for seasonal, farm-driven cuisine, his restaurants Coperta and Apple Blossom celebrate the connection between farmers, artisans, and the table.
CHEF
Martín Rios
Chef Martín Rios is the chef behind Restaurant Martín in Santa Fe and a James Beard Best Chef: Southwest nominee. His cooking balances refinement with regional character, making him a natural collaborator for a farm-rooted dinner at Elkstone.
CHEF
Dana Rodriguez
Chef Dana Rodriguez is one of Denver’s defining culinary voices and the chef behind Casa Bonita’s reimagined menu. A multiple James Beard nominee connected to Work & Class, Super Mega Bien, and Carne RiNo, her cooking is bold, generous, and unmistakably rooted in Mexican hospitality.
MIXOLOGIST
Danny Sanchez
Mixologist Danny Sanchez, the force behind Baja Roots, opens Rhythm of the Ranch with cocktails along the Elk River. His work leans into agave, citrus, salt, herbs, and the kind of hospitality that sets the tone before the first course reaches the table.
WINEMAKER
Jon Schlegel
Jon Schlegel leads guests through Attimo wines after a morning on Marabou Ranch’s private waters. His tasting turns the fly-fishing experience into a relaxed riverside conversation about wine, craft, setting, and the stories that follow a day outside.
CHEF
Jon-Claude JC Stevens
Chef Jon-Claude “JC” Stevens is a Steamboat talent known for smoke, comfort, and local hospitality. Across Rhythm of the Ranch and Last Call, his cooking moves from fire-driven dinner to the kind of final-morning food that brings a festival weekend back to life.
WINEMAKER
Edgar Torres
Edgar Torres, founder of Bodega de Edgar, is a pioneering Paso Robles winemaker known for culturally driven, minimal-intervention wines that challenge convention and reflect bold Mexican-American identity, and the creative force and winemaker behind Songs Wines.
CHEF
Matt Vawter
James Beard Award winner for Best Chef: Mountain, Matt Vawter is the chef/owner of Rootstalk and Radicato in Breckenridge and co-founder of Threefold Bakery. His cuisine is defined by refined technique, seasonal ingredients, and close relationships with Colorado producers.
