

There is a connection we share through food and drink. As the centerpiece of human essence, it brings us together.
Steamboat Food & Wine Festival deepens that connection by helping understand each ingredient’s story, from field to fork and vine to glass. It allows chefs to fully explore the nuances that influence flavor and guests to indulge in the fruits of their creations.
Rooted in collaboration, Steamboat Food & Wine Festival pairs admired chefs not only with renowned winemakers, but with each other. Guests are fully engaged in the energy that emerges from their culinary fusion—captivated by the surprise of each great moment.
The authentic character of Steamboat, CO, creates a setting where guests are immersed in thoughtfully curated experiences. Intentionally selected for their intimacy, the venues allow guests to be expertly guided toward personal revelations in taste.
Your Event Team

Founder
Nicole Jarman
Nicole Jarman
Through her company, HobNob Events, Nicole has produced over 1,200 events throughout Colorado, raising close to $5M for non-profit organizations. Nicole’s professional relationship with Steamboat started in 2012 during the five year run of the USA Pro Challenge: the seven day, professional stage racing cycling event in Colorado. With a strong emphasis on making a vision into a reality and focusing on true, authentic experiences, Nicole is thrilled to bring her passion to this new venture.

Operations Director
Adam Gray
Adam Gray

Celebrity Chef Director
Jeff Black
Jeff Black
After the 2004 Olympic Games, Jeff left the sporting world to focus on his other love, food and wine. For the past six years, he has led the charge for the Celebrity Chef Tour, benefiting the James Beard Foundation. This tour brings great chefs to cities around the country for an unforgettable night of food and drink. Under Jeff’s leadership, these tour dinners have raised over $850,000 to fund scholarships in culinary arts through the James Beard Foundation.
Jeff travels extensively and usually spends more time on the road than at home. In fact, North Dakota is the only state in the US that he has not visited. He is currently looking into a Celebrity Chef Tour dinner in Fargo. Jeff resides in Steamboat Springs, Colorado where he enjoys year-round outdoor adventure…and of course, good food and drink.

Hospitality Director
Tim Taylor
Tim Taylor
Most recently he was part of the senior leadership team that planned and executed the re-development of the McNichols building as a cultural arts and event venue. Additionally, he planned events at the McNichols building and surrounding Civic Center park area, successfully executing operations for over 1,500 events.
Tim values relationships and has extensive networks that extend to city agencies, non-profits and for-profit stakeholders. Tim volunteers his time by sitting on multiple event advisory boards, where he is an outspoken advocate for generating new business opportunities and striving for continual improvements.

Program Director
Radhika Mahanty
Radhika Mahanty

Partnerships & Marketing Director
Kelly Baird
Kelly Baird
Kelly brings to the table a tremendous strength in fostering strong relationships, effectively allocating resources and establishing cross-departmental processes to provide data-driven solutions within the integrated marketing and events space. A large part of her career has been spent within the sports marketing domain, leading strategy, sponsorship negotiations, activation and measurement work across a portfolio of brand and property clients.
In addition to this Kelly spent over three years working in Cape Town, South Africa. There, she managed and executed public-private partnerships with brands and organizations such as Nike, Barclays Spaces for Sport, John Hopkins CCP, FIFA, USAID and the South African Department of Health and Education.
Outside of supporting Steamboat Food and Wine Festival, Kelly, currently consults and executes brand, marketing and partnership strategies for various clients such as the Colorado Classic, Trak Software, Tennyson Center for Children and POV Sports Marketing. She currently resides in Denver, Colorado, but can be found traveling whenever she gets a chance.

Beverage and Spirit Director
Mark Stanford
Mark Stanford
Mark has been invited to compete in several regional, national, and international cocktail competitions. 1st Place “People’s Choice”, Knob Creek Bourbon “Repeal Day” Competition 2017, 1st Place “Crafted Taste” Buffalo Trace Bourbon Cocktail Competition 2018, 3rd Place, Patron’s International Cocktail Development Program, Jalisco, Mexico, 2018 Finalist, Tuaca’s “Colorado’s Bartender’s Cup.”
Mark’s passion for the world of craft cocktails, mixology, spirits, and how to elevate the guest experience has drawn the attention of multiple publications, loyal guests and the spirits world as a whole. Mark’s captivating presentations have become a mainstay in the Steamboat Food & Wine Festival repertoire. Mark also founded BellRinger Consulting, a hospitality based consultancy, focusing primarily on special events, business governance, beverage program development and services centered around enhancing beverage program efficiency.

Fulfillment Manager
London Berthelot
London Berthelot
Born and raised in Louisiana, with a Marketing background. Currently living in Denver full-time working as a Sales and Marketing Manager at Venture X in LoDo.