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

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.

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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.

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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.

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CHEF

Taylor Frankel

Slope Room Executive Chef Taylor Frankel became Sweet Basil’s youngest and first female Head Chef after seven years in its kitchen. With Michelin three-star experience and six Food Network appearances, she brings refined technique to bold, seasonal mountain cooking.

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SOMMELIER & MIXOLOGIST

Chad Michael George

Chad Michael George is a sommelier and mixologist connecting spirits, storytelling, and hospitality, making him a natural guide for an agave-focused tasting rooted in flavor, place, and the culture behind the glass.

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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.

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CHEF

Miguel Angel Guerrero

Chef Miguel Ángel Guerrero is the creator of BajaMed cuisine, blending Mexican, Mediterranean, and Asian influences. A global ambassador for Baja California gastronomy, he has presented the concept from Tokyo and Paris to New York and Madrid.

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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.

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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.

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WINE EXPERT

Cameron Kraft

Cameron Kraft brings AXR Napa Valley’s luxury wines to life through storytelling, hospitality, and deep wine expertise. With roots in winemaking, viticulture, and sommelier studies, he shares a passion for small-production wines shaped by place, craft, and connection.

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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.

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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.

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vintner

Jeremy Nickel

Jeremy Nickel, founder of The Vineyard House, carries a multigenerational Napa Valley legacy shaped by estate winemaking, collector culture, and stewardship of one of Oakville’s most storied wine properties.

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Sommelier

Charlie Plummer

Charlie Plummer is a Certified Sommelier, Certified Specialist of Wine, and Global Director of Sales for The Vineyard House. His career spans Hess Collection, Sebastiani, Merryvale, Paul Hobbs, Chateau Montelena, and DANA Estates.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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MIXOLOGIST

Dano Sánchez

Mixologist Dano Sánchez, 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.

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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.

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CHEF

Mutsuko Soma

Chef Mutsuko Soma is a celebrated soba master and founder of Seattle’s Kamonegi and Hannyatou. Trained in traditional soba-making in Japan, her cooking pairs deep technique with Pacific Northwest ingredients and has earned national James Beard recognition.

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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.

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CO-FOUNDER

Sheree Thornsberry

Sheree Thornsberry is the co-founder of Innumero Wines, driven by a passion for Northern California terroir. After years exploring global wine regions, she left St. Louis to pursue winemaking, blending vision, grit, and artistry to craft exceptional wines beyond measure.

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CHEF

Aiden Tibbetts

Michelin Best Young Chef 2025 Aiden Tibbetts is Executive Chef of Wildflower, where he builds multi-course menus around Colorado seasonality. Trained at Johnson & Wales and École Ducasse, he pairs technical precision with ingredient-driven cooking.

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vintner

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.

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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.

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CHEF

Lee Wolen

2025 James Beard Outstanding Chef semifinalist Lee Wolen is Chef Partner at Michelin-starred Boka in Chicago. A five-time Best Chef: Great Lakes finalist, his broader portfolio includes Alla Vita, GG’s Chicken Shop, Zarella, and Elliott Aster.

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