Savor Big Sky celebrates Montana culinary creations

By Leslie Kilgore EBS CONTRIBUTOR

As summer kicks into full swing in Big Sky, Big Sky Resort will host its second annual Savor Big Sky food, wine and spirits festival June 27 through 30. The three-day event includes a variety of tastings, dinners, seminars and lunches focused on pairing wine and spirits with culinary creations that reflect Montana and the Rocky Mountain culture, all alongside the backdrop of Lone Mountain.

“This is the third event I have done with Savor and I am so excited to be a part of it,” said Montana-based chef, Daniel Cox. “Multi course dinners with beautiful wine pairings are what I’m most passionate about and I plan on making this one incredibly special.”

The weekend’s events include pairings and tastings with world-renowned chefs, wineries, breweries and spirit purveyors using local ingredients and recipes that celebrate summer in Montana.

“With my business as a private chef, these opportunities to cook for large events like this are really exciting and fun for me,” said Cox. “I’m looking forward to highlighting dishes that I love and sharing that with the guests of Savor.

Along with food, wine and spirits, the weekend’s events will include hikes and scenic chairlift rides on Ramcharger 8 to several culinary events at Everett’s 8800.

New to Savor this year is the Reds and Ribs lunch at Lone Mountain Ranch, featuring more of Montana’s Western culture and the region’s culinary roots.

“We’re excited to be part of Savor Big Sky again this year and thrilled to take a bigger role by hosting a luncheon in the Ranch Hall,” said Michael Jacquard, food and beverage director at Lone Mountain Ranch. “The Ribs and Reds luncheon will pair Lone Mountain Ranch’s famous BBQ with wines from K Vintners out of Washington State. We’re also delighted to take part and share all that Big Sky has to offer at the Grand Tasting again. It was such a great community event last year.”

The Lone Mountain Ranch culinary team will share dishes at the Grand Tasting again this year, along with other local chefs from the Wilson Hotel and Block 3, Montage Big Sky and Thorn Apple Baking.

“We are thrilled to be a part of this year’s Savor Big Sky event and will be showcasing some of our new dishes in Cortina,” said Michael Patria, executive chef at Montage Big Sky. “Members of our culinary team will be in attendance and are excited to meet guests and share details about our cuisine and summer programming. The destination in summer is the perfect location for enjoying community and the culinary attractions in Big Sky.”

Another new event this year is Trailhead Tastings, which will include a guided hike followed by a three-course, wine-paired lunch featuring high altitude wines with Chef Emily Hahn from Mountain Provisions, who is new to the Big Sky area. She said she’ll be using ingredients carefully curated from several local farms in Montana for the event.

“I have discovered that the best way to connect to people when you are new is through community-driven events such as local farmers markets, local farmers, and locally-driven food events such as Savor Big Sky,” Hahn said. “While it’s always a pleasure to cook private dinners for our beloved clients, a larger local platform like this gives me an opportunity to truly connect, shake hands, make people smile through my food and introduce myself to new faces.”

Savor Big Sky will kick off on Thursday evening at Peaks Chophouse & Wine Lounge, and continue through Friday and Saturday with several events leading up to the Welcome Party on Friday night and the Grand Tasting on Saturday. Sunday’s Bubbles + Brunch will cap off the culinary weekend.

For the full four-day schedule, details about each event and to purchase tickets, visit bigskyresort.com/savor.