Sliders on fire at Hot Rocks Griller Challenge
Tell someone they’ll be eating sliders for dinner, and I’ll bet you that bitesized hamburgers is what they’ll visualize.
Bitesized would be correct, but if dinner was being consumed at the 10th annual Hot Rocks Griller Challenge, the filling wasn’t likely to be ground beef.
The 1,000 guests at this fundraiser held on the grounds surrounding Elway’s Cherry Creek and hosted by the Denver Health Foundation spent the warm summer evening sampling 12 varieties of sliders, music by Chris Daniels and The Kings, assorted desserts from City Bakery and beverages from Patron, Bing and other popular brands.
Those holding VIP tickets could relax under a canopy decorated with exotic blooms by BJ Dyer of Bouquets while enjoying topshelf cocktails at cabaret tables set up just for them.
The food was anything but runofthemill, and included the hummusavocadoarugula Persian sliders created by chef Jeremy Kittelson of Linger; the Jägermeisterbraised short rib slider topped with orangeshallot marmalade that was prepared by Raymond Bocanegra and his crew from Elway’s at the Ritzcarlton, and a lamb belly slider to which Nic Lebas from Panzano added tomatobalsamic vinegar jam, pickled mustard seeds, wild arugula and Parmigianoreggiano cheese.
Jorel Pierce from Ultreia used Serrano ham and manchego cheese as the main ingredients for his sliders, while Khamla Vongsakoun from Departure offered a grilled pork banh mi slider dressed with Thai basil aioli and pickled carrots.
Still, it was the triplemeat, double cheese and special sauce slider by Senor Bear’s Blake Edmunds that took first place in the popular vote and second place in the votes cast by the participating chefs.
Bocanegra and his team from Elway’s at the RitzCarlton went home with first place in the chef’s voting and second place in the popular vote.
Others lending their grilling skills were Pat Gruber, Continental Sausage/charcutnuvo; Mike Winston, Table 6; Frank Bonanno and Trevor Gaughan, Russell’s Smokehouse; Edgar Lechugadiaz, Elway’s Cherry Creek; Joey James, Range; Chris Martinez, Ad Hominem and Michael Bortz, City Bakery.
Randy Nichols, founder and president of the Nichols Partnership, chaired the 2018 Hot Rocks Griller Challenge with his sons Daniel, Robbie and Taylor. The money raised goes to treatment and education programs at Denver Health that relate to health issues specific to men, such as prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer, Nichols noted, is the second highest cause of death for men and that one in nine Coloradans will be diagnosed with it.
Dr. Robin Wittenstein, the CEO of Denver Health, and Josh Hanfling, chairman of the Denver Health Foundation board, joined foundation chief Paula Herzmark in welcoming such faithful supporters as Dr. Fernando Kim; Michael and Shereen Pollak; John Freyer; Quinn Washington; restaurant consul tant John Imbergamo; Rollie Jordan, a Realtor at Kentwood Cherry Creek; and Devany Mcneil, the membership director for the Colorado Restaurant Association.
Also, Dr. Larry Spivack and Lisa Williams; Dick Callahan; Ellen Robinson; Doug Friednash; John Gart and his son, Evan; Michael Dunahay; and Janice Roberts.