The Colorado Restaurant Association has just launched a jobs board for folks interested in getting or giving jobs in the industry.

Carolyn Livingston, spokeswoman for the Colorado Restaurant Association said, “We started a job board in response to our members’ needs. We have heard over and over again the difficulty in finding folks to work at the growing number of restaurants in our state.

“We launched it in conjunction with our new website and will be promoting it to schools, the public at large, maybe doing some advertising. We hope to develop it into its own site and have a robust job listing tool for our members.”

Check it out at www.coloradorestaurant.com.

The sixth annual free community celebration Independence Eve presented by Anadarko, features a concert,  light show and fireworks display on July 3 in Denver’s Civic Center Park (Colfax and Broadway) beginning at 8 p.m.  The concert will feature patriotic and contemporary favorites from local funk sensation Funkiphino and the from Buckley Air Force Base.

Lawn seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis; arriving early is greatly encouraged, as are blankets or low-rise concert/beach chairs. Attendees are welcome to bring their own picnics; concessions will also be available on-site. The event will take place rain or shine.

Civic Center is easily accessible by light rail, bus, bicycle or the 16th Street free MallRide and use of public transportation is encouraged. Information on nearby B-cycle bike-sharing locations is available at www.denver.bcycle.com/. Bike racks will be available on the north and south sides of Civic Center Park.

Parking is available at nearby surface lots and parking garages, including the Cultural Garage at 12th and Broadway, the Denver Justice Center Garage at 490 W. 14th Ave., and the Central Parking lots/garages at 1530 Cleveland Place, Denver Pavilions (15th and Welton ), 1256 Delaware, 1440 Tremont, 1200-1300 blocks of Cherokee and 1745 Sherman. Please note that road closures will include the one block of Bannock and Cherokee between 14th Avenue Parkway and Colfax and 14th Ave. Parkway from Delaware to Broadway. Broadway will close at 6 p.m. from 19th Ave. to 13th Ave.

A close-in drop-off location will be accessible from eastbound Colfax in front of the McNichols Civic Center Building, 144 W. Colfax. Additional traffic information will be available closer to the event.

Denver park rules will be in effect during the event, including no glass containers.  Also – because of the crowd size – no barbecue grills are allowed.

Cook Street School of Culinary Arts is offering Culinary Bootcamp for Teens, the first cooking series catered toward teenagers aged 13 to 17 with an interest in food and cooking.

Join the chefs at Cook Street at 1937 Market St. to learn about the fundamentals of cooking and French and Italian techniques that will start teens on the path to being confident and accomplished home cooks. Students will learn knife skills, mise en place, how to cook grains, fish, pasta, crepes, pan roasting and much  more.

Classes run from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturdays on July 11, 18, 25 and Aug. 1. A complete meal is included with each class, $350 for four classes. For more information, visit www.cookstreet.com or call 303-308-9300.

Week 1

Skills –knife skills and mise en place;

Menu – chicken potenza, seasonal salad, berry crisp.

Week 2

Skills – pasta, sauce making, cake making;

Menu – fresh pasta alfredo and chocolate roulade.

Week 3

Skills – grain cooking, fish cooking, sauces, crepes, grilling;

Menu – grilled seasonal fish, romesco sauce, panzanella salad, quinoa salad, Nutella crepes.

Week 4

Skills – pan roasting, egg cream, custard, roasting;

Menu – steak frites, roasted seasonal vegetables, ice cream.

Kalologie Spa Destinations LLC announces the  grand opening of its first Colorado Kalologie 360 Spa in Highlands Ranch. Tracy Brennan, co-founder of Kalologie, said, “With Kalologie’s roots on the west coast, development in Colorado is a natural fit for our company’s expansion. We are extremely pleased to showcase the Kalologie 360 Spa concept in Highlands Ranch, offering exceptional spa services all under one roof.”

Located in the Village Center Plaza shopping center in Highlands Ranch, the newest Kalologie 360 Spa location features celadon green walls, ebonized wood, and modern lighting in upscale treatment rooms, including one spacious couples massage room, to create an atmosphere that is both soothing and revitalizing.

Colorado Regional Developer Scott Gardner said, “I am thrilled to join the Kalologie team and embark on an exciting journey to help introduce and expand a premium brand into the Rocky Mountain state.”

The Highlands Ranch location offers customized, restorative massage therapy, signature results-oriented facials, a range of highly effective peels and waxing services. In addition, premium medical services such as laser treatments and injectables are provided by Medical Director Gregory Denzel, MD.

Kalologie 360 Spa membership offers a customized spa pass with a flexible, personalized combination of massages, facials, peels and waxing each mon

To learn more about the Kalologie concept, visit www.Kalologie.com. Kalologie 360 Spa – Highlands Ranch Village Center Plaza, 9557 S. University Blvd. Highlands Ranch.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot at 2907 Huron St. kicks off July with its three-part Women & Whiskey Tasting Series.  The tastings are at 7 p.m. July 1, 29 and Aug. 26.  Each tasting may be individually purchased at $25 per day or the full series may be purchased for a reduced price of $65.

With the dramatic increase of female whiskey drinkers, the Whiskey Tango Foxtrot team created a tasting series specifically for them.  Women who are novice whiskey drinkers as well as connoisseurs are invited to attend.  Whiskeys will be paired with small bites to bring out the flavors and experience.  July 1 will focus on Colorado whiskey and fruit; July 29 will feature Kentucky bourbon and chocolate; and Aug. 26 pairs scotch with cheese.

Frank Schultz, owner of Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, is excited about the series.  “Women were instrumental in developing whiskey years ago.  After a huge drop in consumption, the numbers are finally jumping back up.  It’s exciting to us to see such interest.  We have over 95 whiskeys and our bartenders love to custom-create whiskey cocktails.  It’s fun to bring new whiskey fans into the fold.  While this is an opportunity for new drinkers to learn more about whiskey, it will also be a fun experience for those who are very well-versed.”

Each tasting will be limited to about 20 women for more of an intimate gathering.  As a result, tickets are expected to sell quickly.  Attendees must be 21 or older.

July 1 – Colorado whiskey and fruit pairing ($25 per person, not including gratuity).

• Double Diamond Whiskey
• Dancing Pines Bourbon
• Breckenridge Bourbon

Buy July 1 tickets at www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/885121?utm_medium=bks.

July 29 - Kentucky bourbon and chocolate pairing ($25 per person, not including gratuity).

• Maker’s Mark;
• Basil Hayden’s;
• Bookers.

Buy July 29 tickets at www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/885149?utm_medium=bks.

Aug. 26 – Scotch and cheese pairing ($25 per person, not including gratuity).

• Macallan Fine Oak 10 year;
• Macallan Fine Oak 12 year;
• Macallan Fine Oak 15 year.

Buy Aug. 26 tickets at www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/885159?utm_medium=bks.

Buy the full series (July 1, 29 and Aug. 26) for a reduced package rate of $65: www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/885247?utm_medium=bks.

Eavesdropping on myself: “To all of us who have dads long gone, here’s to who they helped us to be.”

The Colorado Wine Industry Development Board, part of the Colorado Department of Agriculture, has just announced the winners of this year’s 2015 Governor’s Cup Wine Competition which took place on May 16 and 17 at Metropolitan State University of Denver’s Hotel and Hospitality Learning Center. The only statewide winemaking competition exclusively for Colorado wines, this year’s competition drew 241 entries from 37 local wineries, and was judged by a panel of sommeliers, winemakers, writers and wine experts from around the country.

“I think the wines this year show great balance and wonderful winemaking skills,” said judge and winemaker Warren Winiarski of the Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars’ S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon from the 1976 Judgment of Paris tasting.

The judges voted to award the 2015 Governor’s Cup “Best of Show” to two wines, both made from Syrah. When the sweepstakes tasting was complete, Canyon Wind Cellars’ 2013 Anemoi Lips and Turquoise Mesa Winery’s 2013 Syrah were tied. The 15 judges preferred to name both wines as Best of Show rather than break the tie with a vote.

Syrah is a red grape variety that originates from the Rhône region of France. The 2015 Governor’s Cup Case features the top 12 rated grape wines from the competition, but new this year is the special “niche” four-pack of cider, mead, fruit, and flavored wines. Both will be available at select retailers throughout the Front Range.

“Syrah often excels in Colorado as a varietal wine and also makes a wonderful component in blended wines,” said Doug Caskey, executive director of the CWIDB. “It is quite a statement that four Syrah-based wines are among the top 12 wines in the competition.”

“I’m excited to hear that our 2013 Anemoi Lips won Best of Show,” Jay Christianson said. “We’re quite humbled that one of our wines has been awarded Best of Show two years in a row!” Last year, Canyon Wind Cellars’ 2012 Petit Verdot was the “Best of Show” winner in the 2014 Governor’s Cup Case. Canyon Wind Cellars, nestled along the Colorado River between the Book Cliffs and the towering Grand Mesa in Palisade is a family-owned estate winery named for the mountain breezes and canyon winds that nurture the fruit on its high altitude vineyard.

Norman and Ellen Christianson founded Canyon Wind in 1991 and crushed its first harvest in 1996. In 2010, the second generation arrived as the Christianson’s son, Jay, and his wife, Jennifer, took over the leadership of Canyon Wind Cellars and created a second brand, Anemoi Wines, in 2011.

Turquoise Mesa Winery, like Canyon Wind Cellars, placed two of its wines in the Governor’s Case Cup.

“We have always been proud of the quality of our wines, which means that the grape industry is outstanding in Colorado,” said Tom Bueb, “and our continued success only emphasizes that!” Turquoise Mesa Winery is a family-owned winery in Broomfield built on a passion for great wine shared among friend. Owners Tom and Mary Joan Bueb began making wine commercially in 2003, but it had been an amateur passion long before that. Turquoise Mesa Winery sources the finest Colorado grapes primarily from the Western Slope to produce limited quantities of handcrafted wines. Known for Rhône varietals and blends, Bueb added, “Turquoise Mesa Winery is honored and thrilled that our Syrah tied for Best of Show.

All locations of Tropical Smoothie Cafe are honoring National Flip Flop Day and collecting donations for Camp Sunshine, an organization that provides support and hope to children with life-threatening illnesses and their families, with a free smoothie give-away from 2 to 7 p.m. today.

The freebie consists of a 24-ounce Jetty Punch smoothie to all guests wearing flip-flops to honor National FlipFlopDay.

To find the Tropical Smoothie locations in Centennial and Greenwood Village, please go to www.tropicalsmoothiecafe.com/find-a-cafe?address=Denver

In addition to the freebies at all Tropical Smoothie locations, CEO Mike Rotondo will walk the length of Manhattan, NY in flip flops to collect donations that will go directly to the organization while handing out smoothies at designated locations along the way. The goal is to hit $1 million this year.

On the heels of celebrating its one-year anniversary in May and the 100th  anniversary of the historic building in which it is housed, the Renaissance Denver Downtown City Center Hotel within the Colorado National Bank has earned several awards this year.

Recent honors include a Downtown Denver Partnership Award, a finalist in the Urban Land Institute Impact Awards, an Expedia 4-star rating, Denver Business Journal Real Estate Champions Award and several others. The Renaissance Denver Downtown offers a 230-room modern luxury hotel experience accented by pieces of the building’s storied past, including a series of murals from the iconic western muralist Allen Tupper True and three original bank vaults turned meeting spaces, complete with original 33-inch thick, 60,000-pound steel safe doors. Many of the Renaissance Denver Downtown’s recent honors paid homage to the hotel’s restoration and adaptive reuse of the historic property.

On the evening of May 21, the Renaissance Denver Downtown was one of seven winners at the 54^th Annual Downtown Denver Awards Dinner, where select businesses, projects and initiatives were honored for having had significant impact on the city center over the previous year. The Renaissance Denver Downtown was praised for its careful renovation of the 100-year-old Colorado National Bank building into a luxury hotel, thus ensuring the landmark remains a lively fixture in the community for generations to come.

The hotel was also a finalist in the 2015 Urban Land Institute Colorado Impact Awards, which recognizes urban projects that realize successful business and economic models. The Renaissance Denver Downtown was one of only three finalists within the Infill Category, and was highlighted for its adaptive reuse of the historic property.

In the first-ever Denver Business Journal Real Estate Champions Awards, eight recent developments within the city were recognized for their contributions to the booming Denver metro real estate industry. The Renaissance Denver Downtown was selected as a winner in the adaptive reuse category.

In addition to a 2014 AAA Four Diamond Rating, the Renaissance Denver Downtown recently received an Expedia 4-star rating – an increase from its previous 3.5-star rating. The rating was achieved through the evaluation of hard and soft goods, on-property services and amenities, aesthetics and décor and customer feedback.

“We are ecstatic to have earned such renowned distinctions,” said Michael Damion, general manager of the hotel. “We have received an overwhelmingly positive response since opening last year, and we look forward to continuing our property’s engagement in the community.”

The property also received several ColoradoBiz Magazine accolades, including Best Business Hotel and Best Business Lunch for the hotel’s original concept restaurant, range, and runner-up positions for Best Meeting/Event Venue and Best Place to Get a Martini for the lobby lounge, Teller Bar.