Denver author Adrian Miller, who writes about the synergy between cooking and culture, earned a James Beard Award Friday in New York City for his 2013 book, “Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, One Plate at a Time.”

“It’s taken a while to sink in,” Miller told The Denver Post in a phone interview Saturday. “But it’s a really cool feeling.”

The book was honored in the reference-and-scholarship category. The James Beard Foundation Awards honor work in the culinary world.

In an interview with The Post shortly after the book appeared, Miller said that one of his goals was to demystify soul food.

“‘I’m trying to show that the commonality in soul food is more about class and economics than race,’ said Miller, who grew up in metro Denver and graduated from Smoky Hill High School in Aurora. ‘The food was originally a function of place, not race.’

“An attorney by training — he describes himself as a ‘recovering lawyer’ — Miller served as special assistant to former President Bill Clinton and as a policy analyst for ex-Gov. Bill Ritter. He is executive director of the Colorado Council of Churches.

“But food is one of his great passions, which he explores on his website, ‘Soul Food Scholar’ at adrianmiller.com.

Asked if he expected any changes in his life in the wake of the award, Miller told The Post. “Oh yeah, I think my phone calls will be returned …”

More at: http://www.denverpost.com/lifestyles/ci_25690751/denver-author-adrian-miller-wins-beard-award-soul.

CU Denver’s College of Arts & Media’s Digital Animation Center junior Jeremy Kuehn has been selected as one of nine students worldwide for a prestigious internship with PIXAR, maker of such award-winning films as “Toy Story,” “Monsters, Inc.,” “Finding Nemo,” “The Incredibles” and “Cars.”

Kuehn is studying 3D graphics and animation at the Animation Center, CU Denver’s state-of-the-art animation computer software center. Kuehn is the third DAC student to be placed in the PIXAR internship program, including Jeff Gipson, who is currently part of the Oscar-winning animation team at Disney (“Frozen”) and Zach Repasky.

“This is an absolutely amazing program,” Kuehn said about DAC. “Students here appreciate how we replicate a studio environment. It prepares you for the outside world — actual (film) studios. At PIXAR, they want to know you’re able to work on a team in a studio environment.”
Howard Cook, assistant professor and director of DAC, said PIXAR selects its summer interns from a pool of more than 10,000 applicants. “It’s a coveted internship,” Cook said. “This is quite an honor for Jeremy and a great acknowledgment of our program.”

Kuehn begins his 10-week paid scholarship at the PIXAR studios near Oakland on June 12.

The Five Star Burgers spot on 555 Broadway has bitten the bun.

The affable burger joint (great service, yummy food) suddenly shuttered last week, which Westword promptly reported.

Here’s the blog item: “The Five Star Burgers … had a lot going for it, even on the restaurant-heavy corner of Sixth and Broadway. The green chile on that big, fat cheeseburger featured real Hatch chiles. If that and the hand-cut fries didn’t fill you up, you could order deep-fried banana bread for dessert. There were even plans to book bands for live music on the patio. But the lights at Five Star Burgers have gone out.

“Five Star Burgers is owned by the Taos Restaurant Group, which also owns Old Blinking Light in Highlands Ranch and Taos, and has other Five Star locations scattered between New Mexico, Missouri … and metro Denver, where the spot at 2330 E. Arapahoe Road in Centennial is still open.

More at: http://blogs.westword.com/cafesociety/2014/05/five_star_burgers.php.

Acclaimed U2 tribute band Under A Blood Red Sky — The U2 Tribute will headline Denver Zoo’s 25^th annual Do At The Zoo gala on June 19. Presented by Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, Denver Zoo’s largest fundraiser will feature musical entertainment as well as boffo bites from some of Denver’s most popular restaurants.

The U2 tribute band will perform from 8:30-10 p.m. at the zoo’s Conoco Zoo Gardens.

Additional entertainers include: The Jay and Neil Show performing at the event’s VIP Party, above the underwater sea-lion viewing. Country singer Ben Marshal will play at Sheep Mountain. Classical and contemporary guitarist B will strum at Sycamore Island and Wichita Run will play at Bird World, presented by Frontier Airlines.

Do At The Zoo kicks off at 6 p.m. on June 19 for VIP early entrance, and at 7 p.m. for regular ticket holders. Join Denver’s wild party animals for the zoo’s best gala to date, featuring more than 60 of Denver’s top restaurants serving menu items. Guests also will experience music, dancing and close-up animal encounters at the Denver Zoo at twilight.

The zoo will close at noon on June 19 to set up for the gala. Tickets for the event are on sale at www.denverzoo.org. Proceeds from this year’s event will support the zoo and all of its daily operations, including the care and feeding of nearly 4,000 animals.

Under a Blood Red Sky — The U2 Tribute band will play at the Do At The Zoo on June 19 at Denver Zoo. The fund-raising event also has plenty of food and refreshment tents. (Photos courtesy of www.uabrs.com and Denver Zoo.

Eavesdropping on Facebook: Be nice to your nieces and nephews. One day you’ll need them to smuggle alcohol into your nursing home.

What is the Colorado Symphony Orchestra smoking?

The bastion of classical taste and the guardian of musical tradition is encouraging patrons to bring pot to the party during Classically Cannabis: The High Note Series, which marks a growing partnership between the Colorado Symphony and the burgeoning cannabis industry in Colorado.

Clever those symphony folks, who, for this series seem to be swapping blacktie for Rasta wear. Ganja!

The High Note Series, at The Space Gallery, 400 Santa Fe Blvd., and all proceeds benefit the Colorado Symphony. Classically Cannabis themes include Pan American Highway on May 23, Mississippi Blues Highway on July 18 and Summer Monsoon on Aug. 15.

The series will culminate with a Red Rocks concert on Sept. 13; details to be announced soon. Note that the consumption of cannabis at Red Rocks is prohibited by law.

“This partnership is part of an overall effort to reach out to every segment of our community,” said Jerome H. Kern, the Colorado Symphony’s CEO and, with Mary Rossick Kern, co-chair of its board of trustees. “Like the Colorado Symphony, the cannabis industry is entrepreneurial, innovative and responsive to the people of Colorado. These businesses have expressed a willingness to support the Colorado Symphony’s mission. Our doors are open to any legal, legitimate business that wants to help.”

Since the symphony announced this cutting-edge musical series earlier this week, spokeswoman Laura Bond says, “We’ve been pleased and energized by the response so far…We’ve heard from people in Los Angeles,  Australia, all over the country and the world. People recognize that this is a bold move, not without risks, and most have applauded the effort.

“There are, of course, some people who disapprove of any affiliation between the Colorado Symphony and the cannabis industry, and we understand that. Our city and our society are going through a cultural change. In time, as legal cannabis becomes more of a norm, and people see the impact of tax revenue…they’ll be more comfortable with these types of partnerships.

“I think what negative reaction we’ve received has a lot to do with misconceptions about what we’re actually doing. It’s not a concert series, and it’s not at Boettcher. It’s three private events at the Space Gallery – ticketed, for folks 21 and up. It’s not that much different from any event where alcohol is served and sponsored – like our Beethoven & Brews series, which has been active for a year.”

Tickets are $75 and include beer, wine and light bites from local food trucks and discounts for local transportation services. Marijuana will not be sold at the concerts. For sponsorship information, e-mail Jane West at contact@edibleeventsco.com or call 720-474-2276.

Induction into the Cable Hall of Fame is one of the industry’s highest and most exclusive honors.

Two Denver dignitaries, Daniel L. Ritchie, chairman and CEO, The Denver Center for the Performing Arts, and David Van Valkenburg, former CEO and COO, TeleWest PLC (UK), were inducted earlier this week into the 2014 Cable Hall of Fame during a celebration at the JW Marriott in Los Angeles.

The other 2014 honorees:

Christiane Amanpour, chief international correspondent and anchor; CNN’s Alex Best, (retired) executive vice president, engineering, Cox Communications, Inc.; Fred Dressler, (deceased) executive vice president, programming, Time Warner Cable and
Jerald L. Kent, chairman and CEO, Suddenlink Communications.

Honorees were chosen based on their dedication and contributions to the cable industry by a committee of industry peers and leaders. The 2014 Cable Hall of Fame selection committee was chaired by Glenn Britt, chairman and CEO of Time Warner Cable and a member of The Cable Center’s honorary board of directors.

Since 1998, 102 men and women have been inducted into the Cable Hall of Fame.

David Van Valkenburg, left and Daniel Ritchie.

The second annual South Denver Beer Fest takes place outdoors on Saturday and Sunday at Clement Park in Littleton. The festival features more than 70 breweries, cideries and wineries from all over the world. More than 120 craft beers will be poured.

VIP ticket holders will have access to a plethora of local distillers, limited release beers from select breweries, cheese and chocolate as well as entry one hour before the general public.

Many new breweries including 4 Noses Brewing Co. and Zephyr Brewing Co. will debut at the event. Clement Park will provide the backdrop to the festival with mountain views just beyond Johnson Reservoir.  The festival will also host a beard/mustache competition with prizes for top entries on both days.  This year’s event is presented by Littleton’s Tipsy’s Liquor World.

Proceeds benefit Carpenters Cupboard Food Bank serving Wheat Ridge and First Descents which provides young adult cancer survivors with outdoor experiences designed to empower them from within.  Festival attendees are encouraged to bring canned food items to the front gate in support of Carpenters Cupboard.

Tickets include a souvenir tasting cup, unlimited samplings of 120 different beverages, free shuttle service to and from the downtown Littleton light rail and the chance to vote for “Best of Show Beer.”  A full list of participants is available at www.SouthDenverBeerFest.com.

Here’s a thumbnail sketch of this week’s entries in our Singles who Mingle series:

Littleton resident Carri (below), a freelance TV host, producer and writer who’s “closer to 30 than 20″ says her idea of a perfect date is good conversation, laughter and someone with a creative plan. Anything but dinner and a movie.

In her spare time, Carri loves to try out a new hike and spending time in the outdoors. She also enjoys being a tourist and exploring new things about Colorado.