Sweet!

Longmont-based Robin Chocolates (http://robinchocolates.com/), owned by Robin Autorino, has been named one of the top 10 chocolate makers in North America for 2013 by “Dessert Professional,” the leading trade publication for chocolate, pastry, baking and ice cream professionals.

“We are tremendously honored,” said Autorino, who founded Robin Chocolates in 2008. “Our passion is making bold, beautiful and delicious chocolates and pastries, and it is enormously satisfying to be recognized for our work.”

Autorino began her professional career as a chef for a small cafeteria, and then joined the military and continued cooking, baking and candy making as a hobby. After 14 years in the Navy and more than a decade working for computer and Internet companies she settled on her true passion working in the culinary world.

She attended Culinary School of the Rockies, and during an internship at a patisserie in France, discovered her love of pastries, desserts and chocolate. Her resume includes pastry chef positions at Flagstaff House in Boulder and The Brown Palace Hotel.

Robin Chocolates is a family-run business where Autorino’s husband, Chris, handles the company’s artwork and website.

“One rule I learned in the military is that precision counts,” she said. “If it doesn’t look perfect and taste great, I won’t sell it.”

Readers and visitors to the shop at 600 S. Airport Road, Longmont, can mention the code #topchocolateshop for five percent off all orders through the end of January.

Robin Chocolates in Longmont has earned national acclaim. (Robin Chocolates Facebook photo)

Restaurants and hotels in Denver make our economic world go ’round. Consider that together both sectors will generate more than $13 billion in sales this year, which generates more than $850 million in state and local taxes.

Also, restaurants and hotels employ roughly 286,000 employees in 11,500 establishments. A big deal.

So it makes total sense that the Colorado Restaurant Association and the Colorado Hotel and Lodging Association throw a joint event annually on the first day of the Colorado Legislature to wine and dine lawmakers that could affect the hospitality business.

I have attended this event for more years than I care to reveal, and I would say that the hearty party Wednesday on the 38th floor of the adjoining tower at the Grand Hyatt Hotel attracted more festive folks than I’ve ever seen.

We wined and dined from tasty treats from restaurants including: Angelo’s Taverna, Baca at Inverness Hotel & Resort, Hurricane Grill & Wings, Lala’s Wine Bar & Pizzeria, Mangia Bevi Café, Metropolitan State University Denver, Outback Steakhouse, Penrose Room at the Broadmoor, Ted’s Montana Grill, Texas Roadhouse,  The Airplane Restaurant, The Fort and The Fresh Fish Company.

Pete Meersman, the slowly retiring CEO of the Colorado Restaurant Association introduced Sonia Riggs, the new “chief cheese” who is taking over Meersman’s impressive reign. About restaurants, he said, “Restaurants and hotels are the cornerstone of Colorado’s economy.”

Christine O’Donnell, president of the Colorado Hotel & Lodging Association, more pointedly addressed the legislators attending the event. “It takes only a slight change in the laws to turn a profitable hotel or restaurant into an unprofitable business,” she said. “We ask you to keep that in mind during this year’s legislative session.”

And former Wynkoop Brewing Co. founder Gov. John Hickenlooper stopped by to speak and be among his “peeps,” as he would say. He referenced deceased The Fort founder Sam Arnold.

“I think about the people who aren’t here,” Hickenlooper said. “Sam Arnold really put Colorado on the map.”

Seen in Pueblo at Marisol Therapeutics, a marijuana dispensary, Tommy Chong, half of the Cheech and Chong pot-smoking comedy duo. Chong posted on Twitter: “Just finished my 7th J and boy is my mouth dry. This legalization is tough on (an) old stoner.”

Chong told the media at the Pueblo dispensary: “This is one small stagger for a stoner and one giant leap for stoner-kind.”

Tommy Chong greets a large crowd at Marisol Therapuetics, a marijuana dispensary in Pueblo. The comedian and pot activist visited the shop in southern Colorado on Saturday. (Celebstoner.com photo)

Bradburn Village, a residential and retail development in Westminster, just announced that a 35,000-square-foot Whole Foods Market is under construction at the site on the southeast corner of Vrain Street and West 120th Avenue. The new store will be a relocation of the current Whole Foods at 92nd and Sheridan.

“We are excited about this new opportunity and look forward to becoming even more connected to the city of Westminster,” said Will Paradise, president of Whole Foods Market’s Rocky Mountain Region. “Each of our stores are designed to reflect the unique character of the surrounding community.”

The project, which will include roughly 90 townhomes, is being developed by Continuum Partners.

The Whole Foods Market at 92nd Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard in Westminster is relocating to the southeast corner of Vrain Street and West 120th Avenue. (Whole Foods photo)

This was the email I got from the founders of the Post  Brewery, a new brewery/brew pub (105 Emma St. in Lafayette):

“Why Lafayette? We have asked ourselves that question 100 times before seriously considering this. We began looking for a location for a brewery to produce beer for our existing restaurants about five years ago. And during that time, (we have) been spinning a chicken concept around in his big brain for at least that long. It became clear that putting the two together would possibly be a brilliant idea.

“The challenge then came in finding a brewmaster who would not only make outstanding beer but who would be someone we could build a story around. We will be the 180^th brewpub to open in Colorado. So, this brewery needed to have some relevance and street cred and just not be another restaurateur jumping on the craft brewing bandwagon.

“That’s when we met Bryan Selders. Bryan was the brewmaster for DogFish Head Brewery in Milton, Delaware for the first decade of that brewery’s life. Their production was very limited when he started, but during his tenure there he took them to the point of being considered one of the most original, delicious and innovative breweries in the U.S., winning many national awards, international press and critical praise along the way.

“The chicken part of this story is about fried and rotisserie chicken. Chef Brett Smith has been with Big Red F for almost 15 years with a six-year hiatus spent on St. John Island where he mastered Creole and island cooking, especially with those island yard birds.

“Chef Brett, Dave and BRF culinary director Jamey Fader have traveled extensively throughout the U.S., searching for the very best chicken they could get in to their mouths – they found a few that will stand out in their culinary daydreams for a lifetime.

“It was at this moment that The POST Brewing Company and GoodBird Kitchen came to be. GoodBird is the name of the kitchen at The POST. Joining this powerhouse team at The POST as General Manager is Lara VannDagenhart(formerly of The KITCHEN, Kitchen Upstairs, Kitchen Next Door). Finally, Brian Selbitschka as beverage manager, rounds out the team – he’s managed bars for The Big Red F for 12 years including LoLa, Zolo and The West End Tavern. We feel this team represents one of the strongest opening teams we have ever assembled to launch a restaurant.”

The Post Brewery is slated to open in January.

Eavesdropping on a Facebook post: “Cover letter just received from applicant: ‘I just graduated from college four days ago, and I have always wanted to live in a Pacific Northwest state like Colorado.'”

Fifteen Colorado hotels made it onto Conde Nast Traveler’s 2014 Gold List of the “511 Best Places on Earth.”

The historic Oxford Hotel and Hotel Teatro were the only two Denver hotels that made it onto the list.

Condé Nast Traveler’s annual Gold List identifies the world’s “best of the best,” including hotels, resorts and cruise lines, as voted by nearly 80,000 travelers.

The other Colorado hotels were primarily in resort towns including Aspen, Vail, Snowmass and Telluride.

The Oxford is celebrating the holiday season with the vintage romance package, which is priced starting at $280 per night and includes:

* Overnight accommodations.

* $100 spa credit to The Oxford Club, Spa and Salon.

* Breakfast for two in McCormick’s Fish House.

* Two vintage love-themed cocktails in the popular Cruise Room.

* Sanitas signature bath salt welcome amenity.

To book the Oxford escape, visit www.theoxfordhotel.com or call 303-628-5435. To read more about the Hotel Teatro, go to www.hotelteatro.com.

Originally opened in 1891, The Oxford Hotel offers 80 individually decorated guest rooms with unique features such as claw foot bathtubs, floor-to-ceiling Chinese silk curtains and French and English antiques. The hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and houses an extensive collection of Western American art.

Check out the complete Conde Nast’s Gold List, go to http://cntraveler.com/gold-list/2014/united-states.html?mbid=gl_pr.

The lobby of the Oxford Hotel. The Oxford is one of 15 Colorado hotels named to Conde Nast Traveler’s magazine 2014 Gold List. (Oxford Hotel photo)

Thrillist Denver writer/photographer/videographer/pontificator Lee Breslouer has made it his journalistic duty to sniff out our state’s best breweries, beers and places to drink them, but now he’s sharing his supreme suds list with all of the Thrillist Nation.

Breslouer did exhaustive and thirst-quenching research to compile The Definitive Colorado Beer Guide, released in Monday’s Thrillist Nation blog.

“Colorado’s most famous beer might be Coors, but it’s impossible to ignore the more than 2,000 other breweries in the state that don’t own and operate ice-cold Love Trains,” Breslouer writes. “That’s why we’re presenting a comprehensive guide to the beer scene in ‘Rado (who calls it that?), including which beers you need to drink even if you don’t live anywhere near Denver, the local breweries that’re primed to become the next big thing, and the taprooms you absolutely have to visit if you’re anywhere close by.

Read the whole guide at http://www.thrillist.com/drink/nation/colorado-craft-beer?utm_content=feature&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Nation&utm_campaign=11.19.13%20NATION:%20An%20Insider’s%20Guide%20to…%20Colorado’s%20Beer%20Scene.

The historic mistreatment of wild horses is examined in the film “American Mustang,” which chronicles an emotionally charged journey through a tenuous landscape dotted by ranchers, wild horse advocates, government agencies and the American people.

The film screens at 7 p.m. Nov. 7 at the SIE FilmCenter, 2510 E. Colfax, as part of the 36th annual Starz Denver Film Festival. The movie-lovers madness opens Nov. 6 with an 8 p.m. screening of “Labor Day” and runs through Nov. 17.

In her filmmaking debut, “American Mustang” producer Ellie Phipps Price, vintner and animal welfare advocate, brings her passion for protecting wild horses to the big screen.

“American Mustang” is a feature film, shot in eight Western states with wild horses filmed for the first time in 3D. Threaded into the narrative is the story of a girl, a cowboy and an American icon – the wild horse. The film encourages protection of America’s wild horses while being aware of the reality of limited grazing and resources on the open range.

The film is narrated by actress and activist Daryl Hannah. Throughout a 30-year film career, Hannah has starred in more than 40 feature films, and has created numerous iconic roles in successful, critically acclaimed and enduring movies.

Collaborators on “American Mustang” include director Monty Miranda who worked closely with writer and co-producer Henry Ansbacher and executive producer Phipps Price. Phipps Price and Ansbacher co-wrote and developed the characters based on extensive interviews that create a rich palate of voices for the film. The interviews are with people who are on the front lines of the battle over preservation and management of wild horses – a contentious issue that incites strong emotions from every side.

Phipps Price spent her early years in Colorado, studied film at University of California, Berkeley and currently resides in Sonoma, Calif., where she produces Dunstan Wines from the Durell Vineyard. She adopted her first mustang, Dunstan, from the Bureau of Land Management holding facility at Cañon City in 2009.

Recently, Phipps Price established a 2,000-acre wildlife preserve for wild horses in northern California. “I am thrilled to be coming home to Colorado for the launch of ‘American Mustang’ – a film about these amazing and beautiful animals that have captured my heart,” she said.

Director and former Denver dweller Miranda attended the University of Colorado to study film and journalism and currently lives in Los Angeles. His career includes credits for the memorable TV commercials for John Hickenlooper’s mayoral campaign. Miranda’s feature-film directorial debut, “Skills Like This,” won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at the South by Southwest Film Festival.

Colorado-based Ansbacher of Just Media focuses on film projects that have a history of bringing change, social justice and raising awareness about environmental issues. Ansbacher’s film “The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner” received an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Short.

More information on the movie at: www.americanmustangthemovie.com.

For screening times and to purchase tickets, go to: http://www.denverfilm.org/festival/film/detail.aspx?id=25922&FID=77.

To learn more about the 36th annual Starz Film Festival and the featured movies, go to http://www.denverfilm.org/festival/index.aspx.

Cowboy Luke pets one of the horses in the film, ‘American Mustang.’ The film, which has many Colorado ties, will screen Nov. 7 at the 36th annual Starz Denver Film Festival. (American Mustang|Just Media photo)

Top spots

I told you on last week that Lakewood was included in the Top 100 Best Places to Live on liveability.com’s inaugural ranking, but that was only part of Colorado’s prized participation. Culinary Colorado’s Claire Walter (thanks, Claire!) pointed out that there’s more to the story.

While Lakewood ranked No. 88 (besting Scottsdale at No. 89), Aurora scored No. 49, and Boulder came in at an impressive No. 2. Topping the lauded list was Palo Alto, Calif., which I’m proud to say is my hometown (think Stanford University, John Elway, Eddie McCaffrey, Andrew Luck, etc.).

“The list was created in partnership with the Martin Prosperity Institute, the world’s leading think tank on the role of location, place and city-regions in global economic prosperity. The list was produced after studying U.S. cities and factors that make them the best places to live, work and play,” according to the Livability.com website.

Factors included in the Top 100 ranking included good schools, hospitals, amenities, affordability and the local economy. Read more at http://livability.com/top-100-best-places-to-live#/palo-alto/ca.

Viva los muertos!

Denver Botanic Gardens continues its annual celebration of Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), a Mexican day of remembrance and honor for the departed, with expanded programming this year.

In Mexico, streets near cemeteries are filled with parades, colorful decorations, flowers, candy, skeletons and skulls. It is believed the spirits of the dead visit their families Oct. 31 through Nov. 2. Families make altars with a photo of the deceased, along with offerings of food, candles, incense and yellow marigolds. 

The Gardens will observe the tradition with an all-ages celebration of Latino music, food, art and history on Friday. All events take place at the York Street location. For tickets and more information, go to: http://www.botanicgardens.org/events/special-events/d%C3%ADa-de-los-muertos.

Celebrate Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) at the Denver Botanic Gardens on Friday, Nov. 1. (Photo courtesy of Denver Botanic Gardens)

Shanahan shares steaks

The Washington Redskins lost to the Broncos Sunday, but head coach Mike Shanahan’s team will eat like winners on the plane home.

Shanahan told 104.3-FM The Fan on Friday his team will nosh on Shanahan’s Steakhouse fare on the plane ride home after Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos. Shanahan also noted he wouldn’t have time to visit his signature steakhouse in south Denver.

And speaking of the Broncos…

Ace Eat Serve at 501 E. 17th Ave. will be the place to catch all the Denver Broncos football action this season where the games will be shown on one of two projection screens.

Happy hour specials for the entire game (menu at www.acedenver.com/menus/happyhour).  And, tap into your own competitive spirit with free Ping-Pong as long as the Broncos are playing.

Tables can be reserved in advance, and for the entire length of the game. Get your reservations now for the next game (Broncos vs. Chargers on Nov. 10 since Sunday is a bye week) at 303-800-7705.  Free Ping-Pong and extended happy hour specials will be available during all Broncos home and away games for the rest of the 2013 – 2014 season.

The seen

The “dolphin trainer” actor in the Colorado Lottery commercial (created by local ad shop Cactus) shopping Thursday at Whole Foods Market on Hampden. He wasn’t spotted in the fresh fish section.

Eavesdropping on a group of golfers at the Eagle’s Nest restaurant at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club: “I wonder if Shanahan took the team to Shanahan’s (Steakhouse) last night?”

“Well, he sure didn’t take them to Elway’s!”

Did you hear that I have a new column, “Mile High Life,” in Colorado Community Media’s 17 weekly newspapers circling Denver? Be sure to like my Facebook page! Also, here’s where you go to get my column emailed to you Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. My email: penny@blacktie-llc.com. Want to advertise your business here? Contact Trisha at trilind@hotmail.com.