Broncos wide receiver Eric Decker and fiance and country singing sensation Jessie James will add their celebrity status to this year’s SaddleUp! Foundation Denver Suitcase Party where guests show up with packed bags ready to leave on a jet plane the weekend of Aug. 17.

The event will be held in a private hangar at Mayo Aviation, air jordan 3 femmes Centennial Airport. Guests will walk the red carpet beginning at 6 p.m. and party hearty with drinks, dancing and food samplings from local restaurants and caterers.

James will be the featured entertainer for the summer soiree which raises money for the Parker-based charity that is dedicated to empowering individuals with special needs through equine assisted activities and therapies at a family friendly ranch. More information and tickets at www.saddleupfoundation.org.

Tickets are $125 for young professionals 35 years and younger, $150 for general admission and $250 for VIP, which includes a champagne greeting, access to the VIP lounge and discounts for Town and Country Limousine. Each ticket level includes one raffle ticket for drawing to win two seats on the six-seater plane. The five-star accommodations are provided by Inspirato, the luxury travel club.

Above: Decker and James are ready for takeoff.

Get ready to Rumba

La Rumba, the former home Oxygen, of one of Denver’s best GLBT club nights of its time, will host The Official Elitch’s Pride Day After-Party Monday featuring DJ Tatiana.

Doors open at 7 p.m. Monday, and there is a $5 cover charge. Patrons that present their Elitch’s ticket stub will receive a free house drink.

Patio party

I mentioned it earlier, but it bears repeating: Elway’s Cherry Creek summer concert series returns Wednesday with live music, cocktails and a special menu.

Wednesday’s concerts kick-off band is Message in a Bottle, a terrific group that covers songs from The Police. The backyard opens at 5; bands play from 6:30 to 9 p.m.

Check out the rest of the summer schedule at www.elways.com.

Wednesday wine day

Strings Restaurant, 1700 Humboldt, would also be worth a visit on Wednesday for The Tour de France premium dinner and wine pairing event presented by The Denver Chapter of the American Wine Society.

Four courses will be paired with wines from leading producers from the Loire Valley, Alsace, Burgundy and Cobieres. Guest speaker will be Jeff Lott, southwest regional manager, Pasternak Wine Imports.

The event is $55 for AWS members; $65 for non-members and guests. air jordan 4 femmes Tickets available at www.blacktie-colorado.com.

Restaurant worker wins 100 clams for dinner

Scott Morgan with Cool River in the Tech Center was the big winner at Tuesday’s Tailgate party, a “fun-raiser” for the Colorado Restaurant Association Mile High Chapter.

Morgan’s name was drawn from all those who went on to the Chapter’s Facebook page and “liked” us (he really likes us!). Congrats to the restaurant industry worker who gets to spend a $100 gift certificate good at any Mile High Chapter member.

Be sure to like my Facebook page! Also, here’s where you go to get my column emailed to you Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I’m now the social-media liaison for the Mile High Chapter of the Colorado Restaurant Association, so read my latest restaurant news there. My email: penny@blacktie-llc.com.

The 8th Annual Denver Food and Wine event is the party of the summer to benefit the Colorado Restaurant Association. It runs from Sept. 6-9 at Metropolitan State University of Denver.

Here’s the drill:

* Thursday, Sept. 6, features a special wine dinner at Metro’s new Hospitality Learning Center.  Seating is limited to 34 people, and the dinner features wines and a “special guest” by Southern Wine and Spirits.  Evening will include cocktails and appetizers, tour of new venue, dinner by Denver chefs.

* Friday, Sept. 7, includes an industry/trade breakfast sponsored by the Colorado Hotel Lodging Association and Colorado Restaurant Association with speakers from the CH&LA and CRA.  The location will be the ballroom of the new Springfield Suites by Marriott. There’ll also be demos and seminars in the new Hospitality Learning Center as well as Riedel glass seminars. During the evening will be Restaurants Rock in the Springfield Suites and HLC Tastes, featuring live entertainment, tastes from Denver restaurants and spirits and wines from Southern Wine and Spirits.

* Saturday, Sept. 8, will be a “grand tasting” for the general public set up under tents in the quadrangle at 7th & Lawrence Way. It will feature tastes of more than 600 wines and spirits and food from over 40 restaurants. There’ll be a Tented VIP Plaza, a Pernod Ricard Lounge, a Beam Global Lounge, a Viking Culinary Stage with confirmed guest Chef Dario Cecchini, the Butcher of Panzano.

* Sunday, Sept. 9, there’s a special dinner at Panzano with Dario and Demo. The Denver Broncos play the Pittsburgh Steelers at 6:30 p.m.

A total of 5,000 people are expected for all the events.

Media sponsors are Entercom Radio Stations – KOSI, air jordan 4.5 femmes The Mountain, ALICE, KEZW; The Denver Post; 9News; Dining Out Magazine; Larimer Associates; Visit Denver; and The Denver Partnership. Beneficiaries are the Denver Post Community Foundation, Metropolitan State University of Denver, Colorado Restaurant Association Education Foundation scholarship program.

More information:  www.denverfoodandwine.com

Hot Rocks rocks!

I have been an unabashed fan of John Elway’s since I moved to Denver in 1993. I never take a close encounter with him for granted. So last night at the Hot Rocks Griller Challenge was special because I got to sidle up to the NFL Hall of Famer and have my picture snapped. It never gets old.

Thanks, John. I adore you and will always be proud to call you a friend. You rock my world!

Muy caliente!

Hot Rocks Griller Challenge pitted super chefs against each other in heated competition to raise money for Denver Health Medical Center Men’s Health Department.

There were two competitions for Best Slider. People’s Choice winners were:

1. Tyler Wiard, Aniedra Nichols of Elway’s Cherry Creek

2. Troy Guard, TAG, TAG Raw Bar and Madison Street Grill

3. Simon Purvis, EDGE Restaurant

In the Chefs’ Choice competition:

A tie between Troy Guard and Paul Reilly of Encore.

Eavesdropping on a woman in a Suburban who backed into a Toyota Prius and then became defiant with the owner of the Prius about the accident:  She claimed that the accident wasn’t her fault because she was on her phone, backing up and the Prius was so small she couldn’t see it.

At that point the Arapahoe County sheriff said to her, “How are you going to air jordan 5 femmes xplain to your insurance company that it wasn’t your fault when the vehicle you hit was parked and there was no driver in it?”

The woman had nothing more to say.

Be sure to like my Facebook page! Also, here’s where you go to get my column emailed to you Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I’m now the social-media liaison for the Mile High Chapter of the Colorado Restaurant Association, so read my latest restaurant news there. My email: penny@blacktie-llc.com.

Hey, there’s an elephant on my street; how he got there I’ll never know.

If you’re in the vicinity of Curtis and 18th streets on Saturday, don’t be surprised to see an elephant lumbering toward The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Denver.

The elephant entry signifies the third and final air jordan spizike wedding ceremony between an East Indian doctor and his American wife. Three ceremonies are planned with the last being an Indian tradition of having the bride arrive at the reception location aboard an elephant being trucked in from California for the occasion.

I’ve been told that there will be street closures and off-duty police officers along the route. “I understand they’ve taken out tons of (city) permits,” said a source. Representatives from the mayor’s office could not be reached for comment on Thursday.

Get your grill on

It’ll be a hot time in the old town when a slew of chefs fire up their grills and serve up sliders during the fourth annual Hot Rocks Griller Challenge, a fundraiser for the Denver Health Foundation’s men’s health programs, from 6 to 9 p.m. June 13 at Elway’s Cherry Creek.

Roughly 16 of the top local chefs will get their grill on to compete for top honors in the slider competition where the winner is determined by popular vote. Attendees can purchase chips (votes) from $5 to $100, and flip chips into the receptacles on their favorite chefs’ tables. Each chef will concoct a creative slider plus a side dish that will be paired with a wine.

The heated competition represents some of Denver’s best culinary talent including: Steve Ballas (Steve’s Snappin’ Dogs), Robert Bogart (Elway’s Downtown), Michael Bortz (City Bakery), Jamey Fader (Lola, Big Red F Restaurant Group), Troy Guard (TAG, TAG Raw Bar, Madison Grill), Jennifer Jasinski (Rioja, Bistro Vendome, Euclid Hall), Simon Purvis (EDGE Restaurant), Paul Reilly (formerly of Encore), Matt Selby and Brandon Biederman (Vesta Dipping Grill, Steuben’s), Goose Sorensen (Solera), Darrel Truett (Barolo Grill), Tyler Wiard and Aniedra Nichols (Elway’s Cherry Creek), Elise Wiggins (Panzano) and Sean Yontz (El Diablo).

Denver’s own Chris Daniels and the Kings will provide musical entertainment. Guests can also “pay to play” the Hyde Park Jewelers High Striker test of skills game. Event chairs Michael Pollak (Hyde Park) and John Elway (Broncos, Hall of Fame) will fan the fun.

Tickets are $100 apiece or $250 for early admission and entrance to the VIP Lounge. Purchase them at denverhealthfoundation.org.

In memoriam

Hank Dire, owner of the iconic Bonnie Brae Tavern, died Monday at age 84. Hank had worked at the family restaurant since he was 5 years old.

Most Precious Blood Catholic Church, 3959 E. Iliff Ave., will be the location for a memorial service at 10 a.m. Monday.

Another long-time Colorado restaurateur Timothy Lee Galloway died last November, but the current issue of  issue of Golf Digest tells the touching story of how his son, Winn, took his dad for a round of golf at Pebble Beach where Tim scored a hole in one.

Tim worked at Boulder restaurants including Flagstaff House, adidas neo Red Lion Inn, Potter’s, the restaurants at the Boulderado Hotel and Cork n’ Cleaver.

Check out the Golf Digest story (have your hanky nearby) here.

Dad’s day

Four local men may be captains of industry and pillars in the community, but they are most proud of being a dad.

Walt DeHaven, vice president and general manager of CBS4; Steve Erkenbrack, president and CEO of Rocky Mountain Health Plans; Greg Feasel, executive vice president and COO of the Colorado Rockies and Jeff Jones, co-president and CFO of Vail Resorts, were lauded Wednesday night during the Father of the Year Awards, a fundraiser for the American Diabetes Association.

The ballroom at the Grand Hyatt was packed with supporters who were treated to touching video tributes from children of the honored fathers.

Evening emcee CBS4 anchor Jim Benemann warmed up the crowd with some of his own “dad-isms”.

“I remember my dad fondly for the things he taught me such as, ‘Oh, I’ll give you something to cry about.’ Or, ‘Because I said so, that’s why.'”

Speaking of dear old dad

Are you tardy to the dad’s day party? There’s still time to make Father’s Day brunch or dinner reservations. Go to opentable.com to see a list of special Father’s Day feasts.

Eavesdropping on a man watching The View: “They should just call this,’ We All Talk at the Same Time.'”

Be sure to like my Facebook page! Also, here’s where you go to get my column emailed to you Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I’m now the social-media liaison for the Mile High Chapter of the Colorado Restaurant Association, so read my latest restaurant news there. My email: penny@blacktie-llc.com.

Are you achin’ for bacon?

The Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival, the world’s premier bacon event, is taking its tour to Keystone from June 23 to 24.

The Festival, which began in 2008 in Iowa, hosts its tour events around the world. free run 3.0 v3 femmes In addition to the Keystone stop on this year’s tour, The Bacon Festival will visit Reykjavik, Iceland, and Charlotte, N.C.

“This past February, the Fifth Annual Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival in Des Moines, Iowa, attracted 4,500 attendees, who consumed more than 4,200 pounds of bacon, which is about 63,000 bacon strips,” said Brooks Reynolds, president of the Iowa Bacon Board and co-founder of The Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival. “We are thrilled to return to scenic Keystone for a second year and delight Colorado with all things bacon.”

The two-day celebration in Keystone’s River Run Village will feature 2,000 pounds of bacon, bacon-inspired dishes from local and traveling restaurants, bacon Bloody Marys and live music.

Tickets are available at blueribbonbaconfestival.com. Lodging packages, which include Festival admission, are available at keystoneresort.com.

Shoe biz

Argonaut Wine & Liquor at 760 E. Colfax is collecting new and gently used shoes in bins inside the store for Soles4Souls, a charitable organization that distributes shoes to the needy. The collection is taking place at the store through June 16.

Good eats

Food critics, bloggers and the general dining public have spoken on the Urbanspoon website and smartphone app and have chosen the 250 high-end dining establishments that have received the most buzz for the buck, and Elway’s Cherry Creek is the single Denver restaurant on the lofty list.

The list was gleaned from more than 600,000 restaurants, a gazillion reviews and a billion page views.

“Getting a Friday night table will require some advance planning, but the sheer popularity of these destinations ensures you’ll be treated to a memorable gastronomical event,” an Urbanspoon blogger wrote. See the list of America’s 250 most popular high-end restaurants here.

Red Rocks rocks

Coloradans know that Red Rocks rocks, but CNN now knows that too by naming the incomparable amphitheater one of the “10 fabulous U.S. music venues.”

In the news network’s adulation of our prime music venue it wrote, “The only naturally occurring acoustically perfect amphitheater in the world is located 24 kilometers west of Denver. … More than one star performer has remarked on the spiritual quality of playing Red Rocks and proclaimed it the best place to play.”

Mangia!

DiFranco’s, an Italian market and eatery that features products from 22 local companies, opened last week in the Beauvallon building at Ninth and Lincoln.

The menu offers an array of fresh pastries, free run 3.0 v4 homemade pasta and sauces, salads, sandwiches and grab and go items made from DiFranco’s family recipes.

Owner Ryan DiFranco previously introduced a line of Italian inspired sauces to the Denver market. Hours are 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday; 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. More information: difrancos.com.

Eavesdropping on a wife and husband: “If I could re-do our bathroom, I’d rip up the floor and put in radiant heat so my feet wouldn’t feel the cold tile.”

“Ever heard of slippers?”

My Facebook page has moved. Be sure to like it! Also, here’s where you go to get my column emailed to you Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. My email: penny@blacktie-llc.com.

Looking for some outdoor entertainment on Memorial Day today?

Check out the Kizuna West Meets East bamboo floating sculptures at the Denver Botanic Gardens.

“It’s a celebration of Japanese art and culture free run 3.0 v4 femmes through bamboo art,” said Jennifer Riley-Chetwynd, director of marketing and public relations at the Botanic Gardens.

The installation of the exhibit was site specific where hundreds of volunteers assembled the pieces after truckloads of bamboo were delivered to the gardens.

Kizuna means “the bonds between people” in Japanese, and the large pieces were created by artists Tetsunori Kawana (Japan) and Stephen Talasnik (New York).

The bamboo structures floating on a pond fit so well into the Botanic Gardens landscape that a goose moved in and gave birth to three goslings recently.

The exhibit runs through Nov. 4, then will be dismantled. More information: botanicgardens.org.

Noshing news

If you’re a fan of a better burger, you should give the new Five Star Burgers at 555 Broadway a taste test. The first metro area Five Star Burgers opened in The Streets at SouthGlenn, and there are New Mexico places in Albuquerque and Taos.

Owner Michael Yaccino splits time living between Denver and Taos, but he was in town recently to give me a tour of his new downtown eatery.

“Have a burger on Denver’s most interesting corner,” Yaccino said about the location inside a former Kokoro Japanese restaurant.

The menu features a potpourri of burgers from the 5 Star Burger (with gorgonzola cheese and applewood smoked bacon) to an Ahi tuna burger with sweet soy glaze, jicama and avocado. The menu includes salads, kids’ meals, wine, beer, cocktails and desserts.

The burgers are a half pound of arm-dripping juiciness cooked to temperature. The menu is available at 5starburgers.com.

* Newbie Carrie’s Place “Foods for the Spirit” is now open at 1426 E. 22nd Ave. The restaurant bills itself as serving food “made from fresh, natural ingredients from local farms.”

The menu includes tilapia or catfish nuggets and shrimp, smoked turkey legs, slads, chicken and waffles atn roasted corn on the cob. Menu at carriesplacecafe.net.

* Southern Hospitality BBQ, a franchise free run 3.0 v5 femmes operation backed by OneRepublic lead singer  and Coloradan Ryan Tedder, is set to open inside the historic St. Elmo Hotel at 1433 17th St. in October.

The restaurant, which has two New York locations, will serve soul food.

Eavesdropping on two women at Elway’s Cherry Creek: “It’s not surprising that when your circumstances change that you become invisible to some people.”

“I like to call them people with another agenda.”

My Facebook page has moved. Be sure to like it! Also, here’s where you go to get my column emailed to you Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. My email: penny@blacktie-llc.com.

Tom’s Urban 24 Diner, a new concept from the owners of Smashburger, will set up shop in the former Samba Room space on the prime corner of 15th and Larimer on Larimer Square.

The restaurant will be a 24-hour operation, the only one in LoDo, and will likely be a hungry haven for nightclub crawlers looking for a late-night nosh.

“I’ve actually wanted a 24-hour operation on Larimer Square for many years,” said Joe Vostrejs, chief operating of Larimer Associates. “There’s been a hole in downtown for this product. free run 5.0 +3 femmes If you wanted something to eat at 3 a.m. where do you go?”

The space sat empty for two years after Samba Room’s parent company filed bankruptcy while the Denver restaurant was in the midst of major repairs from faulty plumbing that leaked into Comedy Works below. Comedy Works filed suit over the soggy situation.

The diner, which will serve more upscale food similar to the quality of Steuben’s on 17th Avenue, is named after Tom Ryan, managing partner and chief concept officer at Denver-based Consumer Capital Partners, an investment and operations company. Ryan was one of the big brains behind the Smashburger chain.

Stacie Lange, spokeswoman for Consumer Capital Partners, called the Larimer Square spot “an ideal location for us”.

“We’re still working on details about the concept, but should be able to talk more about it in the next 30 to 60 days.”

Vostrejs said the goal is to have the diner open by the end of the summer.

Postmortem

Was Saks Fifth Avenue plotting a comeback to Denver after closing its only store here last year?

That was the mistaken message posted last week by indeed.com, which listed several job openings for the “Denver” Saks.

“I got some calls from people asking if Saks was revisiting opportunities in Denver,” said Nick LeMasters, general manager of Cherry Creek Shopping Center where Saks shut down. “I picked up the phone and called our home office, but apparently some mistake was made.”

Saks Fifth Avenue spokeswoman Lexi Miller said the job posting faux pas was the result of “a glitch through our third party service provider.”

“Upon discovery last week, we removed that immediately,” she said. Miller added that there are legit job openings at the Off 5th stores in Lakewood and Castle Rock.

Nod to the Nuggets

The crowd went wild Sunday when a group of Denver Nuggets, including Kenneth Faried and Ty Lawson, were spotted by concertgoers who had come to see rap stars Drake and J Cole at the Comfort Dental Amphitheatre.

The players, who had just come off their loss to the Lakers in the playoffs, were escorted to a special spot by the soundboard right before J Cole took the stage.

Wine time

Two local fine dining spots in Denver are holding worthwhile wine events that will please your palate without wiping out your wallet.

Join Elway’s Cherry Creek sommeliers Todd Rocchio and Aaron Foster for a pink party on the patio from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday to help them choose rose wines for the summer.

Samples of 20 Roses from France, Spain, Austria, California, Italy and Greece will be poured, and attendees can vote for their favorite flavors to help the sommeliers create a summer Rose flight for the Elway’s wine list.

Executive chef Tyler Wiard will prepare a few specialty treats to accompany the tasting. Tickets are $35 including tax and tip. Reservations: 303-399-7616.

Check out this can’t beat bargain: Ambria Restaurant (16th Street Mall and Larimer) is holding a Jordan Vineyard and Winery four-course wine dinner starting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday for $80 per person including tax, tip and parking in the Tabor Center Parking Garage.

Chris Avery, Jordan’s national sales director, will pour a Chardonnay along with four vintages of Cabernet dating back to 2002. Jordan was founded in 1972 by Denver oil man Tom Jordan and his wife, Sally. Their son, John, now heads the company .

Ambria chef Gabe Balenzuela will pair the four-course meal with the wines (check out the menu at ambriadenver.com). Tickets (hurry!) are available at blacktie-colorado.com.

New installations

Former Gov. Bill Owens moved his offices into Trinity Place at 1801 Broadway shortly before the building installed The Dawn of Autumn, a panoramic Thomas D. Mangelsen photographic print.

The building recently underweent an free run 5.0 femmes extensive lobby renovation incorporating all new finishes. Can’t say the same about the former guv who’s looked refreshed and rejuvenated ever since leaving office.

Owens is the principal and managing director of Renew Strategies, a private equity water fund and asset manager.

The seen

Former Colorado Avalanche defenseman (now with the Toronto Maple Leafs) John Michael Liles at Mail It! Pack It! Ship It! in Cherry Creek North on Tuesday.

Eavesdropping on a woman when I introduced myself at the Travel Writer’s Reception at the Denver Botanic Gardens: “Are you still Penny Parker?”

My Facebook page has moved. Be sure to like it! Also, here’s where you go to get my column emailed to you Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. My email: penny@blacktie-llc.com.

Jenna Johansen, owner of Dish restaurant in Edwards, is one of 12 “chef-testants” to compete on Around the World in 80 Plates, an Amazing Race meets Top Chef meets Survivor series starting at 8 tonight (Colorado time) on Bravo.

The new series, hosted by TV chef personalities Cat Cora and Curtis Stone, pits 12 contenders in a race around the world while whipping up dishes using local ingredients.

Johansen, who’s now teaching cooking classes, consulting and preparing pop-up dinners in Denver, got the gig on the recommendation of Kelly Liken, owner of the Vail restaurant bearing her name, who was a Top Chef competitor in season seven of the wildly popular Bravo series.

“I’m a big Top Chef fan anyway, but Kelly is my best friend and thought this would be perfect for me,” Johansen said. “It’s team work for a large portion of the challenge, nike cortez femmes but after the team work you’re responsible for your own performance in the kitchen. At the end of the day when you’re finished with the team work and you’re on the losing team, one of the members get voted off.”

The competition starts in London where the contestants take over an independently owned restaurant and cook dishes to satisfy the eatery owners.

“It’s not necessarily a popularity contest,” said Johansen, who is contractually bound not to give away any of the episodes’ results. “If you’re a good strategist you might want to keep the worst chefs on your team. It depends on how you look at it. You have to be good working on a team, working for yourself and have a strong personality to stand up for yourself at the end of the day if you’re on the bottom team.”

Johansen say she’s not sure what culinary route the show will take her on, but for now she says she’s happy to be based in Denver with her fiance Mark DeNittis, owner of the wholesale salumi operation Il Mondo Vecchio. DeNittis and business partners will open the retail store Il Mondo Vecchio Mercato-Salumeria on South Pearl Street in Washington Park.

She is guest chefing on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Studio F, the demo portion of Red Star Deli in the old Mise en Place cooking school at 1801 Wynkoop. Johansen will cook a five-course meal paired with wine and cocktails. Reservations: studioflodo.com.

Mask mania

While Broncos quarterbacks past and present John Elway, Tim Tebow and Peyton Manning will never face off on the grid iron, they still can compete in The Mask Project online auction at the maskproject.org, a benefit for The Denver Hospice.

After the sports figures’ masks got national nods from FoxSports, Yahoo Sports and MSN.com, the bidding heated up to the point that as of Wednesday afternoon, the high bid on Tebow’s mask was $1,710, followed by Manning’s mask at $1,300 and John Elway’s at $500.

All three masks are decorated in Broncos blue and orange. The Mask Project party takes place from 7:30 to 11 p.m. Saturday in the Cherry Creek Shopping Center, but the mask auction continues through Sunday. For tickets to the party or to bid on a mask, go to themaskproject.org.

Chef shift

Elway’s Cherry Creek top toque Tyler Wiard will be the guest chef June 7 during Chefs 180, a fundraiser for Cafe 180, the pay-what-you-will restaurant at 3315 S. Broadway, Englewood.

The evening starts with appetizers and cocktails at 7, followed by dinner. Tickets at blacktie-colorado.com.

Eavesdropping on a man and a woman going through the revolving door at Elway’s Cherry Creek: “No way I’m going to try and fit in there with you.”

(After she gives him the skunk eye) “What did I say that was wrong?”

Denver has the distinction of being a foodie city chock full of female chefs running several high-profile kitchens in town.

To celebrate that phenom, eight years ago Work Options for Women, a charitable organization that trains women on welfare to work in the food service industry, created WomenCook! an all-female-chef event.

The eighth annual WomenCook! is a walk-around dinner from 6 to 8:30 p.m. May 7 at Temple Emanuel, 51 Grape St. Tickets are $125 apiece at workoptions.org.

What will the women cook, roshe run flywire femmes you ask? Here’s the tasty line-up:

* Kathleen Kenny Davia of Gateaux – carrot cake petit four, chocolate lovers cake pops and assorted spring tea cookies.

* Elise Wiggins’ sous chef will stand in for Panzano executive chef who’s leading a cooking tour of Italy – rabbit gnocchi, marinated slow roasted tomato fine herbes, gorgonzola leeks, mushrooms and shallots.

* Dana Rodriguez, Bistro Vendome –  rhubarb puff pastry tart with foie gras mousse and micro salad.

* Aniedra Nichols, Elway’s Cherry Creek – beef brisket-kimchi lettuce wrap, sambal mayonnaise.

* Sheila Lucero, Jax Fish House – ahi tuna, cucumber tabbouleh, tamarind vinaigrette.

* Lisa Baily, D Bar Desserts – tropical verrine with passion fruit panna cotta, coconut cream and mango chutney.

* Rachel Kesley, Watercourse – seared baked bean polenta with a vegan smoked “gouda” cherry reduction and corn shoots.

* Sandra Adams, Hyatt – Tart cherry and honeyed goat cheese tart apricot and pistachio frangipane tart and chocolate whiskey caramel tart.

* Yasmin Lozada Hissom and Dorina Miller, Spuntino – sweet pea pesto and homemade ricotta bruschetta.

* Rhonda Banks, Gaetanos – bruschetta with fava beans and radish, and a sweet pea bisque.

* Mary Nguyen, Parallel 17 and Street Kitchen – five spice braised lamb, Asian ratatouille, polenta. Sea bass tartare, sweet potato chips.

* Summer Polson and Ashly Quibodeaux, Project Angel Heart – duck confit tacos with mango salsa and queso fresco.

Also participating: Cafe Options and WOW Cafe.

Longtime Work Options board member and Denver restaurant consultant John Imbergamo, who will miss this year’s event due to Rioja, Bistro Vendome and Euclid Hall chef/owner Jennifer Jasinski’s potential James Beard Award in New York, said the origins of WomenCook! started with former Strings owner Noel Cunningham’s vision.

“He was insistent that Work Options for Women and the Women’s Bean Project collaborate on an event,” Imbergamo said. “We put together the first one in 2005 at the Colorado Convention Center and attracted around 200 people in a room that could hold 500. Lots of echos.

“The next year WOW went the solo route and moved to Temple Emanuel when they graciously offered their event space for free.

“It seemed like a natural fit to create an event that featured Denver’s top women chefs volunteering their time and donating food for a program that teaches food-service skills to welfare-to-work women. There were a few events that zeroed in on women chefs but none designed to draw 500 people like WomenCook! does.”

Fuel your engine

After a tedious construction challenge, Gary Lee’s Motor Club & Grub, 176 S. Broadway, opened on Saturday night.

Housed in a former mechanics’ garage, Gary Lee Bomar and his business partner, Marty Killorin (one third of the Three Kings Tavern owners), are dishing up “custom comfort food” featuring smoked meats and cheeses.

“We’ve turned this place into one of the most beautiful bars in Denver,” Bomar told me.

Bomar has a longtime Denver restaurant-and-bar resume including the nearby Skylark in the neighborhood where he lives. “I would walk by this place,” he said. “Where the cars are always parked, I thought would make a good patio for Broadway. We will have the largest patio on Broadway.”

In addition to smoked fare, Gary Lee’s will offer a Cubano sandwich, vegetarian items including a portabello sandwich, and a salad with arugula, goat cheese and hazelnuts. “Our menu is a little more stylish but still pretty down home,” he said. “I’ve been dreaming about this for 10 years.”

For the next couple of weeks, hours are 4 p.m. to 2 a.m., but when the place is at full speed, hours will increase to 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. with Saturday and Sunday brunch from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., roshe run hyp and regular menu till close. Also on the to-do list: live jazz on the weekends.

Keynote speaker

Tonier “Neen” Cain, a nationally known speaker and educator on the devastation of trauma, will deliver the keynote speech at Arapahoe/Douglas Mental Health Network’s 11th Annual Mental Health Benefit Luncheon starting at 11 a.m. May 11 at the Inverness Hotel and Conference Center in Englewood.

Cain, who was incarcerated 66 times, finally received treatment for a lifetime of trauma in 2004. She lived on the streets for two decades where she endured violence, hunger and despair.

At the event, emceed by 850KOA radio personality April Zesbaugh, the Distinguished Service and Community Hero awards will be presented to Sen. Linda Newell for her sponsorship of mental health, substance abuse and suicide prevention bills at the Capitol, and John Vellos for his contributions to behavioral health issues.

Tickets: admhn.org or by calling 303-779-9676.

Eavesdropping on a little girl to an adult: “Why do I talk so much?”

“I don’t know.”

“It’s because I have so many words to say!”

My Facebook page has moved. Be sure to like it! Also, here’s where you go to get my column emailed to you Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. My email: penny@blacktie-llc.com.