STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK
A Celebration of Women in Culinary will be among the new entrees in the third annual Sun Valley Food & Wine Celebration.
The 2025 celebration will be held Jan. 28 through Feb. 2, 2025, and will feature an expanded Apres Grand Tasting at Limelight Hotel Ketchum and 10 James Beard Award-winning chefs, “Chopped” champions, Tournament of Champions participants and Food Network celebrity chefs.
“Empower and Savor: A Celebration for Women in Culinary” will be presented in partnership with Phifer Pavitt Wine and Veuve Clicquot and will showcase a multi-course meal crafted by an all-female chef team paired with wines from the woman-owned Calistoga, Calif. Phifer Pavitt winery, which has been a mainstay at the annual Sun Valley Wine Auction.
Julien Pardes of LVMH will share the story of Madame Clicquot, and the evening will conclude with a dessert paired with Rose La Grande Dame Veuve Clicquot.
“We are thrilled to welcome such incredible chefs, winemakers and food experts to this year’s Celebration, elevating our 2025 offerings,” said Sun Valley Culinary Institute Executive Director Karl Uri. “From expanding the Grand Tasting and adding more wine seminars and cooking classes to hosting the third annual Britt’s Burger Bash, this event celebrates the best of Sun Valley with unique and unforgettable culinary experiences.”
New to the event are Chef Crista Ludedetke, the Food Network’s first-ever Triple G Grand champion; Bravo’s Top Chef and 2024 James Beard Award nominee for Best Chef: South chef Kelsey Barnard Clark; 2005 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Northwest/Hawaii chef Vitaly Paley, and James Beard Best Chef: South semi-finalist in 2014 and 2015 chef Steve Phelps.
Returning chefs are Jonathon Sawyer, James Beard Award Winner, Great Lakes; Ethan Stowell, “Food & Wine” Best New Chef All-Star; Barton Severa, award winning chef, author and seafood expert, and two-time James Beard Foundation award winner Art Smith.
Returnees also include “Chopped Champion” and Beat Bobby Flay winner Britt Rescigno, who along with chef Kinsey Leodler plans to open Fiamma Sun Valley restaurant in Ketchum in 2025. Rescigno will unveil a new burger at her popular Britt’s Burger Bash at Apple’s Bar & Grill from 3 to 6 p.m. Friday, Jan. 31. And she will give a taste of what’s to come at Fiamma at the Celebration’s Opening Party.
The six-day event will include wine seminars and cooking classes, and 2025 Celebration sponsor Wolfe Cutlery will present their specialty-crafted knives at a knife skills class.
The expanded Apres Ski Grand Tasting at Limelight Hotel Ketchum will include gourmet- food tastings by all the chefs, as well as wine tastings from Whispering Angel, Blackbird Vineyards, AXR Napa Valley, J. Dirt Wines, Rodney Strong and others.
There also will be signatures cocktails prepared by Cazadores tequila mixologist Manny Hinojosa and by Party Animal Vodka, Farmer’s Organic Gin, Boozie and Idawater.
The Sun Valley Food & Wine Celebration supports the Sun Valley Culinary Institute’s student education. With this kind of support, students are able to graduate with little to no academic debt.
For tickets or to learn more, visit https://sunvalleyculinary.org/.