We hope you’re hungry, because on August 17, the Cherry Creek North Food & Wine event is back for the 11th straight year. Nineteen of the area’s best restaurants will be pairing their famous dishes with wine, beer, and spirits as they compete for Best of Show, Best Dessert, Best Table Decor, and People’s Choice. Enjoy live music as you peruse the vendor booths, and be sure to try as many restaurants as you can stomach.
VIP tickets for the event are already sold out, but General Admission tickets ($85) and Under 21/Designated Driver tickets ($45) are still available on the Cherry Creek North website.
This year, the Cherry Cricket is returning to Food & Wine for the fourth time. The Cherry Cricket has been a staple in Cherry Creek North since 1945, and their award-winning burgers are always a crowd favorite. General manager Heidi Ziepprecht has worked with the Cherry Cricket for 12 years, and she said she’s looking forward to attending Food & Wine again this summer.
What can people expect to find at the Cherry Cricket booth?
HEIDI: We like to say that we have food that’s way too good for a bar. We are going to have our famous Cricket Burger, which is a half pound burger that is an 80/20 blend of Angus Beef. It’s fresh and never frozen, and topped with American cheese. We’re also going to have our awesome green chili.
Is it difficult to decide what you’re going to serve?
HEIDI: It’s always difficult from an execution standpoint. When you’re going offsite, some things are easier to serve than others. For example, to bring the friers is always kind of a hot mess, literally. We try to bring stuff that we know is a crowd favorite and is also able to showcase what we do well.
Does the Cherry Cricket participate in any other events like Food & Wine?
HEIDI: We just finished doing the Denver Burger Battle, which was awesome because we got first place for Judges Choice and second place for People’s Choice.
What makes Cherry Cricket stand out from the other restaurants at Food & Wine?
HEIDI: It’s funny, the other restaurants have these nice booths that are beautiful and decorated with flowers and tablecloths. They’re gorgeous, and then there’s ours. But people are happy because we bring the burgers, so there’s always people that are willing to come slum it with us.
Why does Cherry Cricket like to participate in Food & Wine?
HEIDI: We love to do these things to give back to the community and our neighborhood. Our neighborhood is what supports us, so it’s really important to give back. We also love getting to meet all the people, and you hear all these stories while serving the burgers which is really cool. Some people will say, “Oh, I haven’t seen you in years! It’s great to see you again,” and then there’s the people who see us every day, but it’s so nice to see them out.
