Event will get things cooking

Chef Jeff Richard, of Old Stone Church Restaurant and Crave Real Burgers, will defend his title this year during the cooking competition at the 13th annual Taste of Douglas County. Last year was the first year the contest was added to the event, pitting six area chefs against each other. Adding the contest was one way that event organizers Mike Boyle and John De Lay have tweaked the event over the years. “For the first competition, it was good, but the plates looked a little boring,” Boyle said while sitting at a table in the Pegasus Restaurant in Castle Rock. This year’s taste will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Aug. 20 at the Douglas County Events Center. The cooking contest has been bumped from six to eight competitors, allowing the chefs to prepare any dish they desire and present it in the same way. While the competition is sure to be fierce, this is not an “Iron Chef.” Chefs are permitted to bring any ingredient and prepare any dish. Among others, Richard will be competing against Dan Skay, of Manna Restaurant at Castle Rock Adventist Hospital; Mike Hernandez, of Blue Nectar Innovative Mexican Grill; and Jeff Gebott, of Southern Hospitality. “We’ve improved, expanded and ramped it up a bit,” Boyle said. How it started Boyle moved to Castle Rock in 1990 and has hosted “The Mike Boyle Restaurant Show” on 710 KNUS news/talk radio in Denver and 1460 KZNT news/talk radio in Colorado Springs since then. After seeing the growth of eateries in the Douglas County area in the 1990s, Boyle approached De Lay, owner of the Pegasus Restaurant, in 2001 about doing a taste event. The first event hosted tastes from 25 eateries and drew more than 2,500 people. The attendance exceeded expectations — so much so, restaurants were running out of food. Now, there are close to 50 food service establishments, big and small, casual and fine dining, that participate. Some eateries include Old Stone Church, Outback Steakhouse, John Holly’s Asian Bistro, Pegasus, Black Eyed Pea, Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, B & B Cafe, India’s Castle, Casa Caliente Mexican Restaurant, Southern Hospitality, Crave Real Burgers and other area favorites. A few food trucks will also be making an appearance.