Eat, drink and be merry!

As usual, there are a lot of food-related happenings going on! It was great fun to attend the recent Best of the West awards ceremony at Two Rivers Convention Center in downtown Grand Junction. This sold-out event had almost 1,000 people there celebrating all the hard-working people in a wide variety of professions here in the Grand Valley.

These awards are nominated and voted on by the community. There are three winners in each category with bronze, silver and gold distinctions.

Some of the gold winners in the food categories were Spoons Bistro & Bakery for their outdoor dining space, Kulina Lani Organic Sourdough for best bakery, Munchies for burger and all-time favorite restaurant, and Rib City Grill for barbecue.

Downtown Grand Junction’s Dream Café took home the win for best breakfast and Ramblebine Brewing Company for top brewery. Kiln Coffee Bar won for best coffee shop and Pêche in Palisade received the gold for dining experience and fine dining. 505 Fix got the top spot for best food truck (their name is a reference to the 505 area code in New Mexico.)

TacoParty in Grand Junction earned the gold for best tacos, Restoration Vineyards snagged the top honors for favorite winery and Las Marias got one for best Mexican restaurant. Chef Josh Niernberg (Bin 707 and TacoParty) won gold for best chef and Suehiro’s came in as fan favorite for Asian restaurants. These are just some of the many food-related winners and I encourage you to check out The Daily Sentinel’s comprehensive list and try some new ones and revisit old favorites.

In other food news, I’m excited to see that the multi-years, long-awaited JJangs Korean BBQ is soon to open. The interior is stunning and quite the transformation!

This Grand Junction restaurant space within Mesa Mall has been several restaurants over the years. I am looking forward to trying it out and am hopeful it will be successful.

Across from the mall, the construction remodel project at the former Sutherlands is happening. Natural Grocers (aka Vitamin Cottage) will be moving there into a new and bigger space. There will also be several other units available for other tenants. I am happy to see that area getting some attention and am sure it will look good when it is completed.

There’s going to be a new Panda Express in Clifton opening where the Taco John’s used to be located. This will be the second one in the Grand Valley. Something new is also coming into the former spot where Kuniko’s on Patterson was, but I don’t have those details yet. I’m excited to try the new bakery in Fruita called The Bread Mine at 211 E. Aspen Ave. They are currently open on Friday and Saturdays and plan to expand their hours in the future. Their baked goods look terrific!

In addition, there are a variety of food-related experiences happening around Western Colorado. In Palisade, Whitewater Hill Vineyards and Ristorante Pantuso have teamed up to create a special wine pairing dinner called “A Taste of Lake Como, Italy.” This event is at 6:30 p.m. on Sept.

19. Tickets are $168 per person and are available by calling 970-434-6868.

The City of Delta Recreation Department offers monthly cooking classes for $20. The next one is from 5-7 p.m. on Sept. 12 at the Bill Heddles Recreation Center, 531 N. Palmer St. You can register in person or by calling 970-874-0923. This month’s features veggie tikka masala and the next one is Oct. 10 and they will be making a balsamic steak gorgonzola salad with grilled corn. I’m sure it is a lot of fun!

In De Beque, The Reckless Roadhouse is generously offering 50% off of food and drinks for firefighters during this challenging fire season.

They are located at 424 Minter Ave. What a lovely act of kindness for these people who have been battling fires all summer.

Paonia’s The Learning Council is having a special dinner and rain ceremony on Sept. 12 at The Hearth on 138 Grand Ave. They note, “With joy and gratitude, we welcome Lama Dorje of Tibet back to the North Fork Valley. Gather with us fireside for a Buddhist ritual ceremony to invoke rain blessings and well-being for all.” The ceremony is $10, or $25 if you stay to enjoy a meal together. Most of the food is sourced from local farmers and their focus is on “keeping healthy local food accessible to everyone while uplifting our local farmers and producers.”

Lastly, Colorado Mesa University is building something called the Formation Food Hall.

According to their press release, it “will offer a modern, dynamic food experience with multiple dining concepts under one roof. The hall will provide flexible indoor and outdoor seating, creating a welcoming environment for students, visitors and the broader community.” Panera Bread and Jamba Juice will be some of the new options in addition to others yet to be finalized.

CMU Board of Trustees Chair Tim Fry noted; “The Formation Dining Hall is being created not just to support our growing campus, but also to offer another great dining option for the broader community. We want to bring food choices to campus that residents can’t get anywhere else and continue showing the community they’re always welcome here.”

CMU is planning to open the food hall in 2026.

If you have any food and beverage-related events or information you want readers to know about, please email me at AllThingsFoodChristine@gmail.com.

A beer flight from the best brewery gold winner, Ramblebine Brewing Company in downtown Grand Junction.

Photos by CHRISTINE GALLAGHER PHOTO

The Best of the West award ceremony presented by The Daily Sentinel had a sold-out crowd of nearly 1,000 people at the Two Rivers Convention Center on Aug. 21.

The Bread Mine is a yummy-looking new bakery in downtown Fruita.

Some of the many lovely food options at Two Rivers Convention Center during The Daily Sentinel’s Best of the West awards ceremony on Aug. 21.

Spoons Bistro & Bakery’s beautiful outdoor dining space was a Best of the West winner in the Best Outdoor Dining category.

This beautiful interior of the new JJang’s Korean BBQ is certain to be a lovely new addition at the Mesa Mall.

FOOD NEWS

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