by Mark Smiley | Oct 22, 2021 | Main Articles
by Mark Smiley
Tickets Still Available: Tickets for the exhibit start at $39.99 and are available at www.denvervangogh.com.
The original Immersive Van Gogh exhibit launched on time and without delay on September 30, 2021, in Denver. The immersive exhibit highlights 400 of Van Gogh’s most famous paintings. It is housed at Lighthouse Denver at 3900 Elati Street, located in the former Regency Hotel, just west of the River North Art District (adjacent to I-25).
The Original Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit was designed by Massimiliano Siccardi and opened in Paris, where it attracted 2 million visitors. The exhibit merges video, animation, and other technology to offer something completely different than visiting a traditional art show.
The iconic Regency hotel plays host to this exhibit and provides guests with a new way to experience one of the world’s most iconic post-impressionist artists. “It’s truly a unique piece of art,” said Lighthouse Immersive Producer Corey Ross. “It ties together several things into what I see as a new genre. On one hand you have the art of Van Gogh on display. You also have an animated film. And then we have the experiential element of it. The public gets to walk through and choose their own experience.”
Rising to blockbuster status with over 2 million tickets sold, Immersive Van Gogh is proving to be one of the hottest shows sold-out in Toronto, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York. With extended runs now available, audiences will have the opportunity to step into this historic space that has been transformed with Van Gogh’s paintbrush in a swirl of color, brought to life with over 90,000,000 pixels of animation spanning over 500,000 cubic feet of projection with 100 projectors.
Emmy Award-winning and Tony Award-nominated designer David Korins, known for his set designs, featured in numerous Broadway hits including Hamilton and Dear Evan Hansen, serves as the Creative Director for the Denver installation. Korins, who also served as Creative Director for the recently opened New York City exhibit, will design unique and experiential elements to transform Lighthouse Denver into a truly one-of-a-kind venue, crafting an experience unique to Denver.
Technological Wonder: The Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit merges video, animation and other technology to offer something completely different than visiting a traditional art show. Photo Credit Michael Brosilow
“We have been delighted to see the way Immersive Van Gogh has been embraced by the city and people of Denver,” said Ross. One of every three residents of Denver has purchased a ticket making it a hot ticket in town.
“We’ve created a unique and enthralling production where Denver residents and visitors alike can quite literally surround themselves with the work of Vincent van Gogh, one of the greatest artists who ever lived,” added Producer Svetlana Dvoretsky.
“We all know that Van Gogh struggled with mental illness,” said Ross. “With depression, with isolation, with loneliness. I think coming out of the pandemic, more than ever, the public can relate to some of what he experienced, particularly the isolation and loneliness. Yet, here we are 130 years after he passed away [he committed suicide at age 37 in 1890], his pieces are known, are still beautiful to us, are colorful and uplifting, and most of all they transcend the difficult experience that he had. That transcendence, to me, is very cathartic to the public.”
Tickets start at $39.99 and the exhibit will run until at least February 6, 2022. For more information about Immersive Van Gogh, visit www.denvervangogh.com.
by Mark Smiley | Oct 22, 2021 | Travel
Pitmasters From Across The Country Served Their Award-Winning BBQ To Attendees
by Mark Smiley
Friendly Competition: The two Colorado BBQ restaurants that were part of the 3rd Annual BBQ Festival in Denver posed with Alex Knight, Sales Representative with sponsor Ole Hickory Pits. From left to right: Jodi and Keith Segura, Woodhill Small Batch BBQ; Alex Knight, Ole Hickory Pits; and Jason Ganahl, GQue BBQ.
Some of America’s most award-winning BBQ pitmasters descended upon the Mile High City for the 3rd Annual Denver BBQ Festival which was held September 17-19, 2021, in the parking lot at Empower Field. They served their BBQ to attendees over the course of the weekend.
Ole Hickory Pits was a major sponsor of the event and they provided commercial pits for all pitmasters to cook on throughout the weekend. Ole Hickory Pits manufactures and markets state-of-the-art commercial, competition, and residential barbecue smoker ovens, in addition to barbecue equipment, sauces, seasonings, and lifestyle products.
A total of 12 pitmasters from eight states served over 30,000 pounds of meat. This festival is not a competition, just an opportunity for attendees to purchase BBQ they would not normally be able to acquire in town.
Local Favorite: Jodi and Keith Segura from Woodhill Small Batch BBQ had the longest lines of any of the restaurants in attendance at the 3rd Annual BBQ Festival.
However, two local favorites were on hand, GQue BBQ and Woodhill Small Batch BBQ. Having hometown advantage must have helped Woodhill Small Batch BBQ from Littleton. They were the only BBQ pitmaster that needed extra barricades set up on Friday night due to long lines. “We didn’t anticipate having the longest line last night [Friday, September 17],” said Keith Segura, co-owner of Woodhill Small Batch BBQ. “I guess it was hometown advantage.”
Segura grew up in Sterling, Illinois, in a subdivision of 20 homes on a farm. As a kid, he fondly remembers pig roasts and eating sweet corn with salt and butter. “That memory was always in my mind ever since I was a kid,” said Segura. “I said when I grow up to be an adult, I want to do that same thing.”
And do the same thing he did, along with his wife Jodi, whom he met when she pulled him over for speeding when she was on state patrol. Now, they enjoy running the food truck and catering business together. The name Woodhill comes from Jodi’s family’s farm name in Illinois. And the name Small Batch comes from when they first started out and only did small batch BBQ for breweries such as Breckenridge Brewery.
Now, you can find Woodhill Small Batch BBQ’s truck at Max Taps Brewery in Highlands Ranch (November 13), and Living the Dream Brewery in Littleton (November 20). There you can surely find brisket and ribs which are Segura’s favorite meats to smoke. And you may also find their famous “twinkie” which has jalapeno stuffed inside with bacon wrapped on the outside.
For more information, visit www.woodhillsmallbatchbbq.com or on Facebook and Instagram @woodhillsmallbatchbbq.
Championship BBQ In Colorado: Jason Ganahl, owner of GQue BBQ in Colorado, displays his famous homemade kettle chips at the 3rd Annual BBQ Festival in Denver.
No stranger to great BBQ, Jason Ganahl, owner and pitmaster of GQue BBQ, is proud to be the only championship BBQ restaurant in Colorado. It opened its first restaurant in Westminster six years ago. GQue also has locations inside Empower Field, Park Meadows Mall, and a new location in Lakewood opening next month. “We are out here sharing our food with everybody else,” said Ganahl. “We are spreading the wonderful flavor of smoked meat like BBQ sauce.”
Ganahl rejects the idea that Colorado has a hole in great BBQ in the state. He concedes that the perception is that places like Kansas City, Memphis, and St. Louis have the solid reputation of good BBQ that you can find every five miles. “I think over time, over the course of the next 8-10 years, hopefully more and more people will appreciate what I’ve long appreciated, being from the Midwest, and that’s the flavor you get from a delicious piece of smoked meat,” said Ganahl.
Once that reputation builds it will force each BBQ establishment to elevate its game which Ganahl welcomes. “We eliminate the word complacency from our vocabulary,” said Ganahl. “Success is rented every single day. You have to go out there and earn it. I feel like if we show up every single day and we cook the food the way it’s intended to be cooked, and we deliver it in an inviting and appreciative way, then the sky is the limit. That is the challenge with multiple locations, and lunch and dinner service.”
For more on GQue BBQ, visit www.gquebbq.com or follow them on Facebook and Instagram @GQueBBQ. Visit their website and sign up for their email alerts to receive a coupon for a free pulled pork sandwich.
Black’s Barbecue: From left to right: Barrett Black, fourth generation owner of Black’s Barbecue; Kent Black, third generation owner of Black’s Barbecue; and Eric Lenderman, Manager, Operations at Black’s Barbecue, served their famous brisket and sausage at the 3rd Annual BBQ Festival at Empower Field.
Another well-established BBQ restaurant with multiple locations in attendance was Black’s Barbecue, the oldest BBQ restaurant in Texas. Black’s was started in 1932 in Lockhart, Texas, which is known as the official barbecue capital of Texas. Black’s Barbecue was originally founded as a meat market and grocery during the Depression after a poor farmer and cattle rancher named Edgar Black made a handshake deal with a friend who wanted to open a meat market.
As third generation pitmaster Kent Black explains, his grandfather Edgar had heart problems and asked his son, who was an accountant for Exxon, to help at the restaurant for six weeks while he recovered. Six weeks turned into 50 years of growing the business. Edgar Sr. died in 1962, at which point Edgar Jr. and his wife Norma Jean took over the business. Edgar Jr., who passed away in 2017 at the age of 91, left the restaurant to Kent who now runs Black’s Barbecue’s four locations along with son Barrett.
Sponsor: Made Here beer was a sponsor of the 2021 Fest
And Kent’s mom, who is 90, still comes into the Lockhart restaurant from time to time. “She’s the boss,” said Kent Black, owner and pitmaster of Black’s Barbecue. “When she walks into the restaurant, it is like Elvis walking in.” All of the side dishes at the restaurant are based on her recipes.
Black claims his father was the first to barbecue brisket in the 1950s. And now, that is Black’s Barbecue’s signature dish. Black’s Barbecue’s homemade sausage was also served at the BBQ Festival. The sausage recipe has remained the same over 90 years and they make it in small 100-pound batches.
For more information or to order meat to be shipped to your home, visit www.blacksbbq.com.
Having generations of pitmasters working side by side and eventually taking over the business is common in this tight-knit world. That is true for Leslie Roark Scott, known as the BBQ Princess, who learned from her dad at a young age. Her dad was an award-winning pitmaster and as a teenager, Roark Scott learned how to cook ribs and would present them to judges. Her dad let her fly on her own and face the judges’ questions by herself.
That built her confidence and allowed her to become the first female to win a grand championship on the Memphis circuit back in 1992. She remembers driving four hours from college to help her dad at a competition. “BBQ is what tied us and kept us tied together,” said Roark Scott, owner and pitmaster of Ubon’s Restaurant in Yazoo City, Mississippi.
BBQ Princess: Leslie Roark Scott from Yazoo City, Mississippi, was among one of the 12 pitmasters serving her BBQ over the September weekend.
Ubon’s opened in 2004 and in 2011, Ubon’s began participating in festivals. “About 10 years ago, we slid into the festival scene because what we figured out is where our joy comes from is watching people get excited about food that they haven’t tried before, and offering them an experience that’s hands-on,” said Roark Scott. “I also have the chance to leave Mississippi and shine a different light on my home state. I really feel like festivals like this make people more aware [of good BBQ]. If you’ve never had really good brisket and you get here and you eat brisket from Black’s, you say I’m not putting up with crap anymore.”
For more information on Ubon’s Restaurant, visit ubonsbbq.com and follow them on Instagram and Facebook @Ubons.
Blues Hog Barbecue made a big splash at this year’s festival with music playing and a whole hog on the pit (of which they handed out samples to attendees in line). Blues Hog was the 2021 World Champion in pork shoulder and they served this dish along with a pineapple slaw. Their customers from back home came [Washington, Missouri] to help prepare and serve the food.
“When we go to these regional events, we like to get our customers involved so they can enjoy it,” said Joey Machado, Marketing Director for Blues Hog Barbecue. “Denver is a really nice event. They get about 30,000 people over the whole weekend. I was leery because of the year that it is. That maybe we wouldn’t get as many people as we thought were going to. We honestly have had a ton.”
Blues Hog: Joey Machado, Marketing Director for Blues Hog Barbecue always learns something new at competitions and festivals.
Blues Hog makes sauce, seasoning, and charcoal, which are all available for purchase on their website and select stores in the Denver Metro area. When asked about the secret to good BBQ, Machado had a quick answer. “The secret to BBQ is passion,” said Machado. “The willingness to make mistakes is what makes you really good at BBQ. You can go online, you can watch YouTube videos, you can read books, and do everything else. But if you’re not making mistakes in your backyard and understanding what you have to do, that’s it, that’s the best way to learn BBQ. At the end of the day, I BBQ to put smiles on people’s faces.”
There were plenty of smiling faces at this festival. Mark your calendar for Father’s Day weekend in 2022 as the 4th Annual Denver BBQ Festival will roll into town again. Visit www.denverbbqfest.com for all information and updates.
