The Taste of Vail Après Tasting & Chef Competition is where the streets of Vail Village come alive every spring. On April 2, over 55 wineries and 25+ chefs from around the world set up along the open-air streets of Vail — guests wander, taste, and vote for the People's Choice award in the live chef competition.
I'm competing this year alongside some of the country's top culinary talent. The format is what makes this event special — cooking live, in front of an audience, with guests voting in real time. No restaurant kitchen, no safety net. Just the dish, the technique, and the crowd's reaction.
If you're in Vail on April 2 and want to come by, the competition runs from 3–6pm on the streets of Vail Village. It's the kind of afternoon that's hard to replicate anywhere else in the country.
— Steve Ingber, Executive Chef & Founder, MileHighCook
I founded MileHighCook to bring consistent, chef-driven quality to private events across Colorado, Arizona, Utah, and Wyoming. Every engagement I take starts with a real conversation — not a form, not an algorithm — because the food I cook is built around the specific people I'm cooking for.
The Taste of Vail competition is a chance to bring that same approach to a public stage — cooking what I actually believe in, in front of people who care deeply about food. That's the version of this I've been building toward.
I'll be documenting the full process — prep, competition day, and the result — across Instagram and TikTok in real time. If you're interested in seeing what actually goes into competing at a festival like this, follow along.
The Taste of Vail is one stop on the calendar. The rest of the year, I'm cooking private chef dinners and catering events across Vail and Summit County. All-inclusive proposals within 24 hours of our call.
Get a Custom Quote →Vail Village closes to cars. Booths from 55+ wineries and 25+ chefs line the streets. Guests wander, taste, and experience the town at its most alive — alpine backdrop, spring sunshine, the end-of-season energy that only Vail in April has.
Chefs cook live in front of the crowd — no restaurant kitchen, no prep crew, no safety net. The format rewards technique and creativity under pressure. Judges score the dishes and guests cast People's Choice votes in real time.
Every attendee votes for their favorite chef. The People's Choice award is the one that means the most to me — because it's not judges evaluating technique, it's the people who actually ate the food deciding what moved them most.
If you're in Vail for the festival, visiting for ski season, or planning a private event in the valley — MileHighCook handles private chef dinners, catering, ski week packages, elopement dinners, and corporate retreats across Vail, Beaver Creek, and all of Summit County. All-inclusive, all custom, proposals within 24 hours.
Whether you're inspired by the Taste of Vail or planning a ski week dinner, a wedding in the mountains, or a corporate retreat in the Rockies — MileHighCook delivers CIA-trained private chef and catering service with all-inclusive pricing and a custom proposal within 24 hours of your call.
