By JOHN LEHNDORFF (Published in Cheese Connoisseur Magazine) The Zingerman’s Reuben is the quintessential destination sandwich. The corned beef is cured just for the famous Michigan deli and sliced to order in thin, juicy, warm pink ribbons. Crusty Jewish rye is cut from loaves, grilled and spread with thick, scratch-made Russian dressing. To crown it, … Continue reading
By JOHN LEHNDORFF (Nibbles, Boulder Weekly 1/26/17) – I’m awake before the alarm and before the dawn. This is a situation I would have avoided at all costs when I lived a younger man’s life. In the winter dark I make minimal efforts at attire. Why do I scrape my eyes and then the windshield? Why … Continue reading
by John Lehndorff (Boulder Weekly, Jan. 26, 2017) If you find yourself thinking fond thoughts right now of warm Saturday mornings at the Boulder County Farmers Market (BCFM), you might want to pen a thank-you note to Farmer John. “Farmer” isn’t John Ellis’ first name but it might as well be. That’s how everybody has … Continue reading
By JOHN LEHNDORFF (This is an excerpt from a feature in the Rocky Mountain News in January 2001) To gauge whether eatertainment venues are actually fun for kids, I persuaded my 6 -year-old son, Hans, to accompany me by promising him all the root beer he could drink. We were seeking places where kids and parents could … Continue reading
By John Lehndorff 11/22/2016 at 1:25pm Published in the Holiday 2016 – 2017 issue of Vail/Beaver Creek Magazine Most Eagle residents have washers, snowshoes, storage bins, and Christmas decorations piled in their basements. But not Ann Kurronen. The proprietor of AnnaVail Cheese doesn’t have room for any of that stuff now that she has a … Continue reading
NOTE: chefannfoundation.org/news-media/the-lunch-line-blog/an-open-letter-to-president-trump/ By JOHN LEHNDORFF If you are new to the Boulder Valley School District, forget everything you know about school lunch: the dreary cafeterias, the gray mystery meat, and the scoops and squares of wiggly fare deposited in a partitioned tray. If your children have been dining with the BVSD for a while you … Continue reading
By JOHN LEHNDORFF (Boulder Weekly) We get excited during October about ales crafted from Colorado hops, barley, yeast and water. Some baker friends pride themselves on making pies using only apples, wheat and honey from within our watershed. Chefs have rightly celebrated our local bounty at farm-to-farm table dinners in Boulder County. It’s ironic that … Continue reading
By JOHN LEHNDORFF (Boulder Weekly 1/19/17) I asked a lot of big questions when I was a kid, some spiritual and some practical. Maybe that was a clue to my journalistic future. One day, I was eating a lemon Jello salad dotted with grated carrots and canned mandarin oranges. I remember wondering: “Where the heck … Continue reading
By John Lehndorff (Washington Post, March 29, 1995) There’s something deeply satisfying about throwing a pie at someone. There’s the running windup, the last fiendish glance at your victim to steady your aim, then the throw, followed by that rewarding “splaaattttt!” when the pie finds its mark.Admit it: A pie in the face is as … Continue reading
By JOHN LEHNDORFF (Rocky Mountain News, Aug. 27, 2004) During a 30-year music career spanning her discovery by Gram Parsons to gold-selling solo CDs to shining moments on the O Brother soundtrack, Emmylou Harris has happily basked in the spotlight as a bona fide star. The thing is, she’d really rather be simply harmonizing. At … Continue reading
By JOHN LEHNDORFF (Boulder Weekly) They have been lying to us for decades. Almost everything we think we know about pumpkins, pumpkin spice and pumpkin pie is WRONG. There are lies being perpetuated in the supermarket aisles, at bakeries and especially coffee houses. This feeling was confirmed this week after I tasted my first Starbucks … Continue reading
Susan France Sheila Lucero, executive chef of Jax Fish House. By JOHN LEHNDORFF (Boulder Weekly, 1/12/17) Sheila Lucero did not grow up dreaming of being an executive chef. Her goal was not to oversee the food at five restaurants in two states. In fact, the Golden native’s only ambition while attending Lakewood High School was … Continue reading
By JOHN LEHNDORFF (Visit Aurora Guide 2016) – With 400-plus ethnic and independent eateries and markets, Aurora is Colorado’s ethnic food destination. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, Aurora is the third largest city in the state and 54th most populous city in the nation. According to people who love to eat, Aurora is the … Continue reading
By JOHN LEHNDORFF (Boulder Weekly 11/10/16) Expert Burger in Eagle. I do not ski or board nor do I snowshoe. The only black diamond run I attempt is finding a brand of Canadian cheese. I recommend the extra sharp Black Diamond Grand Reserve Cheddar. That said, I’ve spent tons of time in the past year writing … Continue reading
By JOHN LEHNDORFF (Boulder Weekly 11/23/16) If you are hosting Thanksgiving at your house today, complete with “Alice’s Restaurant” playing in the background, you probably won’t read this until well after the feast. Hosts spend weeks getting ready for that peak moment when everybody is finally seated and filling their plates. They will grab some … Continue reading
Words and images by JOHN LEHNDORFF (Sensi Magazine 1/17) In the past year I have eaten more than 1,000 meals, maybe 1,500 depending on how you define a meal. How many of those meals do I remember in detail? Not that many, and I blame neither the sativa nor the indica. It just takes great … Continue reading
By JOHN LEHNDORFF (Boulder Weekly, 12/1/16) It’s not just you. For once, it really is the altitude. Food fries weirdly here, cookies spread out like pancakes, pies explode and some cakes collapse. Water boils at a lower temperature so it takes longer to cook vegetables, and coffee and tea don’t taste the same. “A three-minute … Continue reading
Nibbles 