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Kendra Anderson is Swirl Girl Denver, a professional chef, advanced sommelier and creator/author of Swirl Girl, Denver Westword’s weekly wine and lifestyle column.
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Here is Kendra’s story.
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Her very first job at the age of 16 was working the graveyard shift at Denny’s. She was absolutely fascinated by the sheer vastness of that menu, full of everything you could want to eat at any time of the day. From there she began what has become more than a 20 year-long love affair with this industry, including stints throughout college at over a dozen restaurants in Denver at restaurants like Sfuzzi, Trinity Grille, and the Z’Tejas Grill.
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In 1999, four years after taking her first job in corporate America she found herself applying for a job to wait tables part-time. Even though her management career paid well and allowed her to spend weekends with friends, she just couldn’t stop thinking about food and wine. By that time she had also become passionate about entertaining, hosting friends and family for any event she could think of an excuse to cook for. So in 2001, she conceived of and established her original Flavor Catering & Wine event planning concept after catering a close friend’s engagement party. Their words of encouragement, as well as her family’s belief in her talent, inspired her to combine her restaurant service background with her love of home cooking and entertaining and turn it into a business.

She graduated from the professional program at the Cook Street School of Fine Cooking in 2003 and went on to earn an Advanced Sommelier Certification from the International Wine Guild in 2006. Over the past eight years she has completed a culinary stage with Adega Food + Wine, learned the wholesale and retail wine business through positions with Baroness Wines and Marczyk Fine Wines, worked as the original sommelier at the Black Pearl restaurant, and served in a volunteer capacity for two years as the Chair of Colorado’s chapter of the American Institute of Wine & Food (AIWF).

In 2006 she created and authored “Stylish Living with Kendra Anderson”, a monthly food, wine, and entertaining column for Colorado Homes & Lifestyle magazine. Her next opportunity to spread the gospel of food and wine came in January 2010, when she penned her very first Swirl Girl column for the Denver Westword. In 2012, the Swirl Girl brand continues to evolve, and includes a private wine event management business, featuring a bi-monthly wine tasting series in partnership with Row 14 Bistro & Wine Bar and the SPIRE building.

Can you see why we celebrate Kendra Anderson? Clink and cheers to her.

If you would like to talk wine and food, follow Kendra on Twitter and read her weekly column in the Denver Westword. You can also find her on Facebook.

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If you have had an experience with Kendra Anderson, please share it here. If not, visit her today. I look forward to hearing about it and sharing your experience with other Stance Friends and Fans.

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Today we celebrate Parfait Studio who serves up multi-layered
design solutions using words and images as main ingredients. Founded by Robin H. Ridley, her studio takes a detailed approach to visual and verbal expression.
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Parfait Studio creates everything from print collateral (Ads, Brochures, Invitations, Annual Reports, etc.) to marketing signage. One of their favorite challenges is equipping new companies with visual, tangible tools for success: Business Name; Brand Identity (Logo+ Tagline); Stationery; Website…the works! They are constantly striving for the perfect way to tell their clients’ stories by blending creative ideas, well-crafted copy, and impactful imagery into one smooth concoction.
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“Life is all about layers. What may seem simple on the surface is often filled with delicious complexity. Good communication stems from the same basic concept.” – Robin Ridley, Parfait Studio

If you are looking for professionalism coupled with creativity, character, consistency and capability, then you have come to the right place. I have worked with Parfait Studio on numerous occasions and am amazed at how they outdo themselves each time.

From their wordsmith talents and cutting edge design that is relevant instead of trendy to their dedication to stay on time and within budget, Parfait always delivers a stress-free experience. The attention to detail is reassuring and the level of organization frees me up to focus on my business not theirs.

The journey from concept to completion is truly a joy. I wholeheartedly endorse Parfait Studio.

View Parfait Studio’s portfolio today and see for yourself how multi-layered design can take your brand to the next level.

Parfait Studio
303.324.4434
info@parfaitstudio.com

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If you have had an experience with Parfait Studio, please share it here. If not, visit them today. I look forward to hearing about it and sharing your experience with other Stance Friends and Fans.

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Today, and all next week, we celebrate American Craft Beer Week. The mission of American Craft Beer Week, which is May 16-22, 2011, is to encourage beer lovers everywhere to celebrate the accomplishments of America’s small and independent craft brewers.
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Beer weeks are giving craft beer fans across the U.S. ever-increasing options to enjoy and share the beverage they love. Beer weeks celebrate the culture and community of craft beer, and give breweries and beer businesses the opportunity to connect with the fans.

According to the Brewer’s Association, an American craft brewer is small, independent and traditional.

Small: Annual production of 6 million barrels of beer or less. Beer production is attributed to a brewer according to the rules of alternating proprietorships. Flavored malt beverages are not considered beer for purposes of this definition.

Independent: Less than 25 percent of the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or equivalent economic interest) by an alcoholic beverage industry member who is not themselves a craft brewer.

Traditional: A brewer who has either an all malt flagship (the beer which represents the greatest volume among that brewers brands) or has at least 50 percent of its volume in either all malt beers or in beers which use adjuncts to enhance rather than lighten flavor.

Video about American Craft Beer Week.

The Brewers Association, the national non-profit association on behalf of the majority of today’s U.S. breweries, and publishers of CraftBeer.com, celebrate the culmination of these events each May with American Craft Beer Week (ACBW), The Mother of All Beer Weeks. This year, ACBW offers an exciting opportunity for small and independent craft brewers and the community of better beer retailers to feature craft beer in their community. Plus, tens of thousands of today’s beer beginners, beer enthusiasts, and hard core beer geeks make time to toast the week.

Of the roughly 1,716 craft breweries in the nation, Colorado has over 120 established craft brewers located across the state with many start up breweries in start up phase.

Visit here and find an ACBW event near you.

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If you have had an experience with any American Craft Beer Week or just love craft beer, please share it here. If not, visit one today. I look forward to hearing about it and sharing your experience with other Stance Friends and Fans.

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Today we celebrate all things Colorado wine including Winefest Denver, the annual fundraiser for the trade organization of grape growers and winemakers of Colorado: the Colorado Association for Viticulture and Enology (CAVE), a non-profit organization.
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This first annual event, featuring close to 50 Colorado wineries, will establish a Wine Festival that is unique to Denver while generating awareness of Colorado wineries and the non-profit organization dedicated to their support. Guests may choose from a variety of event options while also having the opportunity to sample and purchase bottles of wine from a wide variety of Colorado wineries. All funds will go towards education, seminars, research and equipment purchases to improve the grape growing and winemaking of Colorado wines.

EVENT SPECIFICS
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DATE: June 9-11, 2011
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LOCATION: Shops at Northfield, a pedestrian-friendly open air shopping district located in north Stapleton only minutes from downtown Denver.
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WINERIES: A few favorite participants include Bonacquisti Wine, Balistreri Vineyards, BookCliff Vineyards and Jack Rabbit Hill Wines. For a full list of participating wineries, visit Participating Wineries.

Thursday, June 9: Celebration of Colorado Wines at The Governor’s Residence
Friday, June 10: Celebrity Chef Wine Dinner at Northfield
Saturday, June 11: Winefest, VIP Experience, Seminars and Demonstrations (Sample and purchase wine from a wide variety of Colorado Wines)

Chef Hosea Rosenberg from Top Chef will be one of the headliner chefs for the Friday Night Wine Dinner on June 10. There is a10% Discount through Mothers Day.

For a full event list including prices, visit Event & Ticket Prices.

Cheers.

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If you have had an experience with any Colorado wineries, please share it here. If not, visit one today. I look forward to hearing about it and sharing your experience with other Stance Friends and Fans.

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Novo Coffee is a wholesale coffee roasting company headquartered in Denver. As their name suggests, Novo Coffee was created with a goal of bringing new life to the coffee industry. It is their aim to promote the world of specialty coffee through the meticulous selection, roasting, brewing, and presentation of what they feel are some of the most distinctive and flavorful coffees available in today’s marketplace.

Novo’s goal is to reintroduce you to coffee. For starters, coffee didn’t originate in a European cafe amidst writers, lovesick poets, and starving artists. It comes from Ethiopia, where coffee is called Bunna, pronounced “BOON-NUH” in their native language of Amharic.

They say there is a little bit of science in every art and a little bit of art in every science. Nowhere is that more true than inside the Novo roastery. They strive to keep a foot in the past by connecting to origin, and supporting the communities that start their beans on their path to your cup. They also keep an eye to the future, developing roasting and brewing techniques that challenge convention and dramatically improve your coffee experience.
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From sourcing some of the most unique and flavorful coffees in the world to roasting them in small batches in their 1960’s custom rebuilt Vittoria roasters to finally serving them in coffee bars, restaurants and homes, they live in the spirit of constant improvement in all aspects of our process.

Want to see for yourself? Give them a call to arrange an on site coffee cupping! 303-295-7678.

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If you have had an experience with Novo Coffee, please share it here. If not, visit them today. I look forward to hearing about it and sharing your experience with other Stance Friends and Fans.

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Share Our Strength’s Cooking Matters is proud to bring you Colorado’s premier culinary extravaganza featuring chefs from the area’s finest restaurants: Chefs Up Front Denver.
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More than 12 million children are at risk of hunger in America; in Colorado, one in seven children are hungry or at risk for malnutrition.

Twenty-one percent of children in Denver are living in poverty and are at risk of hunger. Share Our Strength’s Cooking Matters is a groundbreaking nutrition education program that helps families help themselves by teaching them how to prepare healthy low-cost meals.

Professional chefs and nutritionists volunteer their time and expertise to lead hands-on courses that instruct adults, teens, and kids living in low-income families, how to get the most nutrition out of a limited budget.
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In 2009, Cooking Matters Colorado coordinated 124 courses that impacted a total of 1,526 families. In 2011 our goal is to provide at least 200 courses in our 16 county service area, reaching more than 7,500 families.

Cooking Matters Colorado celebrates its 16th anniversary this summer. In these 16 years they have completed a total of 717 courses and reached 7,288 families through their hands-on, volunteer led courses and an additional 18,365 families through other health fairs and community outreach projects.

Denver Chefs Up Front – Reserve your tickets  

Where: Colorado Convention Center
Korbel Ballrooms
700 14th Street
Denver, CO
When: Sunday April 17th 2011
Time: 5:30 pm – Reception & Silent Auction
7:00 pm – Dinner & Live Auction

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If you have had an experience with Share Our Strengths please share it here. If not, visit them today. I look forward to hearing about it and sharing your experience with other Stance Friends and Fans.

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Today we look back at the Stance Friends and Fans featured in the first quarter of 2011.

We kicked the year off right and celebrated Culinary Connectors which shares the love, passion and excitement of Denver’s culinary world.

Next was Seattle Fish Company, the region’s largest supplier of fish. We celebrate them because they bring value and selection that are second to none — with the personal service of a three-generation, family-owned business.
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Lagniappe (pronounced lan-yap), refers to a small, unexpected extra gift or benefit presented by a store owner to a customer at the time of purchase and is why we celebrated Marketing Lagniappe and their search for great service.

The following Friday we celebrated Diana and Michael Kearns, The Kearns Team, who take pride in their knowledge of Denver Real Estate, especially in Stapleton, Park Hill, Wash Park, Highlands, Whittier, Lowry and Lower Downtown.

And who can forget celebrating 34° Crispbread, also a local company, whose mission is simply to make the very best crackers that are as good on their own as they are with a little something extra — especially when that something extra is cheese.
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Today we say happy birthday to CrossFit Denver, which was the first public CrossFit affiliate in Colorado opened in 2005 by Denver native, Randy Goldstein.

On St. Patrick’s Day we celebrated The St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the world’s largest volunteer-driven fundraising program for childhood cancer research that funds more in childhood cancer research grants than any organization.
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We said farewell to March and celebrated The National MS Society Colorado Chapter, a collective of passionate individuals who want to do something about MS now, and Earth Force, who engages young people as active citizens who improve the environment and their communities now and in the future.

Which of these Stance Friends and Fans did you have an experience with?
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If you have had an experience with any of these Stance Friends and Fans, please share it here. If not, visit them today. I look forward to hearing about it and sharing your experience with other Stance Friends and Fans.

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Earth Force envisions a nation where young people from all walks of life are actively making positive change to the environment at their schools, in their neighborhoods, and in partnership with their communities.
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Their Mission Statement:
Earth Force engages young people as active citizens who improve the environment and their communities now and in the future.

At Earth Force, they are passionate about young people finding their voice while assuming leadership roles in solving local environmental problems. They are dedicated to:

:  Revolutionizing the way adults work with young people.
:  Championing the role of young people in their communities.
:  Building cutting-edge environmental service-learning programs that put youth in the driver’s seat around addressing local issues.

Earth Force believes that real change happens in communities when stakeholders come together to form a common agenda. Earth Force brings together school districts, community based organizations, corporations, communities of faith and institutions of higher education to create such a coordinated effort to engage young people.
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They bring together partners to transform how communities educate and engage young people around environment issues. Together, Earth Force and their partners stimulate opportunities for young people living in low-income communities to engage in real problem solving around environmental issues in their communities.

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If you have had an experience with Earth Force, please share it here. If not, visit them today. I look forward to hearing about it and sharing your experience with other Stance Friends and Fans

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March is National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Awareness Month. The National MS Society Colorado Chapter is a collective of passionate individuals who want to do something about MS now – to move together toward a world free of MS. .
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Each year, thousands of Coloradans come together to raise funds and awareness for the Society by participating in fundraising events all around the state.
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Join the movement and MOVE OTHERS!

In the United States today, there are approximately 400,000 people with multiple sclerosis MS—with 200 more people diagnosed every week. Worldwide, MS is thought to affect more than 2.1 million people. While the disease is not contagious or directly inherited, epidemiologists—the scientists who study patterns of disease—have identified factors in the distribution of MS around the world that may eventually help determine what causes the disease. These factors include gender, genetics, age, geography, and ethnic background.

MS is a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system (CNS), which is made up of the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. Symptoms may be mild, such as numbness in the limbs, or severe, such as paralysis or loss of vision. The progress, severity, and specific symptoms of MS are unpredictable and vary from one person to another. Today, new treatments and advances in research are giving new hope to people affected by the disease.

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If you have had an experience with the National Multi Sclerosis Society Colorado Chapter, please share it here. If not, visit them today. I look forward to hearing about it and sharing your experience with other Stance Friends and Fans.