There is new culinary talent in Aspen away from the slopes this season — and they’re serving up fare that isn’t the pasta or sushi usually found on menus in the luxury haven.
Cederic Vongerichten, son of Michelin-starred top chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and his spouse, Ochi, launched Wayan Aspen this month.
The Aspen outpost — which had a successful two-year pop-up at The Little Nell — features versions of their innovative, award winning French-Indonesian cuisine from the popular, New York-based Wayan and its “little sister,’ Ma•dé.
“Aspen’s global audience is inspiring its dining scene to evolve. There’s a noticeable shift toward more multicultural influences, blending traditional luxury with diverse international flavors,” Vongerichten said.
Signature, shareable dishes include lobster noodles with black pepper butter and thai basil; Peekytoe crab fried rice with kerupuk and cilantro; along with regional favorites like Colorado lamb satay and local dry aged Ribeye served with Indonesian sauces; and desserts including pandan passion fruit custard.
There’s also an Aprés Ski menu and hand-crafted cocktails, including the Calamansi Fizz with gin, calamansi, aquafaba and rosemary, and the Devils Avocado with mezcal, avocado, cucumber and honey.
“Aspen has always been a hub for incredible dining, but there seems to be a wave of new restaurant openings recently, or on the horizon,” Vongerichten said.
Also this season, Jayma Cardoso’s Snow Lodge — from the Surf Lodge in Montauk — has a new chef and culinary director: Preston Hix, who was previously at Vail’s La Tour, Miami’s Fountainebleau Hotel & Resort and Denver’s Le Bilboquet.
Celebrity guests at Snow Lodge have included Anna Kendrick, Riley Keough, Heidi Klum, Ian Somerhalder, and Nacho Figueras.
The “new American” menu comes with a strong Italian influence, and is already known for its salt-baked whole fish. There’s also live piano music during the week, as well as the Jade Room Caviar x Champagne lounge.
Finally, top chef Sam Talbot, the original chef at Surf Lodge when Cardoso launched 16 years ago, is also the executive chef at ZigZag — from veteran New York, Los Angeles and Las Vegas hospitality owner Romain Pavee and local partners/philanthropists Scott and Carly Weber.
For years, Aspen cuisine was “Italian, Italian, Italian, with some sushi,” Pavee told Side Dish.
“Now there’s some diversity — from Thai to French-Indonesian cuisine,” he added.
Pavee describes ZigZag as a French-American bistro, “with classics from both sides of the ocean.”
The name comes from Pavee’s five-year-old daughter, Juliette, who noticed that the Roaring Fork River ran ‘zig zag.’
“The name was so playful, innocent and pure, and the river couldn’t be more embedded in the community. It is also the shape of the tracks left from snowboarding. It was perfect,” Pavee said, adding that he “fell in love” with Aspen years ago, and it’s where his daughter saw her first snowfall.
ZigZag has opened where Mezzaluna, an Aspen staple, stood for 37 years before closing last October. It comes with “the last, standing wood burning oven” in Aspen that was grandfathered in.
“Mezzaluna was an institution, and we want to honor it. The food will be more elevated, ‘French chic,’ but it is also for everyone, in a place that is warm and gracious,” Pavee said, adding that there is a focus on local produce, which will be especially noticeable this summer — with an emphasis on the ‘garden’ section of the menu that reflects fare from places like Venice Beach, where Pavee lives, as well as a wood-fired section.
“Now the land is frozen, but come summer, the bistro will be super produce-centric, and healthy. We’ll still have rich dishes, and comfort food, but we’ll also play more with farm to table,” Pavee added.
All three eateries bring something new to the Aspen scene, which kicked off earlier than usual this year, said Cardoso. He opened Snow Lodge on Dec. 6.
“The crowds have been non-stop since we opened. People want to be on the mountain early, before it gets super crowded,” Cardoso said, adding that there have also been a large number of full buy-outs from luxury brands.
Snow Lodge has held exclusive invite-only dinners for brands including Gucci, Bottega Venetta, Vogue, and hotelier Steve Wynn’s newly launched Wynn Fine Art, which honored artist Connor Addison. The dinner was hosted by Winn’s stepson, Nick Hissom, director of Wynn Fine Art and partner Kameron Ramirez.
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