Ear to the ground

“I try not to be in Farmington after dark.”

-A Durango woman’s reason for taking a pass on the Feb. 3 Willie Nelson concert

Celebrity chefs

A local chef is cooking his way into the big time. The Strater Hotel’s Executive Chef Dave Cuntz has been invited to display his talents among the largest “constellation” of star chefs in the nation. Cuntz will be rubbing shoulders with chefs like Emeril, Rachel Ray, Rick Bayless and others at the 2008 Food Network South Beach Wine and Food Festival, set for Feb. 21-24.

The SOBE Festival is a national, star-studded, four-day destination event showcasing the talents of the world’s most distinguished wine and spirits producers, chefs and culinary personalities. Chef Dave will be featured in the American Express Grand Tasting every afternoon of the festival. The Tasting boasts ocean-side tents filled with superstar chefs offering the latest in food trends.

Chef Dave, assisted by Executive Sous Chef Jason Hayner and accompanied by Strater Hotel owner Rod Barker, will prepare The Strater’s signature Pepper Steak Herbert. The beef filet medallions are pan-seared or grilled and served with peppered mango chutney. They will serve more than 2,500 samples per day to the already sold-out event that attracts nearly 20,000 food-lovers and celebrities.

In addition to the SOBE festival, Chef Dave will be the affiliate guest chef at Wish, the Mobil Four Star restaurant at The Hotel on South Beach. Under the auspices of Executive Chef Michael Bloise, Wish has remained a south Florida dining hotspot. Bloise plans a reciprocal visit to Durango as a guest chef.

Calling all gladiators

The next Nitro or Malibu could be walking the streets of Durango. That’s right, American Gladiators, the “no-holds barred” TV competition is back and looking for Colorado contenders.

Before going off the air in 1996, American Gladiators pitched amateur athletes against gladiators in competitions like joust, gauntlet and sky track. There was an effort to launch a live American Gladiators show on the Las Vegas Strip, but it became mired in a securities fraud prosecution. However, the series relaunches this year, and NBC is currently shopping for talent.

“We are looking for weekend warrior types that are big, bad and athletic,” the promotional materials read.

If you fit the bill and have always dreamed of wielding a pugil stick, auditions are set for Feb. 2 at the University of Colorado, Boulder. For more information, visit www.nbc.com/casting.