Chipotle Cultivates Chicago, Denver

Chipotle Mexican Grill will curate free festivals in Denver and Chicago, combining music in the form of G. Love & Special Sauce, Best Coast, Allen Stone and Okkervil River along with celebrity chefs and, of course, lots of stuff to eat.

Photo: John Davisson

"The Hangout Beach, Music And Arts Festival," Gulf Shores Public Beach, Ala.

Chipotle’s “Cultivate Food, Ideas & Music Festival” takes place at Chicago’s Lincoln Park Sept. 15 and Denver’s City Park Oct. 6. Each location will include celebrity chefs conducting cooking demonstrations, food artisans and activities focusing on fresh and affordable foods made with sustainable ingredients.

G. Love & Special Sauce and Allen Stone will play Chicago’s “Cultivate” and Best Coast and Okkervil River are booked for the Denver event. Expect more acts to be announced.

Chefs appearing in both cities include Richard Blais, Amanda Freitag and Jon Shook with Vinny Dotolo. Zak Pelaccio, Matthias Merges, Sarah Grueneberg, Danny Grant, Chris Pandel and Paul Kahan will appear in Chicago only, and Denver’s “Cultivate” will include appearances by Michael Chiarello and Lachlan Mackinnon Patterson.

“Cultivate is the first festival of its kind to bring together national culinary talent, musicians and thought leaders,” Chipotle’s chief marketing officer Mark Crumpacker said in a statement. “These events give customers an opportunity to experience Chipotle in a new way and to learn something about issues in food, develop a deeper appreciation for farmers and food artisans who are changing food culture for the better, and enjoy some great music.”