Food contest today

Master of the Edible Molecule, a cocktail and food competition benefiting the Aspen Science Center and ProStart, is today from 4 to 7 p.m. at Jimmy’s. The event invites adults to experience an educational demonstration in the guise of a fast-paced game show featuring local personalities. Five teams, each led by a professional who works outside the food-and-beverage industry, compete in rounds that explore scientific principles prevalent in cooking. Along the way, teams may bid on advantages to create winning dishes, as judged by a panel of area restaurateurs.

The first challenge centers on the science of mixology. Each team captain will prepare a cocktail; the audience may help them out by purchasing the help of a bartender or bidding on additional ingredients.

Twelve Aspen ProStart students — including five members of the culinary team that placed second in the state at the 2015 ProStart Invitational — get in on the first food round, emulsification. Charged with preparing a salad, teams may “rent” help (via audience bid) from the students, each equipped with knives, cutting boards and tools required to present a finished plate.

Subsequent rounds spotlight the art of molecular gastronomy — making “caviar” spheres from liquids and churning ice cream with liquid nitrogen — with help from a group chefs. Technology specialist and former restaurant owner Vince Lahey will serve as commentator, explaining scientific terms to the audience and auctioning off team privileges.

To read the full version of this story, visit http://www.aspentimes.com.