Last November the State of Colorado elected a new Governor - Denver Mayor, Mr. John Hickenlooper. Being the down home country boy that he is, it was quickly learned that his Inauguration dinner would not be your typical black tie event.
One night in December, while watching the news, it was announced that the Inauguration dinner plans had been made and all the details were in the works. Governor-Elect Hickenlooper was going to have a barbeque - pulled pork, brisket, the works. They spoke to the catering company that would be handling the event, Occasions by Sandy. As a joke (sort of) I made a comment to my husband that CCB (Cripple Creek Barbeque) should be there. My husband took that comment and ran with it. He immediately looked Occasions by Sandy up online and contacted them about using our bbq sauce for the dinner. What happened from there was a whirlwind of emails, calls, and, eventually, sauce-making. The caterer was completely onboard with using our sauce. After discussing the foods that would be served, it was decided between my husband and the caterer that they would use/serve our Chipotle and Caramelized Onion sauces at the event.
All of the food items were donated by local companies - and so we donated 14 cases of sauce. In return we were given two tickets to the big event. The thought that we were actually going to the Inauguration dinner didn't really start to sink in until we delivered the cases of sauce to the catering company. Then when we received the tickets and official invitation letter, it really hit home that we were not only going to something as important and prestigious as the Governor's Inauguration dinner, but that OUR sauce, the small company with big dreams, Cripple Creek Barbeque, was going to be tasted and used by the Governor of Colorado, along with the Lt. Governor, Senators, other politicians and dignitaries, news reporters, and the list goes on (and possibly including the bands One Republic and DeVotchKa, who were performing later than night for a special Inauguration concert). What a surreal feeling we experienced.
On Tuesday, January 11th, we went to the dinner. We met up with a friend of ours and made our way through the Fillmore Auditorium, where the dinner was being held, and took in the excitement of the atmosphere. While roaming around, we came upon the VIP section of appetizers. There, at the end of the table, were 4 bottles of our sauce! A childlike giddiness came over us when we saw that. Then, once we made our way to the buffet tables for dinner, we saw the menu list on one side of the table - Pulled Pork, Brisket, assorted salads, mac & cheese with green chilis, cornbread with green chilis, and CRIPPLE CREEK BARBEQUE SAUCE! We saw many buffet tables with nearly empty bottles of sauce. The pride we felt was unreal.
While eating we got to watch Governor Hickenlooper speak. Soon after that, we had the pleasure of meeting Senator Michael Bennet. Our friend Jen, who has worked on many campaigns, introduced us to Senator Bennet and told him that we provided the barbeque for the dinner. He shook my hand and thanked me for being a part of the night.
We at CCB are so proud to have been part of such a wonderful night for our new Governor. To have had potentially 3000 new people try our sauce is something that we hope will help us grow and become a viable, important company that does something good for the state of Colorado. We believe in giving back and this is precisely what we will do when CCB takes off!
Thank you Occasions by Sandy for taking a chance on a small unknown. Thank you to Colorado Can Do for allowing us to be a part of the Governor's Inauguration Dinner. And thank you Governor Hickenlooper for a great start to a new chapter in Colorado history.
Thank you for reading from Rdwnggrl's World - and Cripple Creek Barbeque.
