The historic home site of the Rock House Ranch is nestled close to Ohio Creek on 960 acres ranch of open range, aspen and fir tree forests, protected by a Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Conservation Easement, and adjacent to the vast Gunnison National Forest lands. The 1904 stone structure once served the railroad for the mines in the upper Ohio Creek Valley. Now, it is lovingly restored into a charming and elegant ranch home. Ann performed a tremendous job in bringing forth the true personality of the home with a keen eye and lots of antique treasure hunts. The old-world feel is maintained with such accents as collections of hotel silver, English ironstone pottery, herbarium botanical presses and doors from the 18th and 19th centuries. Antiqued fixtures, weathered cabinets and limestone countertops from an old church keep the décor in the rustic nuances of the period. Redesigned in cool, light colors of robin egg blue, spring green and gray, Ann allows for the outside views to dominate the rooms. Lush native gardens surround the lazy wraparound porch where you gather for cocktails and tours of the home. The barn where dinner is served, is encompassed by fields of wildflowers with panoramic views of the Anthracites, and Carbon and Whetstone Mountains. Dinner is followed by an incredible music and storytelling experience by three time grammy nominee Dean Dillon.
Michael Marsee graduated from the New England Culinary Institute with honors before traveling the world as a Private Chef for a prominent family based in Dubai, then settling back into Colorado as Executive Chef on a private ranch. His dishes flaunt layers of textures and flavors from his international experiences. Michael’s prowess emerges from the wide range of experiences he’s led as a chef – from rustic open fire cooking on cattle drives, to precision modern techniques for more elegant gatherings. With Hogwood BBQ, Chef Michael creates artisanal barbeque, smoking meat with local orchard wood, creating a flavor distinct to this corner of Colorado. Starting with a pepper based rub, he mixes bold spices within it to create the dark bark on the skin. His barbeque sauce is a unique combination of pepper, sweet and vinegar that complements the meat without masking the wonderful aroma and flavor of the smoke.
Award-winning Pastry Chef Danielle Riesz graduated from Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI with a degree in baking & pastry arts before training abroad in the Netherlands for a Relais & Château property and a Michelin star rated restaurant. She afterwards joined the prestigious 5-star / 5-diamond properties of the Four Seasons Hotels in Jackson Hole, Washington, D.C., Dallas and San Francisco. In Aspen she became Executive Pastry Chef at The Little Nell, a 5-star / 5-diamond Relais & Château property, and contributor to the Food and Wine Classic in Aspen. Danielle now runs Wildflour Sweets in Crested Butte.
A coveted songwriter and inductee to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Dean has written over 50 songs recorded by country music legend George Strait. Dean arrived in Nashville in the early 70's in search of country music glory and wound up being one of the most successful songwriters in Music City. His compositions have been recorded by a wide range of artists including George Jones, Keith Whitley and Vern Gosdin. New country stars like Kenny Chesney, Lee Ann Womack and Toby Keith have also found chart success with Dillon compositions. With a writing style influenced by James Taylor for his beautiful melodies and Merle Haggard for his awesome story songs, Dean pulls his inspiration from life, people and conversations.