Rest assured: Chicken tenders and doughnuts will make appearances at the Democratic National Convention.
In the midst of media mockery and embarrassment among national Democrats that Denver had declared fried foods a party foul and had ordered multihued entrees, the Denver host committee has softened an original document that called for caterers to be “lean and green.”
Local officials are now calling the 12 stipulations laid out in a May Request for Proposal to caterers “guidelines.”
The May request asked caterers to make “every effort” to accomplish healthy goals and called for:
• Three-colored meals selected from the following palette: red, green, yellow, purple and white.
• Half of the plate should belong to fruits and vegetables.
• No fried foods.
• The use of 70 percent organic or Colorado-grown ingredients.
A memo, titled “Fiction Fuels Frivolous Food Fight,” will be issued later this week in an attempt to bring everyone — caterers, national Democratic operatives tired of tongue-in-cheek press about it — back from the ledge.
“Maybe we didn’t do a very good job on the outset,” said Chris Lopez, spokesman for the Denver host committee. “We’ll take criticism for not presenting it well. It’s a guideline. It’s a recommendation. It’s not to say we have lean and green mandates.”
National convention spokeswoman Natalie Wyeth was more blunt with the host group’s early efforts to be healthy.
“I think putting rules in place regarding the colors of food . . . is a bit over the top,” she said. “We’re offering a full range of choices . . . French fries, chicken tenders, and fish and chips.”
The changes come too late for a bevy of caterers who have already spent dozens of hours crafting menus that fit with the host committee’s initial desires.
It took Darby Donohue 100 hours to create a farmer’s-market-themed party, with local growers standing by their wares that included salsa, tortillas, homemade breads, local meats and tamales.
Donohue, chief executive of Gourmet Fine Catering, didn’t get the bid. He’s disappointed but said he’s taking the idea to several private parties he will work before and during the convention, which runs Aug. 25-28.
Because of cost concerns, the local host committee has scaled back plans for 24 parties and instead will be throwing only two — a media party on the Saturday before the convention and a state delegation welcome party the following day.
Other greening efforts, promoted by local officials and the national convention committee, are underway.
People from 23 states have purchased $7.50 carbon credits with their plane tickets that will go to wind turbines in Colorado and Minnesota.
Only three states — California, Nevada and Vermont — have 100 percent of delegates participating.
A “carbon calculator” will be installed so visitors can see their carbon footprint.
In recent days, the Democratic National Convention Committee has worked hard to dispel the myth that fried foods are prohibited.
At a national media gathering Tuesday, public-affairs chief Jenni Engebret sen told reporters that there would be plenty of the unhealthy stuff to go around.
And when reporters entered the Pepsi Center, committee staffers were pushing Lamar’s “fried” doughnuts.
Allison Sherry: 303-954-1377 or asherry@denverpost.com
