DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar. 8, 2016-- Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) has announced the preliminary lineup for its 2016 Cultivate food, music and ideas festivals, with events returning to Phoenix and Kansas City for a second year, and one debuting in Miami.

This year marks the sixth year of the Cultivate Festival, which encourages attendees to think and talk about food and food issues in a fun and engaging environment. Cultivate Phoenix will be held Saturday, April 30, at WestWorld of Scottsdale; Cultivate Kansas City Saturday, July 23, in Penn Valley Park; and Cultivate Miami Saturday, Nov. 12, in Bayfront Park. All festivals start at 11 a.m. and end at 7 p.m.Admission is free.

“We are changing the way people think about and eat fast food, and that includes helping people understand how food is raised and prepared,” said Mark Crumpacker, chief creative and development officer at Chipotle. “The Cultivate events allow us to bring people together for a celebration of food and music, but also to educate them about how food can be raised responsibly and prepared safely.”

In addition to live music and on-site chef demonstrations, each Cultivate event will include five interactive experiences focused on sustainable food – including activities that allow attendees to explore the importance of animal welfare; issues surrounding genetically modified foods, or GMOs; the secret to making Chipotle’s famous guacamole; and the reality of processed foods. The events also feature a Kids’ Zone that will feature activities and snacks.

All three festivals will have an Artisans’ Hall featuring local artisanal desserts for purchase and a Tasting Hall serving local specialty beers, wines and ciders. Each festival also will feature Cultivate Mexican Lager, a Mexican-style lager brewed exclusively for Cultivate through a collaboration among nationally acclaimed breweries Arizona Wilderness (Cultivate Phoenix), Boulevard Brewing (Cultivate Kansas City) and Cigar City Brewing (Cultivate Miami).

Chipotle has also partnered with IZZE to give customers a chance to win a trip for two to the 2016 Cultivate Festival of the winner’s choice in Phoenix, Kansas City or Miami. For more information on how to enter, and official rules, visit chipotlecultivate.com.

FESTIVAL DETAILS

Phoenix: Cultivate Phoenix will feature musical artists Young the Giant, Echosmith, Lukas Graham, Betty Who, Holychild, and Jared & The Mill. Chefs include Aarón Sánchez (Chef/Partner at Johnny Sánchez in New Orleans and Baltimore, host of Cooking Channel's Taco Trip and judge on Food Network’s “Chopped”); Amanda Freitag (co-host of Food Network’s “American Diner Revival” and judge on “Chopped”;author of “The Chef Next Door”); Chris Bianco (Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix and Tucson, Pane Bianco in Phoenix); Stephen Jones (the larder + the delta); and Charleen Badman (FnB Restaurant) with Pavle Milic (FnB Restaurant, Los Milics Wine).

Kansas City: Musician talent will be announced in early summer. Chefs include Andrew Zimmern (three-time James Beard Award-winning TV personality, chef, writer and teacher); Carla Hall (Chef and Co-Host of ABC's Emmy Award-winning “The Chew,” chef at Carla Hall’s Southern Kitchen and author); Colby Garrelts (Chef/Co-owner of Bluestem and rye Restaurants, co-author of “Made in America” and “Bluestem” cookbooks); Gerard Craft (chef/owner of Niche Food Group: Niche, Pastaria, Porano Pasta, Brasserie by Niche and Taste Bar); and Michael Corvino (executive chef and general manager, The American Restaurant).

Miami: The music lineup for Cultivate Miami will be announced later in the year. The chef stage will feature Richard Blais (chef, restaurateur, television host); Freitag; Michelle Bernstein (Crumb on Parchment, CENA by Michy, Seagrape); and Michael Schwartz(chef/restaurateur, The Genuine Hospitality Group).

Partners for the 2016 Cultivate Festivals include IZZE, Tabasco, Annie’s, Breville, California Avocados, Naked Juice, Evolution Fresh, Lifeway Kefir, Loomstate, Tree Top Organic Apple Juice, Organic Valley, Plum Organics and Tea-rrific! Ice Cream.

Chipotle’s inaugural Cultivate Festival was hosted in Chicago in 2011. Following its success, the festival expanded to Denver (2012 and 2013), San Francisco (2013 and 2014), Dallas (2014) and Minneapolis (2014 and 2015). The 2015 festival series marked its debut in Phoenix and Kansas City.

For more information, including specific activities at each festival, please visit: Chipotle.com/cultivate.

About Chipotle

Steve Ells, founder, chairman and co-CEO, started Chipotle with the idea that food served fast did not have to be a typical fast food experience. Today, Chipotle continues to offer a focused menu of burritos, tacos, burrito bowls (a burrito without the tortilla) and salads made from fresh, high-quality raw ingredients, prepared using classic cooking methods and served in a distinctive atmosphere. Through our vision of Food With Integrity, Chipotle is seeking better food from using ingredients that are not only fresh, but that — where possible — are sustainably grown and raised responsibly with respect for the animals, the land, and the farmers who produce the food. In order to achieve this vision, we focus on building a special people culture that is centered on creating teams of top performers empowered to achieve high standards. This people culture not only leads to a better dining experience for our customers, it also allows us to develop future leaders from within. Chipotle opened with a single restaurant in 1993 and operates more than 2,000 restaurants, including 20 Chipotle restaurants outside the U.S. and 13 ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen restaurants, and is an investor in an entity that owns and operates three Pizzeria Locale restaurants. For more information, visit Chipotle.com.

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Source: Chipotle

Chipotle
Danielle Moore, 303-222-5948
dmoore@chipotle.com