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Longmont Couple Hosts World Cup Party

Written by Anne Quinn Corr: Longmont residents Al and Denise Milligan are a passionate couple.

This content was originally published by the Longmont Observer and is licensed under a Creative Commons license.

Written by Anne Quinn Corr: Longmont residents Al and Denise Milligan are a passionate couple. Married for 44 years, the Colorado transplants (he is from Arkansas, she is from Texas) met at Casper College in Wyoming and moved to Missoula, Montana after graduation before eventually landing in Longmont. Three children and seven grandchildren later, the passions they share today are soccer and food, as well as the inclusive act of sharing both with Longmont locals with eyes open to the wider world.

The Milligans and their friends Krystal and Eddie Erazo have hosted “World Cup + Plate” open parties since the world cup began on June 14th. The final game is Sunday, when France plays Croatia, and the 9:00 am game will be well-attended by fans of both teams.

Soccer fans and foodies that attended the series of parties brought dishes from the countries that were playing, so on the table when Spain played Portugal were assorted tapas and paella; empanadas and smoked salmon and various authentic Scandinavian dishes for the Argentina vs Iceland match. Brats and nachos, guacamole and ceviche were on the menu when Germany played Mexico. Guests also brought beverages, and wines were served in customized World Cup + Plate stemless glasses. Viewers watched the taped games outside on the deck and flags for each country were on the food table during the match.

The Milligans are former soccer coaches, leading the teams that their children played on when they were young in the 1990s. Since 1998 they have traveled to Spain where they spend several months a year in the coastal town of Dénia, a Unesco Creative City of Gastronomy. Their shared passion for the food and culture of Spain has led to a side business of teaching cooking classes that feature the foods of the region. Denise has created an e-book called “The 6 Hour Lunch.”

Currently the Milligans bring their Spanish Sunday program to the Kitchen Co store on Main Street in Longmont, in addition to teaching private lessons in their Cambridge Drive home. Denise does the cooking and Al, who is a professional photographer, plays sous chef and takes photos of the food and class participants.

For more information about Spanish Sunday visit spanishsunday.com/.

Denise said that the parties took about three months to plan and estimated that the attendance ranged from 4 to 15 people for any given event. “I’m tired,” she joked after describing the series.

“Think globally, act locally” is a phrase commonly attributed to the environmental movement in the 70’s but no one does that more than the Milligans and their friends who radiate the high energy coursing through the world during the World Cup matches. Our soccer coach friend, Trevor Scanlon, the National Coordinator for the Football Association of Ireland, is texting us weekly predictions while he oversees this summer’s 350 camps with more than 30,000 participants. Our French friends in the tiny village of Cogny in the Beaujolais send photos of the fountains in Lyon filled with revelers after the last big win over England. The whole world is watching, and that includes those in the know in Longmont.

Sunday’s final will air 9:00 am when France and Croatia meet on the field in Russia. Croissants or burek? Embrace—and taste—it all.

PS--photos provided by Denise Milligan, who is pictured in the one with the little bull logo, which she designed herself and photoshopped. Permission granted to use by any or all. The one that shows a man putting something on bread is her husband, Al Milligan.