The 10th edition of the Pebble Beach Food & Wine is ready to pull out all the stops — including wine stops from 250 wineries. The four-day celebration of everything epicurean from April 20-23 features more than 100 chefs, 8 tons of food, and over 50 tastings, cooking demos and seminars. Says decorated Michelin Star Chef Daniel Boulud:
“You get the greatest chefs and sommeliers in the U.S. participating, giving seminars, so it’s like going on a retreat. It’s always an education, an amazing education.”
And it’s an entertaining education at that. The eclectic sessions at this year’s Pebble Beach Food & Wine definitely score points for creativity, ranging from Day Drinking and Rosé All Day, to even Tacos and Riesling, or Burgers and Wine.
Says Pebble Beach Food & Wine CEO David Bernahl:
“Food & Wine should be fun, not snobby. That’s why this year we’re featuring ‘Tacos and Riesling’ and ‘Burgers and Wine.’ It’s not about pretense, it’s about enjoyment. Our DNA is fun, social, to bring people together over amazing food and wine.”
And at an amazing location. How do you beat events at the beach, or, better yet, Pebble Beach?
Says James Beard Award winner Charles Phan, who owns San Francisco’s Slanted Door:
“The setting puts you in a different mindset.”
Going for the first time? The Monterey County Weekly put together an exotic 10-event wishlist that includes:
- 21ST CENTURY SOUTHERN BREAKFAST — Highly-decorated chef Hugh Acheson owns several restaurants, has written several cookbooks and has multiple James Beard awards. Here he demonstrates what he knows best: making people happy with a southern foodie charm.
- A CAVIAR LIFE: AN EVENING OF INDULGENCE — Consider some of San Francisco’s best chefs serving the most luxurious of dinners. Michael Mina and Adam Sobel cook while sommelier Rajat Parr pours the wine.
- EYES WIDE SHUT: BLIND TASTING — Ever wondered how your nose fares against the top sommeliers in the world? Four wine leaders, including Shayn Bjornholm, examination director on the Court of Master Sommeliers, show you.
- EL BURRO BORRACHO TACO FIESTA HOSTED BY GUY FIERI — Fieri hosts a taco extravaganza plated by decorated chefs such as Brian Malarkey, Charles Phan and Tyler Malek.
- THE ORIGINAL JOE’S STONE CRAB POP-UP — From the deliciously historic Miami restaurant (est. 1913) comes a dinner to make us wonder if we’re living on the right coast. Stone crab and dry-aged steak take center stage.
Looking for more events? Here’s the complete rundown.
But there is nothing as impressively overwhelming as the Lexus Grand Tasting, a pair of whirlwind three-hour blitzes full of decadence and deliciousness, made possible by 25 celebrity chefs and 200 wineries. These Great Gatsby scenes alone make Pebble Beach Food & Wine one of the Top 10 Festivals No Wine and Food Lover Should Miss:
The Grand Tastings are the most extraordinary in the gourmet festival business, with an obscene abundance of wine, food and spirits. The chefs show up for the cooking and stay for the excitement. This is your chance to party with the rock stars of the wine and food world.
The Grand Tasting is also your chance to win some sensational Sips and Trips prizes benefiting the Pebble Beach Foundation.
Enjoy exclusive and intimate escapes to Tuscany, Willamette Valley, or Napa and Sonoma.
Or add a luxurious library of more than 40 bottles to your collection.
You can even win three dozen magnificent magnums. Learn more about the annual drawing here.
“While spending four days of hedonism in the forest, there’s good stuff going on behind the scenes,” says Bernahl.
Cheers to a great next four days!
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