Archives: Events

At this lush ranch in the rolling hills of California’s central coast, host vintner Jeff LeBard and his team tend to a variety of warmer-climate grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc and transform that fruit into some very lovely wines. After a reception at the historic barn, we’ll take a stroll around the property and settle into the table set in their sun-soaked vineyard or under the shade of the live oaks, depending on the weather. Then we’ll sip on a sampling of Gainey Family wines while guest chefs Jeff and Janet Olsson of Industrial Eats work their magic in the field kitchen. This husband-and-wife chef team has cooked for us several times over the years at many equally extraordinary sites. They’re also masters of the wood-burning oven and good friends with a slew of sustainable farms, foragers and fisherpeople across the Central Coast which they’ll source from for the menu.

This vineyard and winery is the brainchild of host vintner Matthew Rorick and the result of his very hardworking team of vignerons, farmworkers and cellar hands. We feel quite lucky to dine among their 75 acres of organically grown grapes in the Sierra Foothills — where steep rows of vines are surrounded by thick woods and cascading hills gleaming under the California sun. The property’s limestone soils and 2,000 ft. elevation make for elegant, distinctive wines with deep aromatics, texture, and acidity. And low intervention winemaking without additives or commercial yeasts means the wines maintain their natural terroir. We’ll taste all those delicious wines alongside a Mediterranean meal from guest chef Kevin O’Connor. He’s a Sierra Foothills native passionate about hunting, foraging, and cooking outdoors. He’s also a self proclaimed olive oil geek and a certified olive oil sommelier. This is bound to be a fun one.

One long table set between the vines surrounded by rolling golden hills and the pink light of early summer sun. A place like this deserves two nights. This plot of land in the eastern end of Santa Ynez Valley is ideal for growing warmer-climate grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc and host vintner Jeff LeBard and his team transform all that high-quality fruit into some very scrumptious wines in their on-site cellar. We’ll sample many varieties of their delicious wines alongside our meal from guest chefs Lauren and Christina Olufson. Lauren and Christina have quite the culinary chops between the two of them, including long tenures at Suzanne Goin’s a.o.c. and Luques in L.A. In 2019, the couple opened Bossie’s Kitchen in Santa Barbara in The Live Oak Dairy building, a Milpas Street landmark built in the last phase of Art Deco in the late 1930’s. At Bossies, they’re committed to sourcing local and organic ingredients from the abundance of area farms. This dynamic duo cooked for us earlier this year at Dos Pueblos Orchid Farm and we are thrilled to have them back in the field kitchen.

The ‘Secret Sea Cove’ is a name guaranteed to provoke curiosity. What is the secret? You may be tempted to consult Google. Don’t do it! It’s good to be surprised. We’ve set the table in Bay Area sea coves nearly fifty times over the years, from Santa Cruz to San Francisco. We first came to this particular beach, near the town of Pescadero, last year. As always, Hans the fisherman will be there to point out all the different types of fresh-caught fish on the plate along with some tantalizing tales from his life at sea. And this time, the lauded chef in the beach kitchen is Rogelio Garcia. Rogelio was born in Mexico City and grew up between Los Angeles and Napa, where he started working in kitchens at the age of 15. He’s since worked at some of the Bay Area’s best restaurants, including The French Laundry, Calistoga Ranch, and Spruce, on top of competing on Bravo’s Top Chef. Now he’s the chef at Luce, the award-winning fine-dining restaurant in the InterContinental SF hotel. Expect a fish-forward feast of contemporary California cuisine with some European and Latin American flare. At the table, feel free to flip off your shoes and dig your toes into the sand — or you can always wear your bathing suit and take a dip between courses.

Our second of five events this year at this majestic ranch along the towering cliffs of Big Sur — where rolling hills meet panoramic views of the Pacific and a particularly stunning sunset over the sea. On night two, we’ll have guest chef Clark Staub cooking in the clouds with us. He’s cooked nearly ten events with us over the years, including some of our most adventurous dinners. Clark is deeply committed to sourcing high-quality produce from local farmers and fisherpeople, so expect a menu rich with early summer produce and seafood, plus plenty of pastured beef from the ranch. Perhaps he’ll even cart his pizza oven up the cliffs.

A table in the clouds, high above the fog and surrounded by undulating grasslands exploding with wildflowers and some very happy grazing cows. This majestic ranch in Big Sur is perhaps our most extraordinary site to date — which is why we’re setting the table five times here this year. Our inaugural event comes with a meal from our good friend Matt Millea. An extraordinary site deserves an extraordinary chef, after all. Matt’s a Big Sur local who’s spent time in several celebrated kitchens including Post Ranch Inn and Big Sur Bakery. He’s also toured with us around the world as both an expeditor and chef, including two prior events at this secret locale. We can’t wait to see what he brings to the ocean bluffs this year.