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This location is a secret we love to share. This grass-fed cattle ranch with panoramic views up and down California’s Central Coast is one of our favorite sites, and certainly one of the most exciting vistas. For our second night above the clouds this fall, we’re inviting Jacob Burrel from Niner Wine Estates back for the second year in a row. He’s traveled and worked in kitchens around the world, but has roots right here in Big Sur with stints at Post Ranch Inn and the Big Sur Bakery. At Niner Wine Estates, he keeps an innovative menu inspired by the wines and wealth of fresh ingredients on California’s Central Coast.

Every year, we finish out the summer tour season with a foraging dinner at Pie Ranch. Our host forager and king of mushrooms, Todd Spanier, will take us on a tour of the surrounding forests looking for autumnal treasures amongst the redwoods, while host farmers Nancy Vail and Jered Lawson show off their heirloom wheat and organic vegetables. To keep it all in the family, we’re inviting an alumnus of our Tour Crew to celebrate our 2023 Crew’s achievements. Carlo Espinas was our kitchen manager for the 2019 tour, before launching several of his own acclaimed projects throughout the Bay Area — and we are thrilled to have him back in the field kitchen to cook this year’s feast.

This family-owned historic timber and cattle ranch rarely allows outside visitors, so we are honored to be invited back for a second year to set the table in their pastures on the craggy bluffs over the Pacific Ocean. The spirit of the Wild West still reigns strong here, where surfers and cowboys feel equally at home and the cows graze on grasses dewy with salty sea air. This cinematic site also happens to have some extremely personable hosts. The Falk family (and their many dogs) can’t wait to welcome us back to enjoy the incredible sunset views from the table. Better yet, we’ve invited some of our favorite chefs to craft a meal in their honor. A16 is a staple of the San Francisco restaurant scene, known both for their wonderful Italian cuisine and owner Shelley Lindgren’s phenomenal wine program. Chefs Yosuke Machida and Charlie Guyard will tow their pizza oven up the tight corners of Highway 1 in order to serve us wood-fired pizza at reception, before a meal you’ll surely think is worth the drive yourself.

Hog Island Oyster Company is high on the must-stop-to-eat list when our new Tour Crew arrives in the Bay Area each spring. They offer a taste of Northern California’s finest seafood (including, of course, some really great oysters). We’re excited to make our relationship more official, bringing our long table to their ranch overlooking Tomales bay for the first time. We’ll take a stroll to our table site above the oyster beds and learn about the positive environmental impact of oyster farming. Husband-wife duo Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski from Michelin-starred, James Beard Award-winning State Bird Provisions will be joining us in the field kitchen, where they are excited to show off the wealth of ingredients the Bay Area is known for. Stuart and Nicole have joined us several times as guest chefs in the early days of OITF. We are excited to have them back!

We’ve been coming to Temecula Olive Oil Company since 2013 (sometimes a few times a year), and every time we pull into the dusty driveway, we feel like we’re coming home. Thom, Nancy and Catherine are some of the most gracious hosts you will ever meet, and can’t wait to help us taste through last year’s pressing of olive oil while telling us all about this year’s harvest. We’ll be there right in the middle of it. For dinner in the olive groves, we’re inviting John Cleveland from South LA’s Post & Beam down to show us his renowned Southern twist on California cuisine. After the event, keep an eye out for our crew enjoying a nightcap at the Stagecoach Inn, just down the street.

It’s impossible not to marvel at the views of the Pacific from up in these coastal mountains, where we set the table on a ridge line above the clouds. The drive up always leaves folks guessing why they agreed to come, but we promise everyone leaves knowing it was worth it for this once-in-a-lifetime view. For our first night of three on this epic cattle ranch, we’re inviting our good friends from Kettner Exchange up from Southern California to enjoy the scenery. Chef Brian Redzikowski will bring his innovative cuisine and signature sense of humor to the field kitchen above the clouds.

We love this secret beach because it has a little bit of everything. It’s accessed through a historic farm, where the fields stretch to the edges of bluffs overlooking sandy coves and tidepools. Crashing waves and cloudy skies add a sense of drama, while a sunny day lends a sense of relaxation. We’re inviting our good friend Adam Dulye from the Brewer’s Association back to cook dinner in one of his favorite spots featuring plenty of H&H Fresh Fish caught just beyond our seats. Fisherman Hans will surely entertain us with a few stories from the sea. Perhaps he’ll even point out a passing whale or a pod of dolphins, all while chef Adam cooks up a seafood-focused feast.

We’re kicking off a fall series of dinners at our favorite stretch of California shoreline. We can’t wait to see where on the beach we end up placing the table; maybe somewhere near the tidepools or up against the scrubby bluffs overlooking the waves. Don’t be surprised if the incoming tides lap against your toes before dessert is served. Gonzalo Guzmán will be in the field kitchen, creating something beautiful with the freshest catch from H&H Fresh Fish. Chef Gonzalo has joined us at the beach several times before, and will surely serve a delicious dinner inspired by the Mexican flavors he showcases at his restaurant, Nopalito.

This stunning site never ceases to amaze. Whether we’re cliffside looking at the clouds over the redwoods or staring straight down to the Pacific on a sunny day, the views are nothing short of breathtaking. And the table – stretching majestically along the cliffside road – is pretty splendid on its own. We are honored to set the long table in partnership with One Tam, the community campaign of the Tamalpais Lands Collaborative, who help ensure a healthy future for the mountain that so many cherish. Chef Jeremy Zimmerman of the girl and the fig is an OITF alumnus and knows exactly what he’s getting into. Cooking (or dining) on a mountainside thousands of feet above the ocean is for the genuinely adventurous and not for the faint of heart.