Carmel Culinary Week Gains Momentum

May 30, 2023 – As far as headliners go, Carmel-by-the-Sea Culinary Week could do a lot worse than Ted Allen.

For the uninitiated, he’s an Emmy Award-Winning host of long-running hit shows “Chopped” and “Chopped Junior.”

He’s also 1) a James Beard Award winner for excellence in food media, and 2) the author of solid foodie manuals like In My Kitchen: 100 Recipes and Discoveries for Passionate Cooks and The Food You Want to Eat: 100 Smart, Simple Recipes.

More may know him by the show that inspired him to co-write New York Times best seller Queer Eye for the Straight Guy: The Fab Five’s Guide to Looking Better, Cooking Better, Dressing Better, Behaving Better, and Living Better.

For Culinary Week, he’s also live and direct on stage at Sunset Center on June 8.

With all that in mind, what might recommend him most for Culinary Week ambassadorship are his thoughts on the synergy between cooking, hosting, life and passion for food. 

Here are some of his memorable riffs on that front, and the elements of Culinary Week those insights resonate with most: 

“Planning a dinner party in a way that you’re actually capable of getting it done without panicking is important.” – Ted Allen

Allen’s coaching on hosting bodes well for Culinary Week. 

Now that CCW is in its third year, the increasing number of participating restaurants get how it can sizzle, and have zesty offers on rotation—from cooking classes to tasting panels to special menus. Eager eaters understand it. Travelers have had bandwidth to fine-tune time tables and plans to optimize the sequence of tastes. 

For 2023’s installment of CCW, the theme “Art of the Plate” pulses through events, curated menus and special offers at 30 participating restaurants.

It starts with a Kick-Off Party on Friday, June 2, at Carmel Plaza.

In and amidst the multi-tiered patio space, a bumper crop of restaurants submit tastes, including Plaza stalwarts like Rise + Roam, Cafe Luna, Alvarado Street Brewery, Links Club and Dutch Door Donuts, plus a dozen more eateries like Flaherty’s and Cultura Comida y Bebida.

Those nibbles combine with pours from on-site wineries Hahn, Blair Estate and Wrath, with more nearby tasting room spots flowing their own, at least 10 all told.

Visit Carmel oversees the CCW affair and executive director Amy Herzog is on brand when she describes the oomph the 9-day event seeks to cultivate. 

“The idea behind the creation of Carmel Culinary Week was to bring more attention to Carmel-by-the-Sea as a thriving culinary community,” she says. “People forget that—with now 60 restaurants in one-square mile—Carmel has more restaurants per capita than any other small city in the U.S.”

“Cooking for people is an enormously significant expression of generosity and soulfulness, and entertaining is a way to be both generous and creative. You’re sharing your life with people. Of course, it’s also an expression of your own need for approval and applause. Nothing wrong with that.” – Ted Allen

The sheer number of memorable restaurants participating in CCW 2023 would be enough to compel a pilgrimage. (Fear not: The event runs long enough for multiple visits.)

We’re talking AW Shucks Cocktail & Oyster Bar and Anton and Michel, Bar Napoli and Barmel, Basil and Brophy’s, Carmel Burger Bar and Carmel’s Hidden Gem, Cantinetta Luca and Catch too.

It dips into the tiny town’s biggest time-honored spots (Casanova) and hottest new products (Chez Noir). 

It swoops through nationally recognized spots like Dametra (a top-ranked Yelp spot countrywide) and Yafa (Michelin Bib Gourmand) at the same time.

Flavor-seekers can anticipate fun stuff from Flaherty’s and Foray, Portabella and Promesa and The Pocket, La Balena and La Bicyclette, 7th & Dolores and Toro Sushi and Sake on top of that.

Other destinations encompass Grill on Ocean Ave, Hog’s Breath Inn and Mission Bistro.

A good rule of thumb for ambitious taste buddies will be to not remain stationary for all too long—because community faves like Stationaery will be dishing events like a Les Lunes & Populis Wine Dinner with winemaker Diego Roig.

Then there’s also a casual “Pub Crawl-by-the-Sea” starring Alvarado Street, Barmel, Brophy’s Tavern and Links Club—and/or a roof-top soirée at Vesuvio to polish everything off.

Herzog testifies the eatery relationships are predictably central. 

“Working with the restaurants in Carmel is a completely inspiring experience,” she says. “Restaurateurs, along with their chefs, have to find some way to marry their entrepreneurship with a passion for and creativity with food.”

“If I have committed any culinary atrocities, please forgive me.” – Ted Allen

Food offenses are part of what make Ratatouille one of the better restaurant movies of all time, full stop. 

That film—in all its chaotic mouse-bite glory—rolls June 4 at Forest Theater. 

A greater atrocity is that Monterey County vines long lingered in the NorCal shadows of Napa and Sonoma—even as the Salinas Valley shipped massive tonnage north for bottling under other names.

No longer. 

The fact that 2023 marks the 30th Annual Monterey Winemakers’ Celebration (June 10) indicates winos-in-the-know recognize surreal deals and sublime expressions made within miles of the Dolores Street celebration. 

At the closing event, more than 40 wineries pour while chef stations provide refined sustenance. 

“It’s one of the most charming blocks in Carmel-by-the-Sea,” Herzog says, “and there is always something sort of magical about a street-fair vibe.”

“Sure, I love hearing the expression “Bon appétit!” But the two words I like even better: “Let’s cook!” – Ted Allen

As the collective Carmel appetite gets activated for the week, locals might experience a cheat code for sweet values they wouldn’t get on a casual weekday. 

Or it might inspire non-duffers to Zen-out in their kitchen rather than spend hundreds to dice up a nice fairway. As Allen says, “The world is full of people who would like nothing better than to spend six hours on a golf course. I would rather be chopping shallots.”

And then there’s an amen-quality thought from Allen that follows: “I am much more interested in the process than results.”

The process Carmel-by-the-Sea has gone through takes many shapes: Bohemian enclave, tourist darling and dog-friendly capital among them. 

With the right amount of swirling and exploring in place, Visit Carmel is hoping this annual festival might add another chapter.

To truncate a two-part thought from CCV’s spiritual leader Ted Allen: “The best way to learn is live, in person, cooking, feeling, smelling and tasting.”

More at CarmelCulinaryWeek.com.