January 23, 2018 – A galaxy of star chefs and sizzling events are coming to Carmel for the 5th anuual GourmetFest on March 15-18. Joshua Skenes of Saison—one of the youngest chefs to be awarded 3 Michelin stars—and Kyle Connaughton of the year-old Single Thread Farms and Restaurant are two of the 20 chefs taking part.
“I had a chance to visit Single Thread and Kyle is just an incredible visionary when it comes to food and using produce from the garden,” says organizer David Fink.
The beauty of GourmetFest is that you can meet and sample food from the world’s greatest chefs in intimate settings without waiting months or even years for a reservation at their renowned restaurants.
Joining host chef Justin Cogley of Aubergine will also be exec chef Nathan Rich and pastry chef Christopher Wilson of Vermont’s luxury Twin Farms resort, culinary icon Barbara Lynch, owner of seven restaurants in Boston, and Joachim Splichal of LA’s Patina restaurant group….and that’s just part of the roster.
For the first time this year, Ment’or—a non-profit organization created by Thomas Keller, Daniel Boulud and Jérôme Bocuse to inspire young people to want to cook—will be the charity partner on two GourmetFest events: a cooking demo and lunch with chef Charles Phan of SF’s Slanted Door on Friday, March 16; and a cooking demo/lunch with Splichal the following day. Cogley serves on the Ment’or culinary council, along with 50 of the nation’s best chefs.
One of the best parts of GourmetFest is connecting chefs—from Relais & Châteaux properties—and winemakers, according to Fink. “Everybody gets to know each other,” he says. “In just five years we’ve built so many bridges across the country and the whole world.”
On the wine side, Fink is really looking forward to “The Music of Champagne Krug” with 10th generation winemaker Olivier Krug; and the “Hill of Hermitage” featuring rare Rhône wines from Jean-Louis Chave of Domaine JL Chave. “He does not travel very often and told me he hadn’t been to California in 15 years,” says Fink. Chave is also participating in the welcome party on Thursday, March 15, and bringing over a 1969 vintage Chave Hermitage to pour at the “Rarities” dinner.
Additionally, there are cycling treks, a mushroom hunt and an over-the-top black truffle and caviar dinner. Fink says it’s not too hard enticing the world’s best chefs to visit beautiful Carmel to take part in “the most unique, luxury, high-end food and wine event in the country or maybe the world.”
The 2018 GourmetFest website just went live and pre-sale of tickets to premium Visa cardholders is underway. Ticket sales for the general public begin on February 1.
About the author
At Edible Monterey Bay, our mission is to celebrate the local food culture of Santa Cruz, San Benito and Monterey Counties, season by season. We believe in sustainability, and we believe everyone has a right to healthful, clean and affordable food. We think knowing where our food comes from is powerful, and we hope our magazine, website and newsletters inspire readers to get to know and support our local growers, fishers, chefs, vintners and food artisans.
