For over a century, Pebble Beach, California, has been heralded as a legendary golf mecca. But over the past few decades, this iconic coastal destination has expanded its identity well beyond the fairways, evolving into a year-round magnet for three distinct and deeply passionate communities: golf aficionados, epicurean enthusiasts, and automobile collectors.
From the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am to Monterey Car Week, Pebble Beach has become one of the most celebrated event destinations in the country, and nowhere is that reputation more deliciously on display than at Pebble Beach Food & Wine.
Now celebrating its milestone 15th year, PBFW has firmly established itself as one of the most prestigious culinary events in the United States. Set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Monterey coastline, this four-day festival transforms the resort into a vibrant stage for culinary visionaries, award-winning winemakers, and industry legends.
This year’s edition (held April 9–12, 2026) featured 50+ events, 150+ acclaimed chefs, and 150+ wineries, spanning walk-around tastings, intimate seated dinners, educational seminars, and immersive experiences that attracted thousands of guests.
Having covered and attended this event since its inception, I can say with confidence that the 15th edition of PBFW uncorked a new level of excellence.
Behind the glamour and gastronomy of PBFW is a mission that extends well beyond the party itself. The festival is operated by a21 and hosted by the Pebble Beach Company Foundation, a nonprofit with a 50-year commitment to investing in the next generation, providing Monterey County’s youth with the educational resources they need to thrive.
To date, the Foundation has contributed over $20 million in support and continues to impact more than 10,000 students each year. This year’s charitable partner is The Roots Fund, with presenting support from Capital One (Official Banking & Credit Card Partner), Palo Alto Networks (Official Cybersecurity Partner), Lexus (Official Automotive Partner), and Penfolds.
Bryan Anthony, Vice President of Food & Beverage for the Pebble Beach Company, plays a key role in overseeing the culinary experience that brings PBFW to life each year.
CLP: Pebble Beach attracts a discerning global audience. How does PBFW continue to evolve to meet the expectations of guests who seek truly exceptional culinary and wine experiences?
BA: “We continue to challenge ourselves to raise the bar each year by curating unique world-class experiences that resonate with both returning guests and those experiencing PBFW for the first time. Showcasing iconic chefs, emerging stars, and renowned winemakers against the backdrop of Pebble Beach makes this event truly one-of-one.”
To kick off the festivities, Thursday evening at Pebble Beach Food & Wine had a momentum all its own. Presented by HexClad and set across the grounds of the Inn at Spanish Bay (a large resort with unobstructed views of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding golf course), Opening Night took full advantage of the expansive setting.
What began with a champagne reception in the lobby quickly unfolded into a vibrant walk-around tasting that spilled through the property’s restaurants, Roy’s and Pèppoli, into the grand ballroom, through intimate event rooms, and well beyond.
With more than 20 acclaimed chefs and over 90 distinguished wineries pouring throughout the evening, the entire property transformed into one large, jubilant celebration filled with guests buzzing about in ecstasy and excitement.
Among the wineries represented that evening was St. Supéry Estate Vineyards & Winery, whose CEO Emma Swain captured the spirit of the occasion perfectly.
ES: “We are thrilled to be back at Pebble Beach Food & Wine and excited to celebrate Napa Valley on Thursday night with our friends from near and afar. I can’t wait to try all the new culinary delights and experience the extraordinary hospitality throughout the weekend.”
At the helm of the evening was Jonathan Waxman, who’s a James Beard Award-winning chef, regarded as a pioneer of California cuisine, and the force behind beloved New York institutions Barbuto and Jams. His connection to this coastline runs deeper than most people realize. Long before the festival existed, Waxman had his own chapter here, as I quickly discovered.
CLP: We previously spoke at Pebble Beach Food & Wine, and your presence has long been part of the festival’s culinary fabric. From your perspective, what makes this event such a compelling environment for chefs and guests alike?
JW: “My career has taken me many places around the world. One of the most memorable and poignant was my time cooking in Monterey at the long-gone Monterey Bistro. This was my job before I went to work at Chez Panisse. The late 70s were a quiet time in the peninsula, but I loved the atmosphere and obviously the charm of Carmel, Pebble Beach, and Monterey. When the PBFW first asked me to participate years ago, I was thrilled. Over the years, staying at the Inn at Spanish Bay, cooking with my colleagues, and watching the sun set over the Pacific are indelible.”
Also pouring at the Opening Night Reception was Silver Oak Cellars, a distinguished family-owned Napa Valley winery with more than 50 years of dedication to a single varietal. David R. Duncan, Proprietor and Executive Chairman, shared what drives that singular focus.
DRD: “What sets Silver Oak apart is our focus — to do a few things exceptionally well over a long time. For more than 50 years, we’ve focused on Cabernet Sauvignon, and we still operate with the belief that we have yet to make our best bottle of wine. We recently released the 2021 Silver Oak Napa Valley Cabernet, while many other producers are releasing their 2023 vintage bottlings.
For someone with a discerning palate, the difference is in the glass. Silver Oak delivers consistency and depth in a way that only comes from patience, intention, and an unwavering point of view. That’s what gives the wine its signature, and it’s what gives our work its purpose, year after year, vintage after vintage.”
For those who enjoy learning about winemaking, one of the benefits of attending the festival is the intimate wine seminars hosted by winemakers and notable experts.
On Friday morning, “Fifty Years of Grace: A Conversation Across Generations” brought guests together with Grace Family Vineyards founder Dick Grace and current proprietor Kate Green for a 90-minute conversation led by moderator Jeff Gordinier (Esquire Magazine Food & Drinks Editor) exploring five decades of winemaking history, ownership transition, and the values that continue to guide the vineyard today.
Producing approximately 650 cases annually (one of the most limited outputs in all of Napa Valley), Grace Family Vineyards has earned perfect 100-point scores from critics Antonio Galloni of Vinous and James Suckling, with current winemaker Helen Keplinger named Vinous’s 2023 Winemaker of the Year.
What made the seminar truly memorable were the heartwarming and entertaining stories that unfolded beyond the tasting. We discovered that Dick and Ann Grace built one of California’s most iconic cult wines while pursuing a humanitarian mission that has touched lives across the United States and as far as the mountains of Nepal and Tibet.
When the time came to transition the winery, they made a deliberate choice — rather than selling to a corporation, they sought a family whose values aligned with their own. Through serendipity, they found that in Kate Green and her family, who now carry the Grace legacy forward as its new stewards.
The tasting included six vintages spanning nearly four decades (among them the 1986, 1992, and 2007 Grace Family Vineyards Estate Cabernet Sauvignon), each a distinct expression of how the vineyard has evolved while remaining true to its origins.
CLP: Did you ever pursue viticulture on an educational basis, or were you simply trusting the people you hired?
DG: “I was fascinated with the people who make a lifestyle statement with their trade. Whether it’s shoemaking, watchmaking, or vineyard management, to them, it’s not just a job. I was fortunate enough to have people like that in our lives, including the winemakers. To have the Greens take this on board is something Ann and I are just exhaling over. We know that tradition will be carried forward, and we have complete confidence. And the wines that I’ve tasted, they bear that out.”
For Kate Green, stewarding that legacy has meant honoring what made Grace exceptional while introducing it to a new generation of wine lovers — and understanding precisely why it endured when so many others changed course.
CLP: Can you walk us through the tasting notes and flavor profiles?
KG: “The Grace Estate is a powerful wine. There is always a little bit of a mint and an herbal note to it, almost like a menthol. It’s red-fruited, structured, with a silky entry that’s kind of a hallmark. It’s so smooth on the front palate and then kind of envelops you. The Cornelius Grove is different. It’s a darker fruit, much more sinewy, with a more voluptuous mouth feel. Softer, rounder, more approachable. They both will age beautifully.”
On Friday afternoon, PBFW hosted High Tide, presented by Palo Alto Networks, which was a lively walk-around tasting held fireside at the Inn at Spanish Bay that put the flavors of the sea front and center.
Hosted by Nyesha Arrington (co-star of FOX’s Next Level Chef and a celebrated champion of California’s farm-fresh, locally sourced ingredients), the event brought together top chefs and the acclaimed wines of the Santa Lucia Highlands Wine Artisans for an afternoon of bold, ocean-inspired bites, unparalleled vistas, and expertly poured glasses.
One of the standout dishes was prepared by Alex Ramirez (of Stillwater), which featured Seared Tiger Prawn Toast on a French baguette, accompanied by whipped cream cheese, green onion relish, and Chicharron. Both hearty and tasty, the dish was a great way to wrap up the afternoon al fresco.
Later that evening, Pèppoli (an Italian restaurant tucked within The Inn at Spanish Bay) served as a charming atmosphere for one of the weekend’s most spirited events.
Sauced, an Italian walk-around co-hosted by Gabe Bertaccini and Rocco DiSpirito, showcased the energy of chefs who genuinely love what they do, cooking for a room full of people who genuinely love to eat.
DiSpirito (a James Beard Award winner, author of 14 acclaimed cookbooks, including three New York Times bestsellers) exuded an energetic, amiable disposition, which had his fans gravitating towards him for meet-and-greets and selfie opportunities.
Bertaccini, a Florence-born chef and co-host of Food Network’s Ciao House, brought an old-world perspective with a warm, welcoming attitude that translated seamlessly into the evening’s convivial atmosphere.
Together, the two hosts made for a pairing as natural as pasta and marinara.
CLP: What does a festival like Pebble Beach Food & Wine represent to you as a chef, and why is it meaningful for you to participate?
GB: “Pebble Beach Food & Wine represents excellence — but not in a stiff, white-tablecloth way. It’s excellence with personality. It’s chefs, winemakers, and producers who have built something real, coming together to celebrate craft.
For me, as someone who grew up in Florence and then built his career in America, it’s meaningful because it’s where worlds meet—old-world tradition, new-world creativity. Tuscany meets California. That’s exactly how I cook.
Pebble Beach is that scale of energy where you can showcase who you are as a chef while standing next to people you deeply respect. It’s not just a food festival. It’s a community at the highest level.”
With a line of guests nearly out the door waiting for it, one of the most popular dishes served was Amy Brandwein’s (of Centrolina) playful twist on Eggplant Pappardelle, featuring crispy, wavy strips drizzled with honey and topped with toasted almonds.
On Saturday afternoon, Casa Palmero (a lush Mediterranean estate that was converted over 20 years ago from a private home into a world-class resort and spa) played host to Feast of the Garden, presented by GreenLeaf as part of the Vitamix Series.
A sophisticated, vegetable-forward seated lunch, it offered a compelling and delicious reminder that vegetables can be the star of the show (rather than simply a side dish).
Most importantly, as Pebble Beach Company COO Caroline MacDonald (a vegetarian since childhood) told me, she encouraged the PBFW team to introduce more vegetarian offerings, so that the festival could cater to all types of palates and preferences.
Rob Rubba, chef of the Michelin-starred Oyster Oyster in Washington, D.C., and recipient of the 2023 James Beard Outstanding Chef Award, anchored the event with his celebrated plant-forward approach.
Joining him for the lunch were James Beard Award-winning chef and two-time Tournament of Champions champion Maneet Chauhan, alongside television personality and restaurateur Nyesha Arrington, whose ingredient-driven California cooking style brought a local, seasonal perspective to the afternoon.
To accompany the dishes, the wines of JCB Collection were poured throughout the lunch, and as we learned, each bottle bears a number with a story behind it, including their white Bordeaux-style blend, No. 16, named for the age owner Jean-Charles Boisset was when he first fell in love with a woman from Bordeaux, and with white Bordeaux wine itself.
For the first course, Arrington presented a light and refreshing Asparagus appetizer featuring freshly-picked peas, pickled green tomato, and sauce vert.
For the second course, Rubba served his famed Kohlrabi Dumplings, which are accompanied by spiced peanut, spring peas, and coriander verjus.
For the third course, Chauhan dazzled guests with a colorful and flavorful Tandoori Wild Mushroom dish featuring upma grits, moilee sauce, red cabbage chow chow, and papadum.
In speaking with Chauhan, her perspective on what makes a dish truly memorable cuts straight to the point.
CLP: You’ve built a reputation for creating dishes that are both soulful and celebratory. What are a few elements you believe instantly elevate a home gathering, beyond just the food itself?
MC: “It’s the thoughtfulness and composition of the dish. You have to think to yourself, ‘Are all elements present?’ This means texturally and visually too. Are the dishes colorful? Is there a crunch? I think that’s the most important thing!”
The delightful luncheon was a homerun with all the attendees, including former San Francisco Giants baseball player Rich Aurilia (photographed taking a selfie with Arrington), who’s not only a foodie, but is also a Co-Founder of a Sonoma Valley-based winery alongside Dave Roberts (manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers).
On Saturday evening, From the Cellar was held at the Beach & Tennis Club, which is a private, members-only club in Pebble Beach, with sweeping views of the 17th fairway, Stillwater Cove, and the Santa Lucia mountain range in the distance.
Guiding guests through the evening were hosts Danny Garcia, winner of Top Chef Season 21 and James Beard Semi-Finalist for Emerging Chef 2025, and his wife and co-host Sumaiya Bangee, a pastry consultant whose resume includes Eleven Madison Park during its tenure as the world’s number one restaurant, Michelin-starred Crown Shy and SAGA, and two Michelin-starred Vea and Wing in Hong Kong.
The evening also honored Alpana Singh — the first South Asian and youngest female ever to earn the title of Master Sommelier, and owner of Alpana Restaurant, a wine-inspired bistro in Chicago’s historic Gold Coast neighborhood.
CLP: What excites you most about participating in a culinary festival as grand as Pebble Beach Food & Wine?
DG: “Pebble Beach is incredibly exciting — it is looked at as one of the most prestigious food events in the world. So to be invited to cook here is an honor.”
CLP: You both are co-hosting at Pebble Beach Food & Wine, and as both collaborators and a married couple, what is it like working together in a culinary setting? How does your dynamic influence the way you approach events or projects you share?
SB: “Danny and I worked together before anything else; we both are extremely focused and have identical standards in how we operate and how we imagine our food. It’s always fun and stressful to work together; we both feel like each other can be our most honest critic as well as our loudest cheerleader. Often when talking through food, we ping pong ideas off each other regardless of whether it’s a joint venture or something one of us is doing on our own.
It is an interesting and unique dynamic to have your partner involved in every aspect of your life and to be able to fully understand each other’s worlds — this is a rare thing for a couple to be absolutely invested and working together in every single aspect of each other’s lives, and we honestly wouldn’t know how to function any other way.”
Among the chefs serving that evening was Roberto Alcocer, Executive Chef of Valle (the first and only Michelin-starred restaurant in Oceanside, California) and Malva, his acclaimed culinary destination in Valle de Guadalupe, known for his vibrant, playful approach to Baja Mexican cuisine.
While there were a variety of exceptional dishes, his Etixtamal, in particular, stood out, as it was a seven-layer tamal with red pipán mole, hoja santa, and ayocote beans. The unique dish was as visually striking as it was memorable on the palate.
Alcocer said, “Being part of Pebble Beach Food & Wine for the third year now is both meaningful and deeply fulfilling. It’s a privilege to stand among some of the finest talent in the country at an event that is not only impeccably organized but truly one of the most respected in the U.S. I’m grateful for the opportunity to share my cuisine on such a stage, where passion, craftsmanship, and hospitality come together at the highest level.”
Throughout the weekend, The Tasting Pavilion, presented by Palo Alto Networks, was held across both Saturday and Sunday on the Special Events Field.
Spanning two expansive tents connected by a grassy outdoor lawn, the pavilion drew thousands of attendees over two days and was quite possibly the most visually dynamic and elaborate experience PBFW has to offer.
Inside, more than 40 acclaimed chefs served their signature creations alongside an exceptional selection of wines, Champagnes, spirits, and cocktails. Outside on the lawn, immersive brand activations from wineries, beverage companies, and lifestyle brands competed for guests’ attention in the best possible way. If there’s a more accurate description for this experience than a “playground for adults”, it has yet to be invented.
Among the chefs presenting at the Pavilion was Fabio Viviani, a Florence-born chef, fan favorite on Bravo’s Top Chef, and founder of Fabio Viviani Hospitality Group, who has built one of the most expansive culinary portfolios in modern American hospitality, developing or partnering in more than 50 restaurant brands across the United States.
CLP: Having built an expansive hospitality portfolio rooted in both fine dining and approachable concepts, how has your philosophy of “great food for everyone” evolved over the years?
FV: “That philosophy has only gotten stronger. Early in my career, like many chefs, I focused a lot on technique and complexity. Over time, I realized great food does not need to be complicated or exclusive to be special. Today, I believe the real goal is to create food that is craveable, well executed, and welcoming.
Whether it is fine dining or a more casual concept, I want people to feel like they are getting something memorable without feeling intimidated by it. Great food for everyone means quality, flavor, and hospitality that meets people where they are.”
Chef Adrianne Calvo (a Miami-based restaurateur, bestselling cookbook author, Emmy-nominated YouTube host, and creator of the “Maximum Flavor” culinary philosophy) was mingling with fans during the Tasting Pavilion.
She summed up the weekend perfectly by saying, “Being part of Pebble Beach Food & Wine is incredibly meaningful to me because it’s where culinary excellence and true passion for hospitality all come together at the highest level. To stand alongside such extraordinary talent in a setting that celebrates both craft and experience is an honor.”
Fifteen years in, Pebble Beach Food & Wine has earned something that very few events ever achieve: the ability to feel both expansive and intimate at the same time.
While the coastal setting and jubilant atmosphere draw guests here, it’s the chefs, the wines, and the lasting memories that make you feel like a valued guest at a celebration that’s truly a feast for the senses.
If you enjoy learning from the world’s top culinary talent, stay tuned for an upcoming feature with exclusive home entertaining tips from PBFW chefs Jonathan Waxman, Fabio Viviani, Maneet Chauhan, Gabe Bertaccini, Danny Garcia, and Sumaiya Bangee, and find out how to bring their world-class flair to your own table.
[Disclosure: Complimentary media access provided by PBFW. All opinions are my own. Image credits: Christina-Lauren Pollack for Inspirations & Celebrations.]