Pebble Beach Food & Wine is swell and all, but without even leaving the city you can experience an equal amount of foodie opulance, with (arguably) even better food and a bevy of great cocktails from local startenders to boot. The 24th annual Star Chefs and Vintners Gala, benefiting Meals on Wheels, is probably the most extravagant and easily the best catered event of its kind in San Francisco, and it’s happening again on Sunday May 15. If you don’t believe us, you can see our slideshow from last year, but believe us, it’s well worth the $450 price of admission if you have the means, especially given that it’s for charity.
In addition to very well stocked receptions before and after dinner, the dinner itself is cooked in teams, with each group of three chefs cooking a different menu, and serving a different block of tables. The system actually works to the diner’s advantage, given that it’s far easier to control temperatures of plates and improve the quality when you’re only doing 50 plates as opposed to 500.
The list of wineries would make your head spin, but take a look if you must.
Below, the full roster of chefs and bartenders who’ll be serving up bites at the opening reception, cooking dishes for dinner, and serving up sweet treats at the dessert reception that happens afterward during the live auction.
15 Romolo / Aaron Gregory Smith
Absinthe / Adam Keough/Bill Corbett
Ahwahnee Hotel / Percy Whatley
Americano Restaurant & Bar / Kory Stewart
Atelier Crenn / Dominique Crenn
Aziza Restaurant / Mourad Lahlou
Baker & Banker / Jeff Banker/Lori Baker
Bar Agricole / Brandon Jew
Bar Tartine / Nicolaus Balla
barbacco eno trattoria / Staffan Terje/Nick Kelly
Beth’s Babies Cookies / Beth Setrakian
Blue Bottle Coffee Company / Caitlin Williams Freeman
Bocadillos / Robert Petzold/Gerald Hirigoyen
Bon Appétit Management / Robbie Lewis
Boulevard / Nancy Oakes/Pamela Mazzola/Dana Younkin/Jessica Sullivan
Brick & Bottle / Scott Howard
Brown Sugar Kitchen / Tanya Holland
Café des Amis / Justin Deering/Justin Nilson
CHAYA Brasserie / Yuko Kajino
Cowgirl Creamery / Peggy Smith
Dynamo Donut + Coffee / Sara Spearin
E&O; Trading Company - San Francisco /
Arnold Eric Wong/Sharon Nahm
EPIC Roasthouse / Jan Birnbaum
étoile Restaurant at Domaine Chandon / Perry Hoffman
eVe Restaurant / Christopher & Veronica Laramie
The Farmhouse Inn & Restaurant / Steve Litke
Fifth Floor Restaurant / David Bazirgan
FK Restaurants & Hospitality / Chad Newton
flour + water / Thomas McNaughton/Freedom Rains
Foreign Cinema / Gayle Pirie/John Clark
French Culinary Institute / Andre Soltner
Gary Danko / Martin Brock
Greens Restaurant / Annie Somerville
Hana Japanese Restaurant / Ken Tominaga
HECHO / Joseph Manzare
Hog Island Oyster Co. / John Burkhard
Humphry Slocombe / Jake Godby
Incanto/Boccalone / Chris Cosentino
Jardinière / Morgan Mueller
Kara’s Cupcakes / Kara Haspel Lind
La Mar Cebicheria Peruana / Dennis Arvizu/Andrew Generalao
La Toque / Ken Frank
LarkCreekSteak / Ismael Macias
Marlowe / Jennifer Puccio
Mayfield Bakery & Cafe / Nancy Pitta
Meritage at The Claremont / Josh Thomsen
MICHAEL MINA / Jeremy Ravetz
Murray Circle Restaurant at Cavallo Point / Ethan Howard
Navio &The; Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay / Xavier Salomon/Otto Sanchez
Nombe Izakaya / Vincent Schofield
Nopa / Laurence Jossel
One Market Restaurant / Mark Dommen/Patti Dellamonica-Bauler
Paragon Restaurant / Spencer O’Meara
Perbacco Ristorante + Bar / Staffan Terje
Picán Restaurant / Dean Dupuis
Picco Restaurant / Bruce Hill/Jared Rogers
Piperade / Gerald Hirigoyen/Robert Petzold
Plate Shop / Kim Alter
Poggio Trattoria / Peter McNee
Prospect / Ravi Kapur/Elise Fineberg
Quince / Michael Tusk
REDD Restaurant / Richard Reddington
The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco / Nathan Beriau/Cynthia Falatic
RN74 / Jason Berthold
Rose Pistola / Mark Gordon/Pablo Estrada
Safeway, Inc. / Jeff Anderson
Salt House / Robert Leva
Scala’s Bistro / Jennifer Biesty
Sent Sovi / Josiah Slone
Silverado Resort and Spa / Jeffrey Jake
The Slanted Door / Charles Phan
Sons & Daughters / Matt McNamara/Teague Moriarty
SPQR / Matthew Accarrino
Spruce / Mark Sullivan
Stuart Brioza
Taste Catering / Chris Borges/Yigit Pura
Tell Tale Preserve Co. & Valrhona / William Werner/Derek Poirier
Terra & Ame Restaurants / Hiro Sone/Lissa Doumani
Terzo / Mark Gordon/Philip Busacco
Vin Antico / Ed Vigil
Waterbar / Parke Ulrich/Justin Baade
Wayfare Tavern
Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining / Sherry Yard
Yoshi’s / Shotaro “Sho” Kamio/Matt Shepard
Earlier: What You Missed at Last Night’s Star Chefs and Vintners Gala