San Francisco is one of the country’s best dining destinations for endless ethnic tastes, progressive Californian cuisine and mad Michelin-star skills. Just a few miles south of San Francisco, the culinary team at Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay had a thought: “What if we cherry-pick our favorite San Francisco chefs, and host one each month to bring their celebrated menus to Half Moon Bay for intimate culinary weekends?”
Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay's Executive Chef and Maître Cuisinier de France Xavier Salomon got his wish, and has been welcoming some of the most innovative talent of the culinary world to his kitchen at one of the California coast’s most stunning locations. Each visiting chef spends a weekend at the clifftop resort, teaming up with the hotel’s Navio Chef Jason Pringle for an exclusive two-day culinary retreat each month. Each one spotlights a unique global cuisine that the chefs have mastered with modern flair. The weekends begin with a hands-on cooking class where the attendees prepare a menu created by the visiting chefs. They then enjoy the fruits of their labor along with wine pairings to complement the global destination featured. The visiting chef will also present two dishes on the Navio tasting menu for Saturday night, as well as a pop-up station in the resort’s famously indulgent Sunday Brunch.
This month, on October 28-29, the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay’s guest chef will be Manish Tyagi of San Francisco's hottest new Modern Indian restaurant, August 1 Five. On November 18-19, the resort welcomes Gerald Hirigoyen, James Beard-nominee and Maître Cuisinier de France of Piperade, a Basque restaurant in the City by the Bay. And for the 2017 chefs weekend finale on December 16-17, the spotlight goes to William Werner, the “Outstanding Baker” James Beard-finalist of Craftsman and Wolves, a contemporary patisserie with four San Francisco locations.
The chef’s weekends program launched in May with special guest Claudia Sandoval, winner of Master Chef Season 6 and author of Claudia's Cocina: A Taste of Mexico. She was followed by Telmo Faria of Uma Casa, named one of “The Best New Restaurants to Try Now” by San Francisco Magazine; Charles Phan, chef of the James Beard Award-winning The Slanted Door; Charles Olalia of Rice Bar in Los Angeles, serving his innovative Filipino recipes; and Evan and Sarah Rich of San Francisco’s celebrated Rich Table, featured in Conde Nast Traveler's “3 Hours in San Francisco.” Program partners are Moët & Chandon, Chef Works and Le Creuset.
Book reservations early for the final three gourmet weekends, because each one serves a maximum of just 14 guests. The $950 per night package (plus taxes and fees) includes the special chef’s luncheon, an exclusive cooking class, a $100 resort credit per night, resort fee and valet parking.
Read about the Ritz-Carlton in Ft Lauderdale by Justluxe
