All-Star Chef Lineup Coming to Valle Food & Wine Fest

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by Wendy Lemlin

(photos courtesy of Valle Food & Wine Fest)

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Foodies take heed! Get out those elastic waist pants, because October is going to be a prime month in which to indulge your culinary and oenophilic obsessions in San Diego, Tijuana, and Baja’s celebrated Valle de Guadalupe. Several major food and wine-centered events will bring world renowned AND locally esteemed chefs and culinarians to the area, and if you are a gastronomy enthusiast, you won’t want to miss any of them.

Valle Food & Wine Fest

First up is the 2nd annual Valle Food & Wine Fest on October 5-7, a 3 day extravaganza of— yup, you guessed it— food and wine, held in Baja California’s Valle de Guadalupe, about a 2 hour ride south of San Diego. Expanding on last year’s success, the 2018 festival will attract about 2000 guests, and what is probably the most esteemed and badass lineup of chefs this area has seen. Although the visiting chefs are known for diverse styles and cuisines, they will all be cooking “Valle style”, working their magic with local ingredients and implements. The distinct culinary style of the Valle de Guadalupe reflects the land’s rugged terrain, where chefs spend long days smoking and grilling locally grown ingredients over Caja Chinas, barrel smokers, Santa Maria-style grills, and authentic copper vessels. These theatrical cooking techniques will be on display throughout the festival. To round out the experience, wines— from crisp bubbles and floral rosés to the acclaimed Nebbiolos and unique blends— will give guests a taste of the local terroir that’s becoming increasingly recognized on a competitive global scale. In the words of Wine Spectator’s wine guru James Suckling, “(Baja California) might be one of the last untapped great wine regions left in the world.”

Last year’s festival was a somewhat loosely planned one day event that came together in a matter of weeks after a serendipitous meeting between chefs Nancy Silverton and Javier Plascencia, with coordination by Baja Wine+Food’s Fernando Gaxiola and food writer Carolina Carreňo. This year however, the festival has been meticulously planned for months and will raise funds for Corazón de Vida Foundation, a U.S.-based 501(c)3 non-profit organization that that has been providing life-changing support for orphaned and abandoned children in Baja California for over 20 years.

Javier Plascencia, co-founder of Baja Food & Wine Fest

Javier Plascencia, co-founder of Baja Food & Wine Fest

The roster of “big name” visiting chefs includes:

  • Nancy Silverton co-founded the festival after a visit to the Valle de Guadalupe

    Nancy Silverton co-founded the festival after a visit to the Valle de Guadalupe

    Nancy Silverton: One of the Valle Food and Wine Festival founders, Nancy Silverton is the co-owner of Pizzeria and Osteria Mozza in LA, Newport Beach and Singapore, as well as Mozza2Go and Chi Spacca in LA. She founded the world-renowned La Brea Bakery and Campanile Restaurant, and in 1990 was named one of Food and Wine Magazine’s “Best New Chefs.” Also that year, Nancy was awarded “Pastry Chef of the Year” and placed in “Who’s Who of Cooking” by the James Beard Foundation. In 2014, she received the highest honor given by the James Beard Foundation for “Outstanding Chef” and was listed as one of the Most Innovative Women in Food and Drink by Fortune and Food and Wine Magazine. She was featured in a Season 3 episode of the wildly popular Neflix series, Chef’s Table.

  • Dominique Crenn: Named World’s Best Female Chef in

    Dominique Crenn

    Dominique Crenn

    2016 by San Pellegrino’s 50 Best, Dominique Crenn is the chef/owner of the two Michelin-starred Atelier Crenn and the more casual Petit Crenn San Francisco. In addition to her many accomplishments, the French-born chef was the subject of an episode in Season 2 of Netflix’s, Chef’s Table.

  • Jonathan Waxman: Credited as one of the pioneers

    Jonathan Waxman

    Jonathan Waxman

    of California Cuisine”, Jonathan trained in Paris and mentored with Alice Waters at Berkeley’s legendary Chez Panisse, before becoming Executive Chef of Michael’s in Santa Monica. In 1984 he opened the iconic Jams in NYC, which he followed up with a string of successes in New York, London and Napa Valley. Today, Jonathan is chef and owner of Barbuto in Manhattan and Jams in 1 Hotel Central Park. In 2014, he opened his Nashville restaurant, Adele’s, and is a founding partner of Nashville’s Music City Food + Wine Festival. Jonathan Waxman is the 2016 James Beard Award winner for “Best Chef, New York City”. He was a judge on Bravo’s Recipe for Deception and has appeared on two seasons of Top Chef Masters. He is the author of 2 cookbooks

  • Rick Bayless: The winner of Bravo TV’s Top Chef Master,

    Rick Bayless

    Rick Bayless

    Rick Bayless is known for his PBS television series Mexico—One Plate at a Time, which won him an Emmy nomination in 2012. In 1987, he founded Chicago’s award-winning restaurants Frontera Grill, named Outstanding Restaurant by the James Beard Organization in 2007, and the 4 star Topolobampo, winner of the James Beard award for Outstanding Restaurant in the nation in 2017. His other restaurants include XOCO, Leña Brava, and Cruz Blanca Cervecería. Rick Bayless has won James Beard awards for Midwest Chef of the Year, National Chef of the Year and Humanitarian of the Year, as well as a Julia Child award.

Valle de Guadalupe and Baja California-based super-star chefs include:

Representing San Diego are:

From Los Angeles and beyond are:

Please click on the names to learn their stories and accomplishments!

Participating wineries:

Breweries include:

Valle Food & Wine will kick off on Friday, October 5 with a Welcome Cocktail Party and Dinner Fundraiser to be held at the highly acclaimed Deckman’s En El Mogor from 5:30-9:30 pm, and will provide a rare opportunity for guests to rub elbows with the world-renown chefs and winemakers participating in Saturday’s event. The meal, prepared by Jonathan Waxman and Baja superstars Javier Plascencia, Drew Deckman, Sheyla Alvarado, and Ryan Steyn, will honor Chef Rick Bayless, who has been instrumental in bringing Mexican cuisine to the world’s attention. A lifetime achievement award will be presented to Baja’s culinary pioneers, Benito Molina and Solange Muris, and an outstanding local winemaker  will also be announced. One hundred percent of the proceeds from a live auction and a portion of the proceeds from the dinner will benefit the scholarship fund of Corazón de Vida Foundation. Tickets for this exclusive event may be purchased here.

The main event of Valle Food & Wine Fest, which is family- and even dog-friendly, happens on Saturday, October 6, from 4pm-9pm on the grounds of Javier Plascencia’s al fresco restaurant, Finca Altozano, with an adults-only “after party” from 9 pm until midnight. The multifaceted day-into-evening festival will feature more than 30 celebrity chef food stations, 25 top Baja wineries, local craft breweries, live bands, book signings, meet-the-winemaker wine tastings, artisan mercado, kids activities, an Ultimate Experience (VIP) lounge, pick-your-prize drawing, and much more— all in a stunning, rustic setting nestled among the boulders and lush vineyards in the heart of Valle de Guadalupe. General admission, VIP, and add-on experience info and tickets can be found here.

Valle Food & Wine Fest wraps up on Sunday, October 7 from noon to 5 pm with De La Calle Al Valle, a celebration of the exciting street-food scene that is so buzz-worthy in today’s appreciation of Baja cuisine. Held among the beautiful oak trees at El Kiosko de Santo Tomas, the event will shine the light on the most popular food trucks and street carts from Tijuana, Rosarito,and Ensenada in a fun, relaxed atmosphere w/live music. Ticket info here.

Food from world famous Ensenada seafood street cart La Guerrerense will be on offer at De La Calle Al Valle

Food from world famous Ensenada seafood street cart La Guerrerense will be on offer at De La Calle Al Valle

Transportation to and from San Diego and personalized travel experiences can be arranged through Valle Food and Wine Fest partner Baja Wine +Food. Available options include Saturday-only round trip shuttle (from San Diego), VIP luxury transportation and one-day/weekend all inclusive packages. Please contact their concierge team at concierge@bajawinefood.com.

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Getting There:

Please click here for location and directions. Click here for transportation info.

VERY Important!!! You must have a passport (or passport card or Global Entry Card) to enter back into the U.S!!

If you are driving from the U.S., you must buy Mexican car insurance, either online through a company like BajaBound, or before crossing into Mexico at one of the drive-up offices at the last U.S. exit off of I-5. (Your U.S. insurance will not cover your liability, and if you get in an accident in Mexico, regardless of whose fault it is, you will be arrested if you don’t have insurance.)

Finca Altozano

Carretera Federal #3 Km. 83,
Ejido Francisco Zarco, Ensenada, B.C. 22750

Deckman’s En El Mogor

Carretera Ensenada-Tecate Km. 85.5,

San Antonio de Las Minas, 22766 Valle de Guadalupe, B.C.

El Kiosko de Santo Tomas

Carretera Ensenada – Tecate Km. 94,

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