An extraordinary evening of great food, wine and cooking demonstrations featuring some of the West Coast's most admired celebrity chefs and wineries.

Stroll through beautiful gardens and enjoy fabulous, sustainable cuisine and wines from some of California's finest vintners. In this intimate setting, you'll have an opportunity to speak with the chefs and winemakers and learn about their commitment to preparing meals and producing wine in ways that protect the environment. You'll also meet Executive Director Julie Packard and learn about our work to protect the oceans and ocean wildlife.

Don't miss this fun and unforgettable evening!

Tickets

  • $500 per person
    ($325 tax-deductible)
  • The event supports our Fund for the Animals and programs to ensure a future with healthy oceans. Purchase your tickets today. Space is limited.
Buy Tickets

Event Details

Featuring:

For more information, please call the Development Office at (831) 647-6811.

Cindy Pawlcyn

Cindy Pawlcyn

  • Mustards Grill/Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen/Cindy Pawlcyn's Wood Grill & Wine Bar/Cindy's Waterfront
  • Napa Valley and Monterey, CA

Cindy is the Aquarium's culinary partner and creator of our new restaurant, Cindy's Waterfront. She has pioneered local, seasonal, sustainable wine country cuisine since opening Napa Valley's legendary Mustards Grill in 1983. She is the founder and owner of three of Napa Valley's most beloved restaurants and cultivates bountiful organic gardens to supply them with produce. A master chef of national acclaim, Cindy has been a partner in the creation of over a dozen iconic San Francisco Bay area restaurants, has authored five cookbooks and has been nominated twice for the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef in California. At the Aquarium, Cindy shares her signature farm-to-table philosophy in our restaurant and cafe, and offers seafood that adheres to the highest standards of Seafood Watch.
cindypawlcyn.com

Tom Douglas

Tom Douglas

  • Etta's/Dahlia Lounge/Palace Kitchen/Lola/Dahlia Bakery
  • Seattle, WA

Tom has, over the past 30 years, put Seattle on the culinary map, showing the world what local and seasonal Pacific Northwest cuisine means. Seasonal and local is fundamental to his approach to food, including raising organic produce for his restaurants on a 20-acre farm. A James Beard Award-winning chef and restaurateur, Tom is the author of four cookbooks, including the James Beard Award-winning Tom Douglas' Seattle Kitchen, and his most recent, The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook: Sweetness in Seattle. He's a Food Network's "Iron Chef" winner and has been an honored chef at Cooking for Solutions. He has also partnered with the Seattle school system to re-design school lunches with a greater focus on nutrition and fresh foods.
tomdouglas.com

Jesse Ziff Cool

Jesse Ziff Cool

  • CoolEatz Restaurants & Catering/Flea Street Café
  • Menlo Park, CA

Jesse is a celebrated Bay Area restaurateur and environmental pioneer who has been dedicated to sustainable, local agriculture and cuisine for more than 35 years. She consistently advocates for local producers nationally and internationally and is the creative force behind five restaurants, author of seven cookbooks and a frequent contributor to leading food publications. Jesse works with Stanford's Department of Education in her garden and kitchen, inspiring elementary student teachers to build curriculums around the garden. She's also a consultant for an innovative endeavor to bring local, organic, nurturing food to the patients at Stanford Hospital.
cooleatz.com

Yigit Pura

Yigit Pura

  • Tout Sweet Patisserie
  • San Francisco, CA

Yigit began his culinary training in San Francisco at Postrio and Gary Danko, then moved on to New York City where he worked in the kitchens of Le Cirque 2000 and the Four Seasons Hotel, both under Executive Pastry Chef Luis Robledo-Richards. Under the tutelage of renowned chef/owner, Daniel Boulud, Yigit served at both Daniel in New York City as pastry sous chef and Daniel Boulud Brasserie in Las Vegas as executive pastry chef. For the past five years, he has been executive pastry chef for Taste Catering and Event Planning. Winner of Bravo's "Top Chef Just Desserts," Yigit is filming a mini-series with the Cooking Channel and working on his first cookbook, Sweet Alchemy, with Chronicle Books.
toutsweetsf.com

Brooke Williamson and Nick Roberts

Brooke Williamson and Nick Roberts

  • Hudson House/The Tripel
  • West Los Angeles, CA

Brooke is a self-taught chef who started her culinary career at age 15 and, less than two decades later, won fans nationwide as runner-up on Bravo's "Top Chef" earlier this year. Her husband Nick grew up on family-owned Durney Vineyards in Carmel Valley, and eventually became chef at the Highlands Inn in Carmel and the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles. They are the co-creators of Hudson House and The Tripel, which set the standard for casual, simple and exceptional New American gastropub fare. Brooke has been heralded by the Los Angeles Times as a "culinary wunderkind," and was the youngest chef to ever cook at the James Beard House. Her culinary path includes Zax in Los Angeles, the acclaimed restaurant Michael's in Santa Monica, and a brief internship at the celebrated restaurant Daniel in New York City.
hudsonhousebar.com

Dave Cruz

Dave Cruz

  • Miles Restaurant
  • Napa Valley, CA

Dave studied at the Culinary Institute of America, then honed his skills at several acclaimed dining establishments including March Restaurant, Mas and Nobu in New York City before joining Thomas Keller in Napa Valley. At Bouchon, his talent and energy propelled him to sous chef and then executive sous chef positions. With the opening of Ad Hoc in 2006, he was promoted to chef de cuisine and was instrumental in the restaurant's success. Under Dave's leadership, Ad Hoc received a 3-star rating from the San Francisco Chronicle and was included in the publication's annual list of Top 100 Bay Area Restaurants. In collaboration with Thomas Keller, Dave co-authored Ad Hoc at Home, a cookbook that won both James Beard and IACP awards and appeared on the New York Times best sellers list. Dave has appeared on the Cooking Channel, Food Network, "The Today Show," "The Early Show," and "Martha." He is the chef and owner of soon-to-open Miles Restaurant.
miles-restaurant.com

Chez Panisse

Chez Panisse

  • Berkeley, CA

Under Founder Alice Waters, Chez Panisse has won acclaim for a pioneering philosophy of cooking that's based on the finest and freshest seasonal ingredients, produced sustainably and locally. Alice is a passionate advocate for a food economy that is "good, clean and fair." Over the course of more than 40 years, Chez Panisse has helped create a community of scores of local farmers and ranchers whose dedication to sustainable agriculture assures the restaurant a steady supply of fresh and pure ingredients. Chez Panisse has received a Lifetime Achievement Award as one of Restaurant magazine's World's 50 Best Restaurants, and was named Best Restaurant in America by the James Beard Foundation and Gourmet magazine.
chezpanisse.com

Williams-Sonoma

Williams-Sonoma

  • Palo Alto, CA

Founded in 1956, Williams-Sonoma, Inc. is the premier specialty retailer of home furnishings and gourmet cookware in the United States. Its brands are among the best known and most respected in the industry. Williams-Sonoma offers high-quality, stylish products for every room in the house—from the kitchen to the living room, bedroom, home office and even the hall closet—and has created a wide range of cookbooks. From the beginning, it has maintained its dedication to customer service and strong commitment to quality.
williams-sonoma.com

Groth Vineyards & Winery

Groth Vineyards & Winery

  • Napa Valley, CA

Family-owned and operated, Groth Vineyards & Winery has focused on creating great estate wines from its vineyards in the Oakville appellation. Its first cabernet sauvignon was the top wine in its class at fairs and tastings, as was its chardonnay. Robert Parker gave the Groth 1985 reserve cabernet sauvignon the distinction of California's first 100-point wine. Despite the early acclaim, the Groth team has worked hard to fine-tune the quality of each of its wines since the first vintage in 1982. Vice President and Owner Suzanne Groth intertwines her art, family and work in another unique way. With each release of a Groth reserve cabernet sauvignon, Suzanne produces a new painting. These paintings grace the walls of the winery, and one hangs at the Wine Institute in San Francisco. "Painting gives me the chance to portray our story and my family's dedication to our land from a different perspective," she says.
grothwines.com

Grgich Hills Estate

Grgich Hills Estate

  • Napa Valley, CA

Winemaker Mike Grgich stunned the wine world when, in a now-historic blind tasting in Paris, his 1973 chardonnay was named the finest white wine in the world. That sparked him to strike out with his family and create the Grgich Hills Cellar—today Grgich Hills Estate. With his nephew Ivo Jeramaz managing day-to-day operations in the cellar and the vineyard, the family maintains a fierce commitment to making distinctive wines of the highest quality, consistency and longevity. Grgich Hills Estate's 366 acres are farmed to promote natural winegrowing and sustainability—using no artificial fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides; relying on wild yeast fermentation; and using the family's passion and the art of winemaking to hand-craft food-friendly, balanced and elegant wines.
grgich.com

Spottswoode Estate Vineyard & Winery

Spottswoode Estate Vineyard & Winery

  • Napa Valley, CA

Spottswoode is a family-owned historic vineyard and winery renowned for its exceptional cabernet sauvignon. Established in 1882, it was purchased in 1972 by Mary Weber Novak and her late husband, Dr. Jack Novak. The first Spottswoode cabernet sauvignon was produced in 1982, exactly 100 years after the estate's founding. The Novak family remains committed to producing wines that faithfully reflect their grape origins. Each Spottswoode wine is known for its refined elegance, balance and classic structure. Dedicated stewards of their property, the Novaks have farmed organically since 1985 and have pioneered the restoration of their local watershed. Tracey Skupny serves as sales director for Spottswoode.
spottswoode.com

Domaine Carneros

Domaine Carneros

  • Napa Valley, CA

Eileen Crane, often referred to as "America's doyenne of sparkling wine," has spent 34 years in the wine industry and is the most experienced sparkling winemaker in the United States. She is one of a handful of women who are now at the forefront of the wine industry in California and has been recognized as one of the 75 Most Influential Women in Business by the San Francisco Business Times, and by Forbes as Napa's Most Powerful Woman. Under Eileen's direction, Domaine Carneros has been a leader in the wine industry's green movement. In 2003, Domaine Carneros housed the largest solar collection system of any winery in the world. In 2007, all Domaine Carneros vineyards were certified organic.
domainecarneros.com

McIntyre Vineyards

McIntyre Vineyards

  • Salinas Valley, CA

Under Founder and Owner Steve McIntyre, McIntyre Vineyards is a recognized leader both in creating great wines and for its leadership in sustainable operations. As that rare combination of winegrower and winemaker, Steve intimately understands what makes the Santa Lucia Highlands a unique treasure in the world of fine wine. For more than three decades, he has made wine for others and, since 2005, under the McIntyre label. Steve likens winemaking and grape-growing to his love of art and music, and with consulting winemaker, Byron Kosuge, follows a minimalist approach that allows the vineyards' true character and terroir to shine through in the finished wine. In 2013, Steve was named Grower of the Year by the California Association of Winegrape Growers.
mcintyrevineyards.com

Bonny Doon Vineyard

Bonny Doon Vineyard

  • Santa Cruz, CA

Bonny Doon Vineyard is the ever-evolving creation of the irreverent and visionary winemaker, Randall Grahm—twice a James Beard Award winner and the pioneer in popularizing Rhône-style wines and other less common varieties. Over the past 30 years, Randall has built the Bonny Doon identity by producing widely praised and whimsically named wines like Cardinal Zin, Old Telegram and Le Cigare Volante. In recent years, he’s shifted direction and is now creating a small volume of premium wines from organically and biodynamically farmed vineyards in the Monterey Bay region, with grapes that reflect the terroir. Bonny Doon wines continue to earn high honors. In 2010, Randall was inducted into the Culinary Institute of America Vintners Hall of Fame.
bonnydoonvineyard.com