California Ranch Cookoffs

star-studded chefs hosted

Alisal Ranch, the 10,500-acre luxury working ranch in the Santa Ynez Valley’s Solvang, will be hosting a lineup of star-studded and up-and-coming chefs for the return of its beloved recurring California Ranch Cookout series. The ranch has become a culinary destination, leading the charge with its signature Santa Maria-style barbecue and revolving door of celebrity guest chefs over the years. Throughout the remainder of 2022, Alisal Ranch is hosting diverse chefs from around the country, with a growing roster year-after-year due to high demand from chefs and guests, alike. The culinary experience cooks up a one-night feast for onsite guests and Alisal Ranch members, creating a memorable outdoor dining experience full of barbecued meats, seafood, roasted veggie dishes, and decadent grilled desserts.

California Ranch Cookouts

The 2022 season of California Ranch Cookouts kicked off in April, starting with renowned Chef Jet Tila (of “Iron Chef America” fame) on April 2, and Santa Barbara-based Chef Valerie Rice (author of “Lush Life: Food & Drinks from the Garden”) on April 12. An outline of the remaining 2022 scheduled programming is below:

June 7: Chef Chad Colby | Colby is the chef and owner of Antico Nuovo and Bari Restaurant in Los Angeles. Antico Nuovo is Colby’s ode to ancient Italian tradition and technique with handmade pastas, wood-fired meats, vegetables and fish, while Bari is inspired by the chic farmhouses of Puglia, offering small plates, natural wines and seasonal cocktails.

June 14: Chefs Suzanne Goin and David Lentz | James Beard Award recipient and acclaimed cookbook author Suzanne Goin is the chef and owner of several renowned Los Angeles restaurants (A.O.C., Larder Baking Co., and a longstanding presence at The Hollywood Bowl). Regarded as a “culinary power couple,” her husband David Lentz was the chef and owner of Hungry Cat.

June 21: Chefs Danny Gordon + Nick Priedite| Gordon is chef and owner of Flatpoint Barbecue, a Los Angeles popup specializing in Central Texas barbecue where,

on any given weekend, he’ll cook three to four hundred pounds of meat and sell out in just a few hours. Priedite is pitmaster and owner of Priedite Barbecue, a namesake popup behind the award-winning Bell’s in Los Alamos, CA serving California ranchero-influenced barbecue featuring seasonal and local ingredients.

July 12: Chef Wes Avila | James Beard Semi-Finalist and cookbook author Avila is the chef and founder of Guerilla Tacos, which was originally a street cart in the Arts District of Downtown Los Angeles that quickly transformed into a food truck and then a brick and mortar restaurant, earning a Bib Gourmand by the Michelin Guide of California in 2019, earning him the title of “Best Local Chef in Los Angeles” by Los Angeles magazine in 2020. July 26: Chef Jason Paluska | Michelin Plate-awarded executive chef of The Lark, Paluska serves quintessentially Californian food, using fresh, locally sourced seasonal ingredients, classic and modern craft cocktails, and a wine list highlighting small Santa Barbara County producers at the restaurant named for the sleek overnight Pullman train of the Southern Pacific Railroad that serviced Santa Barbara from 1910 -1968.

August 6: Chef Daniel Castillo | As the chef and owner of Heritage Barbecue in San Juan Capistrano, CA, Castillo specializes in modern live fire barbecue, and his restaurant was recently named in The Los Angeles Times’ 101 Best Restaurants of 2021 and received Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand status the same year.

September 3: Chef Timothy Hollingsworth | Named “Rising Star Chef” by the San Francisco Chronicle, Hollingsworth is the chef and owner of Otium, a contemporary American restaurant next to The Broad museum in downtown Los Angeles. Otium draws from the chef’s rich culinary heritage, with a sophisticated yet accessible menu featuring eclectic, vibrant, and seasonal flavors. September 24: Chef Ben Ford | A pioneer of the slow food movement, Ben first opened community-centric gastropub Ford’s Filling Station in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 2004, then later in Downtown LA and in the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). His cookbook, Taming the Feast: Ben Ford’s Field Guide to Adventurous Cooking, is a manifesto for gathering people together to eat good, sustainable organic food transformed into sumptuous feasts.

For more information,visit www.alisalranch.com or call (800) 425-4725