Where to See Celebs at the 2026 Del Mar Wine & Food Festival

Tickets to the Del Mar Wine & Food Festival get you in the door. The real fun is figuring out who you’ll run into once you’re there. This year’s weeklong schedule of exclusive events, running September 30–October 4, includes dinners, tastings, and loosely-supervised chaos where celebrity chefs and local icons finally let their hair down.

The festival has a track record of the unexpected: Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul once toasted their mezcal brand Dos Hombres with an intimate dinner at the Lodge at Torrey Pines (and then, evidently unsatisfied, kept drinking it on the cliffs above Blacks Beach with a rotating cast of San Diego and Food Network chefs. Alex Morgan showed up for a dinner under the lights honoring the country’s most badass women chefs). Drew Brees ran a celebrity pickleball tournament where the guy from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia got absolutely humbled by locals.

If you scored a ticket to last year’s Grand Tasting, you might’ve caught Guy Fieri doing exactly what Guy Fieri does: strolling the grass, signing t-shirts and foreheads, and hanging off the DJ surf van like it was built for him. Meanwhile, local chef Ethan Yang of Glass Box walked off with the Chef Competition surfboard.

So whether your plan for 2026 is to corner legendary San Diego chefs like Victor Jimenez of Cowboy Star and Jon Sloan of Juniper & Ivy in person, or just aim for a spontaneous golf cart ride with a Food Network star—here’s your cheat sheet for where to run into a celebrity chef, TV personality, award-winning winemaker, or pro athlete at this year’s Del Mar Wine & Food Festival.

Troy Johnson, Karen Krasne

Signature San Diego Opening Night Party

September 30 | 6 – 9 p.m. | Monarch Ocean Pub 

Consider this your soft landing into festival week—the walk-around tasting that eases you in before things get chaotic later on. Monarch Ocean Pub hands its patio over to the flavors that define San Diego eating: Baja seafood done right, coastal bites, Mexican flavors with some heat behind them, all the staples locals will fight you over. 

The celebrity sightings here lean more “bump into” than “spot from across the room.” Troy Johnson—Food Network judge, San Diego Magazine chief content officer and co-owner, Emmy-winning host, a man who has eaten his way across the entire country professionally—is the type to materialize at whichever station has the longest line, because he already knows it’s worth the wait. Ask him what he’s had so far. He’ll have opinions.

Then there’s celebrity pastry chef Karen Krasne, owner and executive pastry chef of Extraordinary Desserts, James Beard House alum, and a woman Forbes once ranked among the top 10 pastry chefs in the country—which tracks, because you might find her holding court next to a tray of her roasted pecan shortbread dipped in white chocolate, explaining exactly why this is the flavor combination. You will listen to every word, too, because you’ll want to try that cookie.

This is an opening night party where the person next to you in line might just be the one who baked the thing you’re about to eat.

Bryn McArthur, Mawa McQueen

Chateau Montelena’s 50th Anniversary Celebration

October 1 | 6 – 9 p.m. | Fairmont Grand Del Mar

Fifty years ago, a Napa Chardonnay beat France at its own game and rewrote what the world thought it knew about wine. This dinner is that legacy, poured by the family who built it, course by course.

Under the arches at Fairmont Grand Del Mar, Ernie Hahn and the Hahn family, who partnered with the Barretts to revive Chateau Montelena into the Napa powerhouse it is today, host an evening built entirely around the winery’s most iconic pours. Every course gets its own pairing straight from the Montelena portfolio, so you’re not just hearing about the Judgment of Paris, you’re tasting the wine that started it.

Chef Mawa McQueen, a former James Beard Best of the West winner out of Aspen, brings globally inspired cuisine and serious technique to the table. Alongside her, Fairmont Grand Del Mar’s executive chef Bryn McArthur leans into farm-to-table sensibility shaped by a career of global kitchens. Together they’re building a menu meant to hold its own against wine that already changed history once.

This is the rare dinner where the wine isn’t just accompanying the meal, it’s the reason the meal exists. Fifty years after Paris, the rematch is happening right here in Del Mar.

Karen Krasne, Martin Munguia

Rioja Uncorked

October 1 | 6 – 9 p.m. | Rancho Valencia 

Fewer sightings here, but the ones you get are close-range. Chef Karen Krasne makes a second appearance, so this might be your best shot at actually talking to her. Chef Martin Munguia, Rancho Valencia’s executive chef, is running the Rioja dinner itself, which means he’s the one deciding which pairing gets to be the evening’s plot twist. It’s worth finding him if you want the story behind why each pour was paired with each dish. This isn’t the night for celebrity-spotting bingo. It’s the night to enjoy wines from one of Europe’s top wine producing regions paired with tasting stations that showcases top regional flavors.

James Blake, Eric Byrnes, Jeff Garcia, Brett Tomko, Slightly Stoopid’s Miles Doughty*

Celebrity Pickleball Tournament Benefitting Feeding San Diego

October 2 | 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. | Barnes Tennis Center 

Benefitting Feeding San Diego, the celebrity pickleball tournament is the one event on the schedule where “spectator sport” and “day drinking” are basically the same activity, and nobody’s pretending otherwise. Hosted by celebrity athletes from every sport, together for one afternoon only. You’re not going to want to miss this.

Former NFL quarterback and four-time Pro Bowler Jeff Garcia—who suited up for the 49ers, Eagles, Buccaneers, Browns, and Lions—knows a thing or two about putting a ball exactly where he wants it. Brett Tomko, who pitched for what feels like every team in baseball (Reds, Padres, Mariners, Cardinals, Giants, Dodgers, Yankees, A’s, Rangers, Royals), brings the arm. Eric Byrnes, former big-league outfielder turned MLB Network analyst, brings the commentary (whether you asked for it or not), and James Blake—former No. 4 tennis player in the world, 10 ATP titles deep—brings the expertise.

And of course, what’s a San Diego event without Ocean Beach’s own Miles Doughty, frontman of Slightly Stoopid? This could be your prime “please sign my jersey” moment.

*More athletes and celebs to be announced in the coming days

Maneet Chauhan, Tim Crittenden

Stranahan’s Whiskey Paired Dinner with Chef Maneet Chauhan and Chef Tim Crittenden

October 1 | 6 – 9 p.m. | Alila Marea Beach Resort Encinitas

Indian-fusion meets Southern California, and whiskey’s the thing holding it all together. This four-course dinner brings two chefs who don’t typically share a kitchen onto the same menu, with Stranahan’s pouring the throughline between every dish.

Maneet Chauhan built her name on bold, Indian-inspired cooking that doesn’t play it safe, and she’s bringing that same instinct to Encinitas. Alongside her, Alila Marea’s Executive Chef Tim Crittenden works in Southern California flavors with a global edge, the kind of menu that feels local until it suddenly isn’t. Guiding the pours is Stranahan’s Single Malt American Whiskies, the one that helped kick off the American single malt movement as Colorado’s first legal microdistillery since Prohibition. Four courses, two very different culinary instincts, and a whiskey built to bridge them. 

Matt Peters, Jackson Kalb, Kaitlyn Weber 

Justin Wine Dinner at Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa

October 2 | 6 – 9:30 p.m | Estancia Olive Lawn 

Three chefs, one table, and a menu that has no interest in staying in its lane. Under the olive trees at Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa, Kaitlyn Weber, Matt Peters, and Jackson Kalb are crafting a multi-course dinner out of three completely different culinary instincts, paired with Justin Vineyards & Winery pours and welcome cocktails and final pours from Reserva de la Familia Tequila and Westland Distillery Whiskey. 

Kaitlyn Weber, Estancia’s executive chef, brings the home-field perspective, grounding the dinner in the restaurant’s California sensibility while giving Peters and Kalb room to take the menu somewhere unexpected. 

Matt Peters, the first American chef to win the most prestigious culinary competition in the world, Bocuse d’Or, brings a fine-dining pedigree shaped by time at Per Se and The French Laundry and now runs Prélude in Austin.

Jackson Kalb, Top Chef season 19 alum and chef-owner of OSPI, JEMMA, and JAME in LA is the one to watch if you like your Italian food with an LA accent.

Get one of these three talking about their course and you’ll get more than a description—you’ll get the argument for why it belongs on the menu at all. That’s the kind of dinner conversation you don’t get at a regular table.

Benito Molina, Drew Deckman, Esteban Luis, Oscar Torres

Tequila Ocho Presents the Baja Dinner (Benefitting Feeding San Diego)

October 2 | 6 – 9:30 p.m. | Private Estate in Rancho Santa Fe

Baja California didn’t need to prove itself as a culinary destination, but this dinner makes the case anyway, one course at a time. Behind the gates of a private Rancho Santa Fe estate, three of the region’s most celebrated chefs are joining forces for a night that doubles as both a feast and a fundraiser, with proceeds benefiting Feeding San Diego. Hosting the evening is MasterChef US season 6 winner, best-selling author, and podcast host Claudia Sandoval. 

Benito Molina helped put Baja’s coastal cooking on the map, pairing the region’s seafood with the kind of technique that’s earned him a reputation across the border. Drew Deckman brings a sustainability-driven, ingredient-first approach shaped by years of cooking along Baja’s coastline. 

And Esteban Luis rounds out the trio with his own take on the region’s culinary identity, one built on Baja’s rich coastal bounty and creative spirit. Guiding the pours is Oscar Torres, bringing Tequila Ocho into the mix as the throughline for the evening. This is Baja California on full display. 

Beau MacMillan, Kelsey Murphy

Nightcap — The Official After Party

October 3 | 5 – 9 p.m. | Guesthouse Hotel at La Valle 

Nightcap is the festival admitting out loud that the party isn’t over just because the last tasting station closed: craft cocktails, premium spirits, and chef-curated bites from smoky to citrusy to bittersweet, all made to be sipped rather than rushed.

Kelsey Murphy, MasterChef Season 11 winner, brings competition-forged instincts that make bar snacks taste like they should come with a cloth napkin. And then there’s Beau MacMillan, a chef who spent years at the helm of Sanctuary Camelback Mountain and built a career around turning serious technique into food people actually want to eat. His résumé is appropriately stacked: an Iron Chef America win over Bobby Flay, and judging duties on Guy’s Grocery Games—the kind of experience that makes him especially dangerous when given permission to play with late-night bites.

By Saturday night at Nightcap, you might just be cheersing your third slice of Caravan pizza with owners Ethan Ritenour and Jarrett Wright, and grabbing an extra for Beau.

The 2026 Grand Tasting

October 3 & 4 | Surf Sports Park

The week wraps up with the two-day Grand Tasting at Surf Sports Park. For the full guide, activations, zones, and a map for navigating thousands of guests while sampling hundreds of bites and pours, check out our full guide here and follow Del Mar Wine & Food Festival’s Instagram. In the meantime, here’s who you’ll find wandering the lawns, possibly barefoot, Aperol spritz in hand.

Eric Bost, Lauren Lawless, Tim Kolanko 

VIP Reception – 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. | VIP Experience – 12–4 p.m.

Chef Lauren Lawless of Flawless Cuisine is walking proof that “reality TV chef” severely undersells her talent: MasterChef and Chopped alum, Supermarket Stakeout champion, and most recently a top-10 finisher on Hell’s Kitchen season 19. Get her talking about her Stakeout win; it’s a better story than the tasting menu. Also in attendance is Eric Bost, the mind behind Michelin-starred Jeune et Jolie and Lilo, and Tim Kolanko of The Kitchen. Expect at least one of them to be mid-debate over a pour before you’ve even said hello. 

The Grand Tasting

1–4 p.m. (12:30 p.m. early entry)

The big event. This year’s lineup is an all-star affair with Food Network celebrity chefs Maneet Chauhan, Michelle Mathelin, Catherine McCord, Mawa McQueen, Kelsey Murphy, Matt Peters, Claudia Sandoval, Aarti Sequeira, and Oscar Torres gracing the polo fields with their tasty bites and infectious personalities. Plus, Beau MacMillan and Kelsey Murphy are back for round two after Nightcap, so if you missed your shot Saturday, this is your moment to chat them up about their favorite cooking ingredient. Benito Molina, one of Baja’s most respected culinary names, is worth tracking down for anyone who’s looking for their baja cuisine education to improve.

Of course, our local talent also runs deep. Keep an eye out for chefs Accursio Lota (Cori Pastificio, Dora), Christopher Hutchinson (Ember & Rye), Pierre Albaladejo (Ponto Lago), Shihomi Borillo (Kinme Omakase), Eric Bost (Jeune et Jolie, Campfire, Wildland), Alex Carballo (Nómada), Alex Carpio (Alchemy), Eddy Cortes (Alchemy), Tommy Gomes (TunaVille), Nao Ichimura (Kinme Omakase), Kaitlyn Smith (Marisi), Victor Jimenez (Cowboy Star), Jon Sloan (Juniper & Ivy), Lauren Lawless (Flawless Cuisine), Bryn McArthur (Amaya), Tara Monsod (Animae, Le Coq), Mike Reidy (The Fishery), Brandon Rogers (Tanner’s), Aron Schwartz (Blank Slate), David Sim (Kingfisher), Jon Sloan (Juniper & Ivy), Tim Kolanko (Cucina Urbana, The Kitchen at MCASD), Brian Redzikowski (The Waverly), Stéphane Voitzwinkler (Mr. A’s), DuVal Warner (Ranch 45), Kaitlyn Weber (Estancia), Jason Witzl (Jolie, Pacific 333), Annisa Gutierrez (Adelaide at L’Auberge Del Mar), Jake Brubaker (The Marine Room), Johnny Rivera (Wolf in the Woods), Steven Novoa (The Pass), Marco Gonzalez (La Valle Coastal Club), Seckin Anlasbay (Bosforo), Luis Esteva (Nolita Hall), Todd Nash (Monarch Ocean Pub), Anthony Wells (Lana), Davin Waite (The Plot), Joe Kindred (Kindred), Marcello Avitabile (Buona Forchetta), Joe Bower (Finca),  and Ethan Yang (Glass Box).

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