Displaying items by tag: Monterey Peninsula

TASTE News Service, December 18, 2019 – As its Centennial celebration winds down, Pebble Beach Company looks to the future, announcing yesterday tha it has entered into a partnership with Tiger Woods and his TGR Design firm to design a new short course on the former site of Peter Hay Golf Course.

TASTE News Service, August 4, 2019  -  Car collectors worldwide dream of competing at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, where the famed 18th fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links is the stage and the rolling Pacific Ocean serves as backdrop.

TASTE News Service, May 24, 2017 – As you cruise down Highway One from the Monterey Peninsula, you can't help but feel the excitement building up inside you.

TASTE News Service, January 19, 2017 – It's the peak of Gray Whale migration and there is no better place to see these majestic creatures from shore or by boat than in Monterey.

Richard Mattei shows off his beautiful Lancia Astura photo copyright Kimball Studios/courtesy of Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance

TASTE News Sevice, August 24, 2016 — The 2016 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance concluded with first-time entrant Richard Mattei lifting the top prize high overhead soon after his 1936 Lancia Astura Pinin Farina Cabriolet was named Best of Show at the prestigious competition.

Team USA Coach Gavin Kaysen, Chef Skylar Stover, Chef Philip Tessier, David A. Bernahl II, Thomas Keller, Daniel Bouloud, Jérôme Bocuse and Executive Director Young Yun at the 2015 Bocuse d'Or in Lyon, France. photo: BKB FoundationTASTE News Service March 6, 2015 - Pebble Beach Food & Wine,  now in its 8th year, brings some of the world’s most revered culinary talent to the Monterey Peninsula. This year’s edition, held April 9-12, will feature more than 100 celebrity chefs and 250 wineries, who will come together to showcase a weekend of dinners and chef collaborations, tastings and cooking demonstrations.

Coastal Luxury Management, organizer of the annual festival, has announced the inaugural partnership with the ment’or BKB Foundation (formerly Bocuse d’Or Foundation), founded in 2008 by Thomas Keller, Daniel Boulud and Jérôme Bocuse. The organization is devoted to inspiring culinary excellence in young professionals and preserving the traditions and quality of cuisine. Among ment’or’s many unique initiatives is the organization’s responsibility for selecting, training, and sending Team USA to compete in Bocuse d’Or, the biennial event in Lyon, France that took place January 27-28, 2015.  Team USA made history by placing second and receiving the Bocuse d’Argent award for the first time ever.  Considered one of the most rigorous culinary competitions in the world, 24 countries competed on the world stage during this year’s Bocuse d’Or competition.

“Team USA’s podium placement at the 2015 Bocuse d’Or competition is an extraordinary example of where the United States stands in a global conversation about cuisine and culture,” said Chef Thomas Keller, president of ment’or. “We’re looking forward to continue representing the great strides that American chefs are making at this years’ Pebble Beach Food & Wine festival.”

“Pebble Beach Food & Wine Festival is continuously striving to bring attention to the level of excellence in our culinary community,” commented David Bernahl of Coastal Luxury Management. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to raise much needed funds for this great culinary program on the heels of our first ever win with Team USA!”

"It's an honor to be selected to participate in the 8th annual Pebble Beach Food & Wine Festival," said, Young Yun, Executive Director of ment’or.  "We are always looking for different ways to introduce our Foundation to a wider audience and this unique partnership allows us to showcase our mission for inspiring culinary excellence and promoting the high caliber of cuisine and talent we have in America."

At Pebble Beach Food & Wine, ment’or will present Team USA for an evening of intimate dinners and culinary demonstrations as inspired by the prestigious biennial competition. Team USA’s Chef Philip Tessier of the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group and his Commis Skylar Stover of The French Laundry in Yountville, CA will design a menu inspired by the “Culinary Olympics” at The Imperial Dinner, the pinnacle of the four-day festival, curating a menu that will highlight what helped the Team win the silver prize at the Bocuse d’Or competition. 

Other Pebble Beach Food & Wine event highlights include “An Evening at Maude” as celebrated chef and culinary personality Curtis Stone transports the flavors, aromas, and essence of his first-ever Los Angeles restaurant to Pebble Beach; join Master Sommeliers and winemakers for unprecedented wine tastings with Chateau Margaux, Domaine Faiveley, Kosta Browne, and Penfolds Grange.  Meat purists will enjoy a whole-animal “Meatopia” marquee event co-produced by Esquire Magazine’s Josh Ozersky while others will get ready for cooking demonstrations with the likes of Iron Chef Jose Garces, Dana Cowin, or Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto as he pays homage to the quintessential comfort food--Ramen 101. Additionally, the Lexus Grand Tasting, an annual favorite, will host one of the greatest lineups of wine and culinary talent since its inception in 2008.

Further information about details of Pebble Beach Food & Wine can be accessed at http://www.pbfw.com/.

Original cottages are well maintainedby Dan Clarke

Never before have I written the word charming and won't now. A visit to Roget's Thesaurus may now be necessary, however, because Carmel is special.

Situated on the Monterey Peninsula, about 120 miles south of San Francisco, Carmel is actually more than one place. Carmel-by-the-Sea, the original settlement developed by James Devendorf and Frank Powers lies just west of Highway One. Carmel Valley is accessed from just a bit south on Highway One. It, too, is beautiful, but in a different way.

Like avocados, foie gras and cigars, Carmel may be a good thing that's an acquired taste. With no flashing lights and no obvious bells and whistles, it might be too subtle for some. I liked it when visiting with my parents long ago. Maybe I was a prodigy. Years later when my Rugby teams were playing in the Monterey Invitational Tournament on the nearby Polo Fields at Pebble Beach, I'd be sure the weekend included visits to Carmel for tea and scones at the Tuck Box on Dolores, a beer or two at a pub called the Red Lion and maybe a glass of wine at La Playa or the Pine Inn. These were genteel offsets to the rigorous competition of the weekend.

More recently I've covered the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, where some of the world's most gorgeous automobiles are displayed one Sunday each August on the 18th fairway of that storied golf course. Afterward, I would swing over to Carmel for dinner where cars good enough to be entered in lesser competitions might be parked right on the streets next to my own more modest transportation.

When a recent invitation came to join a few fellow journalists in further investigation of Carmel, I didn't hesitate. There are more stories from that visit than can be told in just one article. Today begins a series of them.

Courtyard fountain at Vagabond's House

The vibe in Carmel is more old money than new. There's a lot of tweed and cashmere worn here and both locals and visitors seem relaxed and comfortable. They're friendly, too. Trudging back up Ocean Avenue from a morning walk to the beach (“six blocks down the hill, twenty blocks back,” as one of the locals explained it), I glance into the open door of the realty office of Alain Pinel as I turn at the Dolores intersection. “Nice day, isn't it?” a man at a desk says to me. Indeed it is. There's a little overcast, but we both know the sun will likely burn through in an hour or so. Having noticed the property listings in the windows of this and other real estate offices, I half-jokingly ask the fellow if the sweet spot for residences is between $2 and 2.5 million. There are some nice ones at that price, he responds, but also some closer to a million. We share five or ten minutes of cordial conversation. I learn that Jack Gelke came to the area quite a while ago when attending the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey. He met his wife-to-be here and returned to stay. Jack seems a friendly and easy-going guy—the kind of realtor I'd want to do business with if only I could afford a home here.

Jim at Green's Camera CenterOn this visit I stayed at The Vagabond's House at Dolores and Fourth, which is just a couple of blocks off Ocean Ave. A small, two-story property, it's obvious that the place was built in another era. It's also obvious that it has undergone restoration and substantial upgrading. The front office staff all seem very competent, but relaxed in a friendly sort of way. Room Twelve has a fireplace, separate tub and shower and radiantly-heated tile floor in the bathroom. The towels are longer and thicker than most. A light breakfast and pot of tea or coffee is delivered each morning.

On the second day in Carmel my new Olympus locks up and I'm reduced to taking pictures with my iPhone. Figuring the larger neighboring city of Monterey will have a camera shop that can help me, I return to Vagabond's House and ask the desk clerk if he knows such a place. He replies that I needn't drive over to Monterey, as there is a camera shop just two blocks away. At Green's Carmel Camera Center at Fifth and San Carlos I meet Jim. I discover he's originally from King City and, while new to Green's, worked with cameras for 20 years in Monterey. We shoot the breeze while he takes a look. I notice boxes of film—artifacts of another era—on shelves behind him. This is a serious camera shop; one I surmise that can serve needs of photographers more sophisticated than I. Jim fiddles with the Olympus a bit and shoots my picture. Voilà! It seems to work now. He can't exactly explain what he did, but tells me—and not in an immodest way—that people frequently hand him broken equipment that will work in his hands. He's a healer and he refuses payment for his labor. I shoot his picture before departing with my reborn camera.

We visitors have been seeing the sights each day and enjoying the hospitality arranged by our hosts, but on the way home from dinner each evening I stop for a nightcap at Brophy's Tavern, which is just a block up the hill from my digs. It's a comfortable spot and, but for the five or six tv screens showing sports, seems to have a traditional pub atmosphere. Audio for all those screens is mercifully turned off, so conversation for those at the bar and at the tables is possible. My drink the first evening is a craft beer at $6 for a pint. The second night I'm in the mood for maybe one glass of good whiskey. The barman is wearing a Cali baseball cap in a style that covers the top of his ears. He doesn't look like any of the guys who poured for me in Edinburgh, but he's pleasant and seems to understand single malts. He has several options in the category, and holds up a couple of esoteric bottles he assumes I might recognize. His trump card is a Glenfiddich, a label with which I am familiar. But this is the 18-year old Glenfiddich and better, in his opinion, than a couple of the other more-exotic options.

It is splendid. I am getting down to the last couple of sips when Cali pours a substantial refresher of the 18-year old into the glass. That's happened to me with beer, but never before with a call whiskey—at least not in a house where I'm a stranger. Our group of writers has been walking the streets and lanes of Carmel all day and into the evening. I'm getting tired, but Vagabond's House is just a block away—and downhill. The tab for my drink is $19 and I add a decent tip before heading for home. All's right with the world.

Editor's note: This is the first in a series of articles about Carmel. The second of these is Look All Around in Carmel. Others will run later in April. If you're planning a visit to this area, check out the Monterey County listings in the Central Coast section of Taste California Travel's Resource Directory. There you will find links to the websites of Lodging and Dining options in Carmel, as well as other communities on the Monterey Peninsula. Also in the directory are links to the sites of area wineries and craft beer specialists.

(L – R) American Culinary Federation Monterey Bay Chapter President Tene Shake, Roy’s at Pebble Beach Chef de Cuisine Pablo Mellin, American Academy of Chefs Advisor and Cannery Row Company Co-Owner Bert Cutino and American Culinary Federation National President Michael TyRoy’s at Pebble Beach Chef de Cuisine Pablo Mellin was named “Chef of the Year” for 2012 by the American Culinary Federation (ACF) Monterey Bay Chapter on Sunday, June 2, 2013. Chef Mellin was presented the award by ACF Monterey Bay Chapter President Tene Shake during the organization’s 39th Annual President’s Gala Dinner.

The ACF Monterey Bay Chapter “Chef of the Year” award recognizes an outstanding culinarian who works and cooks in a full-service dining facility. The chosen chef has demonstrated the highest standard of culinary skills, advanced the cuisine of his or her local chapter, and given back to the profession through the development of students and apprentices.

Chef Mellin was born and raised in Mexico and, after moving to the United States in 1986, began his culinary career as a line cook at the Hog’s Breath Inn Restaurant in Carmel, Calif. As his career progressed, he began working in other fine dining restaurants on the Monterey Peninsula, eventually bringing his talents to Pebble Beach Resorts in 1991. Chef Mellin became the lead supervisor at Roy’s at Pebble Beach in 2000, where he honed his skills in Hawaiian-fusion cuisine. In 2005, he was promoted to Sous Chef, where he gained a wealth of knowledge in Japanese products, unique flavors and presentations. In 2008, Chef Mellin became Chef de Cuisine of Roy’s at Pebble Beach.

Since Roy’s at Pebble Beach opened at The Inn at Spanish Bay in 1995, Chef Mellin has developed a special relationship with celebrity chef Roy Yamaguchi. In the restaurant’s inaugural year, Chef Mellin flew to Hawaii and trained in Waikiki for three days. Over the last 15 years, Chef Yamaguchi has passed on much of his knowledge and skills in the Hawaiian and Japanese cuisines to the award-winning chef, but in return, has also learned extensively about the Hispanic culture, history and tastes from Chef Mellin.

Chef Mellin has been involved in numerous local special events such as Cooking for Solutions at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Pebble Beach Food & Wine, and The Harvest Farm to Table event, using local and sustainable product. Chef Mellin recently participated for the first time in the annual Culinary Classique, a fundraiser for Meals on Wheels. During his time at Pebble Beach Resorts, he has also mentored twelve students and apprentices, with many moving on to chef positions throughout the Monterey Peninsula. Chef Mellin enjoys working with the vast array of ingredients and the intensity of flavors available in Asian cuisine. The diversity of tropical fruits, fresh produce and seafood are the flavors of Chef Mellin’s youth and he brings this passion to his creations at Pebble Beach Resorts.

Editor's note: Those considering a visit to Pebble Beach or anywhere on the Monterey Peninsula may want to check out Taste California Travel's Resource Directory. Links to the websites of hundreds of Lodging and Dining options are there, as well as links to Monterey County wineries and brewpubs.

Home to the nation's largest vegetable producing region, the culinary talent of Monterey County, California is being Chef Tim Wood of The Lodge  showcased during California Restaurant Month 2013. Thirty five restaurants featuring the diversity of the destination are offering a ten percent discount or a prix-fixe menu to customers who mention California Restaurant Month from January 1-31, 2013.

Food enthusiasts can zip down the Big Sur coastline to have breakfast nestled beneath the redwoods at Big Sur River Inn and then have fresh local sanddabs for lunch while watching sea lions play above the Monterey Bay at Café Fina. History buffs will find minds and appetites satisfied by dining in the very house where John Steinbeck grew up near the agriculture fields of Salinas.

Special menus for January 2013 have been crafted by award winning chefs tucked along the dips of Carmel Valley, the nooks of Carmel-by-the-Sea, and the historic streets of Monterey. Unique prix fixe menu stars include Chef Tim Wood who is delivering a Monterey Bay Fisherman's Stew featuring Crab Fennel Garlic Tomato Broth at The Lodge Restaurant. Sweet tooths can experience dessert magic at the newly renovated Aubergine (2013) which Zagat recently ranked 5th best in the San Francisco Bay Area. Pastry Chef Ron Mendoza is delighting customers with an intriguing dessert of grapefruit, white chocolate, and celery.

In Pacific Grove, Fandango's Citroen Deux Chevaux sets Gallic tone

Visitors may dine at a discount at Moss Landing's Haute Enchilada Café & Gallery, where sustainable seafood is always on the menu and the artichoke risotto is locally sourced. To dine like a local, head to Pacific Grove and experience Fandango Restaurant as they celebrate 25 years of award winning cuisine.

Additional taste bud adventures include Pacifica Café in Seaside. Steak lovers will discover Filet Mignon and Prime Rib cooked to perfection. International flavors can be found in Marina which is home to dozens of authentic restaurants. Experience island fare at Kula Ranch by trying the Big Island Fish Tacos.

To see menus and offers from participating restaurants visit www.SeeMonterey.com/ca-restaurant-month.

About Monterey

Monterey County is located 120 miles/192 km south of San Francisco and 345 miles/552 km north of Los Angeles along the classic California corridor. The region boasts 99 miles of Pacific Coastline, the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, three historic missions, 40,000 acres of vineyards, 24 golf courses and over 250 lodging properties. Monterey County includes the Monterey Peninsula, Big Sur, North County and the Salinas Valley. The Monterey Peninsula Airport (MRY), is three miles from downtown Monterey and is served by non-stop flights to and from Denver (DEN), Las Vegas (LAS), Phoenix (PHX), Los Angeles (LAX), San Diego (SAN) and San Francisco (SFO). www.SeeMonterey.com.

Editor's note: Sources at TravMedia.com contributed to this report

Region: Cerntral Coast      City: Monterey     Contact: www.montereyjazzfestival.org