Celebrated Dinner Brings 18 Top Sonoma Valley Chefs Together for Exciting Olive-Inspired Culinary Creations    

On Saturday, January 28, the Sonoma Valley Olive Season’s annual Feast of the Olive Dinner, highlighting the valley’s bounty of food and wine offerings and second-largest crop, will take place at Ramekins Culinary School in Sonoma. One of the eleventh-annual Sonoma Valley Olive Season’s anchor events, the Feast of the Olive Dinner is a multi-course olive-inspired feast prepared by Sonoma Valley’s top chefs, including John Toulze of the iconic wine country destination the girl & the fig, Bruno Tison of the Michelin-starred Santé, Jeffrey Lloyd of Zagat rated Café La Haye and Jason Rose of the new Carneros hotspot Ram’s Gate Winery.

The Feast of the Olive Dinner is served in a family-style dinner format, in which guests dine at one of three expansive candlelit dinner tables set in Ramekins Culinary School’s beautiful event space.  Each table will have a dedicated team of five executive chefs who will collaborate and prepare a dinner of olive inspired culinary creations.  Each of the five courses will be a unique olive themed dish using local, artisan olives and olive oils, reflecting the individuality of the chef’s styles, while highlighting the camaraderie of the chefs in the kitchen.  In addition, each course in the epicurean feast will be paired alongside award-winning Sonoma Valley wines, for a quintessential wine country experience.

The annual Feast of the Olive Dinner is an epicurean delight, bringing together 18 Sonoma Valley chefs to collaboratively prepare a sensational, olive-inspired dinner. The dinner begins at 6 p.m. at Ramekins Culinary School in the Vineyard Room, located at 450 West Spain Street in Sonoma, just west of the historic Sonoma Plaza. Tickets are $150 per person and are available to purchase by calling (707) 996-1090 ext 108.

Chefs from the finest epicurean destinations in Sonoma Valley will be participating in this year’s Feast of the Olive, including chefs from the girl & the fig, Santé Restaurant at The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn, LaSalette Restaurant, El Dorado Kitchen, Ram’s Gate Winery, ESTATE, Carneros Bistro at The Lodge at Sonoma, Sonoma Meritâge Martini Oyster Bar & Grill, Saddles Steakhouse at MacArthur Place Inn & Spa, Depot Hotel Restaurant, Epicurean Connection, Carneros Caves, Hot Box Grill, Café La Haye, and Ramekins Culinary School.   The Olive Press and Figone’s of California Olive Oil Company will also be among the participants showcasing their premium extra virgin olive oils.  Wineries pouring during the dinner include Akoma Zoume, Benziger Family Winery, B.R. Cohn Winery, Cline Cellars, Gloria Ferrer, Imagery Estate Winery, Jacuzzi Family Vineyards, Landmark Vineyards, and VJB Vineyards & Cellars.

The Feast of the Olive Dinner attracts olive and wine aficionados from around the world. Patrons can expect to see a cornucopia of cuisine showcasing olives in a variety of creative ways. Menu highlights in previous years have included such items as Timbale of Duck Confit and Farro “Risotto” Wrapped in Savoy Cabbage with an Orange and Olive Emulsion on Fennel Salad, and Grilled Lamb with Tomato and Crushed Olive Confit and Winter Vegetable Gratin.  This year’s menu will include an equally interesting array of cuisine, with the olive as the star ingredient.

To learn more about each of the participating chefs and the course they are preparing, and to download their signature olive-inspired recipes, visit www.olivefestival.com. For additional information, contact the Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau at (707) 996-1090.

About The Sonoma Valley Olive Season

The Sonoma Valley Olive Season, currently in its eleventh year, is a celebration of the senses.  Taking place December through February, the Olive Season brings special events to the Sonoma Valley, as well as a range of festival promotions with local lodging, spas, wineries, restaurants and retail shops. For more information on the Sonoma Valley Olive Season including event specifics and information on sponsors and participants, call (707) 996-1090, or visit www.olivefestival.com.