Press Release

Relais & Châteaux, the collection of fine hotels and gourmet restaurants around the world, is pleased to announce that Chefs Annie Féolde (Ristorante Enoteca Pinchiorri, Italy), Colin Bedford (The Fearrington House Inn, Restaurant & Spa, North Carolina), Diego Muñoz (Astrid&Gastón, Perú), Gary Danko (Gary Danko, California), Justin Cogley (Aubergine at L’Auberge Carmel, California), Lanshu Chen (Le Moût Restaurant, Taiwan), Michel Bras (Bras - Sébastien et Michel) and Olivier Roellinger (Les Maisons de Bricourt, France) will headline the second annual Relais & Châteaux GourmetFest March 5-8, 2015.

The wine and food festival is a four day gastronomic extravaganza featuring an exclusive roster of Relais & Châteaux Chefs and wine estates from around the world taking place in the charming village of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. More than twenty world renowned chefs including an all-female team will prepare gourmet dishes using locally sourced ingredients combined with international specialties. Events will include one-of-a-kind cooking demos, intimate lunches, world class wine dinners, and an exclusive rarities dinner, among others and will feature prominent winemakers from Dom Pérignon, Dr. Loosen, Ridge, Gaja and Comte Georges de Vogüé.

“We are excited to welcome food lovers from around the world to the second annual GourmetFest” said David Fink, founder of Relais & Châteaux GourmetFest and owner of L’Auberge Carmel. “Gourmet cuisine and fine wines have been at the heart of Relais & Châteaux for over sixty years and we are continuing to celebrate their uniqueness at this year’s festival with some of the biggest names in the world of gastronomy and wine.”

Sample of eighteen featured events during GourmetFest:

• Welcome Party - March 5, 2015: Watch the talented Relais & Châteaux Chefs in action. Chefs will be paired with wine estates to welcome and kick-off the festival
• Grand Women Chefs & Winemakers - March 6, 2015: Discover dishes and wine pairings prepared by an all star team of renowned international female chefs and winemakers
• Rarities Dinner - March 6, 2014: Experience one-of-a-kind dinner with Michel Bras, Olivier Roellinger, Tetsuya, and Justin Cogley while exploring rare wines and champagnes from the around the world
• Wild Mushroom Hunt & Lunch - March 7, 2015: Partake in the ultimate hunt for wild mushrooms with Ranger Chuck Bancroft amidst 2o,000 acres of the beautiful Santa Lucia Preserve
• Dom Pérignon & Black River Caviar Lunch – March 7, 2015: Dine in an intimate setting with winemaker Richard Geoffroy and Black River Caviar’s Graham Gaspard

Established sixty years ago when top hoteliers teamed up with talented chefs, Relais & Châteaux now sets a unique standard for excellence in hospitality. GourmetFest will celebrate this unparalleled experience and engage those who share the same passion. The festival will benefit Rancho Cielo and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The 2015 festival is sponsored by Visa Signature, BMW, Lufthansa, Gaggenau, Black River Caviar, Valrhona, Le Creuset, Orlane, Art Culinare & S. Pellegrino.

For more information about the 2015 Relais & Châteaux GourmetFest visit: www.gourmetfestcarmel.com.