Michele Stueven
We’re just halfway through October, and the Los Angeles area has already hosted a handful of stellar food festivals.
The 12th annual L.A. Loves Alex’s Lemonade kicked off the month, raising a record of more than $1.7 million to benefit Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation’s fight against childhood cancers.
Last week, the 7th annual Tito’s Fiesta Mexicana teamed up Tito’s Tacos and Tito’s Handmade Vodka and raised $23,00 to benefit the Culver City Arts Foundation, with 100% of the profits going to the nonprofit. The event celebrated National Hispanic Heritage Month with Mariachi Juevenil Herencia Michoacana, heavy metal rockers Metalachi, the Grammy-nominated all-female Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles, and lots of traditional folkorico dance via Folk Revolución.
Over the weekend the first Manhattan Beach Food & Wine world-class Culinary Festival brought an all-star lineup of 50 of the best chefs in North America to Manhattan Village, the 40,000-square-foot outdoor space located at the end of the Veterans Parkway Greenbelt Path. Event Host Chef Neal Fraser welcomed Chef Brendan Collins from Boa Steakhouse in Manhattan Beach, Dominique Crenn: Atelier Crenn in San Francisco, Chef Michael Hung of the Palm Springs Surf Club, and Chef Bernhard Mairinger of Lustig in Culver City, who brought along his chicken liver profiteroles. Others included celebrity chefs Antonia Lofaso, Jet Tila, and Aaron Sanchez. This year’s Manhattan Beach Food & Wine event beneficiary is Careers through Culinary Arts Program co-chaired by chef Marcus Samuelsson, C-CAP is a workforce development nonprofit that provides underserved teens pathways to pursue careers in the restaurant and hospitality industry.
Kona kampachi and La vie en Rose from Marelle (Michele Stueven)
Also over the weekend, the Off The Hook Santa Monica Seafood Festival geared up for next year’s 40th anniversary of Heal The Bay with a fish feast on the Santa Monica Pier.
Chef Brian Bornemann of Crudo e Nudo served up his signature tuna tartare toast, Govind Armstrong from The Lobster prepared seared rare yellowfin and Dungeness crab fried rice with mango salsa and Michael’s Santa Monica offered an endless supply of yuzu oyster shooters with spicy tuna and trout roe. The best seafood purveyor in Los Angeles, Santa Monica Seafood, was slicing bluefin tuna sashimi and shucking mountains of oysters on the half shell.
Next up: The Los Angeles Lantern Art Expo grand opening and lighting ceremony takes place on Thursday, Oct. 17 at Santa Anita Park, entrance through Gate 3. There will be a lineup of diverse food vendors, cocktails, and mocktails as hundreds of intricately designed lanterns will be illuminated, symbolizing light, unity, and hope as well as Musical Performances.
Lighting of the lanterns
BeachLife Nights, the intimate music and food experience, takes place this weekend on Friday, Oct. 18 and Saturday, Oct. 19 in Redondo Beach. Michelin-starred chef Curtis Stone will host a barbecue experience inside the VIP Lounge alongside a performance on Jack Daniel’s culinary stage. The menu – which includes smoked brisket beef chili, barbecue pulled pork sliders, mini Wagyu hot dogs and vegan dogs – is inspired by the BeachLife Festivals’ recent opening of the BeachLife Grotto, as well as the soon-to-open California Surf Club. Food trucks include Yalla Truck, Malibu Cove Seafood, BittieBitez Mini-Donuts, and Ardi’s Eats & Sweets.
The California Wine Festival returns to Huntington Beach on Friday, Nov. 8 and Saturday, Nov. 9 at the Paséa Hotel & Spa, The event kicks off on Friday with a Sunset Rare & Reserve Tasting, an intimate experience for dedicated wine connoisseurs. A sparkling wine reception begins the evening of sampling hard-to-find, award-winning wines and offers tasting room exclusives and limited-production wines hailing from vineyards based in California’s most renowned wine-producing regions. The event continues on Saturday with a Beachside Wine Festival taking place at the hotel’s indoor and outdoor spaces.
Get a taste of fall festivals above in our photo gallery.
Titos Tacos Fiesta Mexicana(Jared Cowan)