Foodies invited to Relish Newport Beach this summer
Orange County resident and celebrity chef Jamie Gwen is used to a little heat in the kitchen, so she wasn't daunted by the idea of creating the ambitious Relish: A Food, Wine & Spirits Experience coming to Newport Beach this June.
'This is years in the making and now what started out as a plan for a single event has grown into a weekend experience,' Gwen said.
Co-created by Gwen and event planner Nicole Hirsty of Cobalt Events, the weekend-long food festival aims to bring back the culinary celebration that has been missed in the absence of Newport Beach Food & Wine.
'This a huge venture because I was involved and woven into the fabric of Newport Beach Food & Wine and it had a great run,' said Gwen.
The festival was rebranded as Newport Beach Wine & Food, an elevated restaurant showcase with a culinary stage hosted by Gwen; but after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the event took a pause.
'I love living in Orange County and I believe that we do have a culinary scene and we do deserve an elevated, bespoke and extraordinary gastronomic event,' Gwen said. 'That is what Relish is set to be.'
Debuting June 27 to 29 at VEA Newport Beach, Relish will present top-tier chefs, sommeliers, mixologists and spirits experts over three days. Gwen, who has enjoyed a career as a chef and radio and television personality, tapped celebrity chef friends and colleagues she has connected with throughout her career to join the event.
'I started calling my chef friends and saying 'Hey, I want to bring to Newport Beach what we do in Aspen and South Beach, will you come?' And they said yes.'
The event begins on Friday, June 27, with an opening cocktail reception followed by a private dinner with Scott Conant, a chef, restaurateur and cookbook author best known as a judge on the reality TV cooking series, 'Chopped.'
The fun continues the next day with master classes and tastings from some of the industry's best leaders. Chef Gale Gand will kick it off, teaching Chocolate 101.
'Gale Gand is a living legend in the pastry world and an incredibly talented teacher,' said Gwen.
Cheesemaster Afrim Pristine will share knowledge on West Coast cheeses from British Columbia to San Diego while winemakers, Chris Kajani of Bouchaine Vineyards Napa and Bob Cabral of Bob Cabral Wines will host separate wine sessions.
Mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim will lead a class pairing vodka and Petrossian caviar; Aarti Sequeira, Indian American cook and winner of the sixth season of Food Network's competition show, 'The Next Food Network Star,' will host a session on spices.
The evening's festivities will close out with chef and Food Network show host Tyler Florence serving a four-course curated dinner paired with wine, though not before guests enjoy a 12-foot cheese and charcuterie display by Pristine.
'We are very excited to have Scott Conant and Tyler Florence headlining, both of which are very long time Food Network stars,' said Gwen.
On June 29, Relish will pair sushi alongside a doughnuts and churros station for 'A Live Doughnuts + Sushi Brunch Experience' and the weekend will end with an afternoon session dedicated to wellness, focusing on both mind and body rejuvenation.
'In all this indulgence, there has to be a time and place to take care of oneself,' Gwen said.
The James Beard Foundation will serve as Relish's charity partner with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the foundation's Good Food for Good mission. Support also comes from Visit Newport Beach.
'Visit Newport Beach is the greatest champion of bringing experiences to residents of Newport Beach and beyond and making Newport Beach a destination,' Gwen said.
While this will be the inaugural Relish, she is confident it will not be the last.
'We intend to continue to grow it and we have interest from another big name talent that is much beloved already lined up for 2026, so [that's even more of a] reason to reserve your space now and make it it an annual event,' said Gwen.
Individual tickets for master classes and event packages are now available at relishfoodwine.com.
'The intent with this weekend, is to sip and savor and relish the moment,' said Gwen.
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