Chef Central

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Located on the Ranch, the Asistencia building is regarded as the first stone-and-mortar structure built in California. It served many purposes: a farmhouse, granary, chapel, and lodging quarters during the Mission Period. Today, the original building is protected inside a large barn, but the impressive stone walls still stand and serve as the dramatic frame for Chef Central at Volvo Presents Sunset SAVOR the Central Coast.

Enjoy the historic space while you watch celebrity and master chefs share their culinary ideas, inspirations, and talents as well as demonstration techniques. *Advance purchase required. Schedule is subject to change without notice.

Get Your Tickets Here!

• Saturday, September 26, 2015

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    • Meet Celebrated Chef Mary Sue Milliken and Learn Recipes from the Award-Winning Border Grill Restaurants
    • 11:30 am - 12:15 pm

    Celebrity chef, restauranteur, cookbook author, and popular television and radio personality Mary Sue Milliken shares recipes from her acclaimed Border Grill restaurants in Santa Monica, Downtown Los Angeles, and Las Vegas. Mary Sue showcases a few of her favorite dishes combining healthy, fresh seasonal ingredients, sustainable protein choices, and exploring the unique flavor combinations from Mexico, Latin America, and beyond.

    Wine Partner: Estancia Wines

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    • Join Sunset Food Editor Margo True for Global Taco & Perfect Cocktail Pairings
    • 12:45 pm - 1:35 pm

    We Westerners have always loved tacos, but these days we’re genuinely obsessed, especially in prime taco hunting grounds like LA, San Diego, the San Francisco Bay Area—and of course the Central Coast!. It’s no wonder, given the vast number and inspiring range of tacos to be tried—everything from traditional tacos al pastor brimming with juicy pork to brilliant fusions like the Korean taco. Margo True shows you how to make a few of her favorites, with cocktails to go with them. At the end, you’ll be ready to throw a taco party at home.

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    • Get Grilling with Chef Yousef Ghalaini
    • 2:00 pm - 2:45 pm

    Join Chef Yousef Ghalaini of FIG Restaurant in Santa Monica as he brings the heat to SAVOR with a Mediterranean inspired grilling demo. Chef Yousef Ghalaini is known for his dedication to responsibly sourced ingredients from his current home state of California. Enjoy a cooking demo where he will show you how to employ the best product to create Mediterranean inspired dishes and SAVOR the sea with his Charred Octopus recipe!

    Wine Partner: Estancia Wines

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    • Kitchen Gypsy with James Beard Award Winning Author & Chef Joanne Weir
    • 3:15 pm - 4:00 pm

    Join James Beard Award-winning chef, cookbook author and PBS television host Joanne Weir as she shares personal stories and recipes from her newest book, Kitchen Gypsy, and her years cooking at Chez Panisse. Joanne will showcase the delicious dishes that shaped her career as a celebrated chef as well as the people, places and ingredients that brought those recipes to life.

    Wine Partner: Estancia Wines

• Sunday, September 27, 2015

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    • Italian Cooking with Chef and co-owner Frank Pellegrino Jr. of the legendary Rao's Restaurants
    • 11:30 am - 12:15 pm

    Come and experience some simple, honest home cooking when this 4th generation restaurateur of the the original Rao's in Harlem, Rao's at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, and Rao's in Hollywood takes the stage, bringing impeccable Southern Italian fare from the 119-year-old restaurant to SAVOR.

    Wine Partner: Vina Robles

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    • Kitchen Gypsy with James Beard Award Winning Author & Chef Joanne Weir
    • 12:45 pm - 1:30 pm

    Join James Beard Award-winning chef, cookbook author and PBS television host Joanne Weir as she shares personal stories and recipes from her newest book, Kitchen Gypsy, and her years cooking at Chez Panisse. Joanne will showcase the delicious dishes that shaped her career as a celebrated chef as well as the people, places and ingredients that brought those recipes to life.

    Wine Partner: Vina Robles

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    • From Refugio To You - Secrets of The New Wine Country Cuisine from Celebrated Author and Chef Brigit Binns
    • 2:00 pm - 2:45 pm

    Nestled in the heart of California’s Central Coast Wine Country only six minutes from Paso Robles sits the unique and stylish state-of-the art teaching kitchen, plus duo of luxe vacation suites, of nationally-known cookbook author Brigit Binns. Join her as the pages of her highly acclaimed book, The NEW Wine Country Cookbook: Recipes from California’s Central Coast, come to life.

    Wine Partner: Vina Robles Winery

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    • Shared Pantry Cooking with Sunset Food Editor Margo True
    • 3:15 pm - 4:00 pm

    The way we cook and eat in the West, after generations of immigration, borrows from a huge range of cuisines—among them Mexican, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian, Vietnamese, and Thai. It comes naturally, almost without thinking, to mix spicy Mexican chorizo with our eggs, or add a dash of teriyaki sauce to a burger; we have fun rummaging through our shared pantry, blending ingredients and techniques from our many heritages. Join Margo True as she shows you her favorite pantry picks—and uses them in easy Sunset recipes that are full of flavor.

    Wine Partner: Vina Robles Winery