STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK
A new Wine Tasting & Seafood Extravaganza will debut during the 2026 Sun Valley Food & Wine Celebration.
The fourth annual Sun Valley Food & Wine Celebration will be held Jan. 27-31, 2026.
Seventeen chefs, including James Beard Award-winning chefs, Food Network celebrities and acclaimed restaurateurs, will take part.
The five-day festival will include the Wine Tasting & Seafood Extravaganza at the Limelight Hotel Ketchum, a VIP Gala at the Sun Valley Clubhouse and a Dinner and DJ at Trail Creek Cabin.
The latter is a multi-course dinner prepared by chefs Brandon Randolph, Britt Rescigno, Brother Luck, Jonathon Sawyer and Kelsey Barnard Clark. The evening will include Broadleaf Game venison and Snake River Farms short ribs, accompanied by wines from AXR, Phifer Pavitt, Boiche Family Cellars and Whitman Hill Winery and cognac from Last Drop Distillers. Additionally, there will be a special mocktail pairing, and DJ Brother Luck will provide the music.
“We are excited to offer the Trail Creek Cabin Dinner and DJ party as an event that showcases everything Sun Valley Food & Wine Celebration has to offer, all in one place—perfect for those who have never attended—and to give those who support the celebration a new experience to enjoy and add to their list of culinary adventures,” said Karl Uri, the executive director of Sun Valley Culinary Institute.
The Apres Ski Grand Tasting at the Limelight is back for the third year, as is the fourth annual apres-ski Britt’s Burger Bash outside Apple Bar & Grill on the Warm Springs side of Bald Mountain.
The Celebration will also feature numerous cooking classes and dinners in private homes throughout Sun Valley.
Available dinners at private homes will feature Chef Maria Mazon, known for her authentic Sonoran cuisine. It will include Luna Nueva Tequila to complement the dinner.
Other dinners will be prepared by Chef Ethan Stowell, who emphasizes modern Italian dishes with Pacific Northwest influences that will be paired with Paradigm Winery; Chef Joe Sasto, who mixes classic techniques with creative twists; and Chef Tieghan Gerard, who will showcase her take on traditional American cuisine. Additionally, Chefs John Sundstrom and Jason Wilson will pair their Pacific Northwest dishes with biodynamic wines from Cayuse Vineyards.
Returning Chefs include Barton Seaver, John Sundstrom, Ethan Stowell, Jonathon Sawyer, Britt Rescigno, Jason Wilson, Kelsey Barnard Clark and Steve Phelps.
They will join new Celebration participants Chefs Casey Thompson, Duskie Estes & John Stewart, Joe Sasto, Brandon Randolph, Kris Padalino, Maria Mazon, Brother Luck and Chef and American food influencer Tieghan Gerard.
All have good stories. Brother Luck, for instance, is a favorite of some of the culinary students at Sun Valley Culinary Institute. He’s a chef from Colorado Springs who has appeared on Top Chef, Chopped and Beat Bobby Flay, been featured in The New York Times, Food & Wine Magazine and The Rachael Ray Show and been nominated for a James Beard Award.
Duskie Estes and John Stewart have the Black Piglet, a farm-to-table food truck after losing their award-winning restaurant Zazu Kitchen + Farm, which had been named a TOP 50 restaurant in the Bay Area by San Francisco Magazine, in the 2019 floods
VIP packages for the Food and Wine Celebration are available. One option, for instance, includes tickets to an opening VIP Reception the Gala at the Sun Valley Clubhouse, one cooking class, the Apres Ski Grand Tasting, Wine Tasting and Seafood Extravaganza, Priority Access for a VIP Chef Dinner and Britt’s Burger Bash.
Alpine Lodging and Limelight Hotel Ketchum are offering special rates for attendees.
Learn more at https://www.sunvalleyculinary.org/2026-food-and-wine-celebration.