Since the inception of Chefs’ Holidays in 1985, this event series has allowed park visitors to enjoy a winter getaway at Yosemite National Park combined with a gourmet food and wine event. Each Chefs’ Holidays session includes a “Meet the Chefs” reception, three cooking demonstrations and tastings in the hotel’s Great Lounge moderated by culinary experts, a behind-the-scenes tour of The Ahwahnee’s 8,000 square foot kitchen and a gala dinner prepared by the session’s headliner chefs in The Ahwahnee Dining Room.
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2016 Chefs’ Holidays Schedule:

Session 1: January 10, 11, 12
Headliner: Ken Frank, La Toque, Napa, CA
Culinary Demonstrator: Sarah and Evan Rich, Rich Table, San Francisco, CA
Culinary Demonstrator: David Bazirgan, Dirty Habit, San Francisco, CA

Session 2: January 13, 14
Headliner: Mark Liberman, AQ, San Francisco, CA
Culinary Demonstrator: Ryan Scott, Market & Rye, San Francisco, CA
Culinary Demonstrator: Jesse Cool, Flea Street Cafe, Menlo Park, CA

Session 3: January 17, 18, 19
Headliner: Kent Rathbun, Abacus, Dallas, TX
Culinary Demonstrator: Duskie Estes and John Stewart, Zazu, Sebastopol, CA
Culinary Demonstrator: Dustin Valette, Valette, Healdsburg, CA

Session 4: January 20, 21
Headliner: Elizabeth Falkner, Author/Culinary Instigator, New York, NY
Culinary Demonstrator: Amanda Cohen, Dirt Candy, New York, NY
Culinary Demonstrator: Anita Lo, Annisa, New York, NY

Session 5: January 24, 25, 26
Headliner: Maria Hines, Tilth, Seattle, WA
Culinary Demonstrator: Peggy Smith and Sue Conley, Cowgirl Creamery, Point Reyes, CA
Culinary Demonstrator: Levi Mezick, Harvest Table, St Helena, CA

Session 6: January 27, 28 - Collaborative Dinner*
Culinary Demonstrator: John Cox, Sierra Mar at Post Ranch Inn, Big Sur, CA
Culinary Demonstrator: Cal Stamenov, Marinus at Bernardus Lodge, Carmel Valley, CA
Culinary Demonstrator: Brandon Miller, Mundaka, Carmel, CA

Session 7: January 31, February 1, 2
Headliner: Mark Estee, Campo, Reno, NV
Culinary Demonstrator: Tanya Holland, Brown Sugar Kitchen, Oakland, CA
Culinary Demonstrator: Brian Streeter, Cakebread Cellars, Rutherford, CA

Session 8: February 3, 4
Headliner: Suzanne Goin, Lucques, Los Angeles, CA
Culinary Demonstrator: Josey Baker, Josey Baker Bread, San Francisco, CA
Culinary Demonstrator: Evan Hanczor, Egg, Brooklyn, NY

*Indicates a collaborative dinner, one course by each chef plus one course by Ahwahnee Executive Chef Percy Whatley and Ahwahnee Executive Pastry Chef Paul Padua.

Special hotel packages for Chefs’ Holidays are available at either The Ahwahnee or Yosemite Lodge at the Falls, which includes lodging, culinary demonstrations and tastings, a “Meet the Chefs” reception with wine and hors d’oeuvres, a behind-the-scenes kitchen tour and the five-course Chefs’ Holidays Gala Dinner paired with wine in The Ahwahnee Dining Room. Packages start at $448 per person for accommodations at The Ahwahnee and $318 per person for Yosemite Lodge at the Falls. Individual tickets for the Gala Dinner may be purchased at a price of $199 per person, including gratuity and excluding tax.

Free event-specific shuttle bus transportation is provided between Yosemite Lodge at the Falls and The Ahwahnee for the Chef’s Holidays Gala Dinner. For more information on Chefs’ Holidays at The Ahwahnee or to make reservations, call 801-559-4949 or visit www.YosemitePark.com/Chefs.

About The Ahwahnee
The Ahwahnee, a AAA Four-Diamond hotel featuring rustic architecture with Native American, Middle Eastern and Art and Crafts design elements, is located in scenic Yosemite National Park, which is home to stunning natural beauty, year-round activities and historic charm. The Ahwahnee was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 and in 1987 it was listed as a National Historic Landmark. Condé Nast Traveler magazine recognized The Ahwahnee in the 2010 “Reader’s Choice Awards” as one of the top 100 resorts in the United States. For more information, visit www.YosemitePark.com/Ahwahnee.

About Delaware North’s Parks and Resorts Business
Delaware North is a global leader in the hospitality industry, operating lodging, recreational activities, food and beverage services, retail and educational programming at destinations throughout North America, Australia and Asia. Delaware North operates in many of the country’s iconic national and state parks, including Yosemite National Park and Niagara Falls State Park, as well as at cultural attractions such as Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex. Its portfolio also includes five luxury resorts in Australia. To learn more about Delaware North’s hospitality management expertise, visit www.DelawareNorth.com/parks-and-resorts-home.aspx.

About Delaware North
Delaware North is one of the largest privately-held hospitality and food service companies in the world. Founded in 1915 and owned by the Jacobs family for 100 years, Delaware North has global operations at high-profile places such as sports and entertainment venues, national and state parks, destination resorts and restaurants, airports, and regional casinos. Our 60,000 employee associates are dedicated to creating special experiences one guest at a time in serving more than 500 million guests annually. Delaware North has annual revenue of about $3 billion in the sports, travel hospitality, restaurants and catering, parks, resorts, gaming, and specialty retail industries. Learn more about Delaware North at www.DelawareNorth.com.

Media Contact:
Lisa Cesaro, Public Relations
Delaware North Parks & Resorts at Yosemite, Inc.
209-372-1445