Chef Jamie Gwen dishes about plans for year No. 2 of culinary experience ‘Relish’
- Share via
Last year, Relish: A Food, Wine & Spirits Experience made its debut in Newport Beach. Co-created by chef and Newport Beach resident Jamie Gwen and Cobalt Events event planner Nicole Hirsty, the culinary event brought Food Network chefs, wine purveyors and foodies together over three days.
“We are very humbled and very proud of the success of Relish 2025, our inaugural year. We are very excited to be coming back,” Gwen said.
She added that the team is planning to pack even more flavor and fun into year two.
“We started planning the day after Relish 2025,” Gwen said, “because that’s what it takes.”
Gwen is not only a chef herself, but a cookbook author, certified sommelier and radio and television personality. Gwen founded Relish with Hirsty in response to Newport Beach Food & Wine being put on pause indefinitely following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Relish 2026 is set to take place Oct. 2-4 at VEA Newport Beach, a Marriott Resort & Spa and the Park Club in Costa Mesa.
“We had the chance to expand this year with a new partnership that we feel embraces the community and shares the love between two cities,” Gwen said.
The event begins with an opening cocktail party on the Sunset Lawn at VEA Resort Newport Beach on Friday Oct. 2. It will feature a bespoke culinary menu, cocktails and wine tastings, and this year’s chef participants will also make an appearance.
Participating chefs include chef Geoffrey Zakarian, pastry chef Sherry Yard of Spago fame, cheesemaster Afrim Pristine, chef Katie Chin, sommelier Rebecca Rose Phillips and chef Kat Turner, a two-time “Chopped” champion and “Top Chef” season 22 contestant.
Additionally, Gwen is announced the return of chef Scott Conant. The restaurateur and cookbook author, best known as a judge on the reality TV cooking series “Chopped,” participated in Relish’s inaugural year.
“Chef Scott Conant is back by popular demand, he was our most requested to return,” Gwen said. “He is just so full of heart and soul.”
The party continues with Relish After Hours at Reveal at VEA , the hotel’s private club. Guests will have the chance to connect personally with the culinary talent while celebrating in the intimate setting.
On Saturday, Oct. 3, the day begins at AnQi at Bloomingdale’s South Coast Plaza with “Fashion + Food at Bloomies.” The luncheon will feature Zakarian and Conant and an exclusive fall fashion show from Bloomingdale’s.
“Following the luncheon, we are going to do a first floor takeover, which is a no-ticket-required event,” Gwen said. “Anyone can come and taste and savor with some of our Relish partners.”
)
That afternoon, guests can gather at the Park Club in Costa Mesa for a cheese and wine-tasting experience guided by Pristine, or master knife skills at a private Knife Class with Wolfe Cutlery. The Relish Culinary Icons Dinner at the Park Club on Saturday night will be a intimate multi-course dinner with Zakarian, Conant and Yard serving some of their signature dishes alongside Park Club executive chef Daniel Hohng.
“Chef Daniel from the Park Club is an insane talent,” Gwen said of the Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts alumni who made a name for himself at South Coast Plaza’s Hamamori and Wolfgang Puck’s Spago in Beverly Hills.
Sunday brunch will kick off the final day of the event on Oct. 4, with a theme of burgers and bubbles, a change from last year’s sushi and donuts brunch. Relish will close with a wellness event on Sunday afternoon with a focus on nutrition, beauty and self-care with expert-led sessions, restorative treatments and health-conscious culinary offerings.
Relish has an ambitious agenda this year, but Gwen said the expanded event schedule and multiple locations align with the long-term goals for the culinary event.
“We want to continue to grow Relish every year and bring new talent, showcase new brands and highlight new trends so Orange County can keep its finger on the pulse of the food and wine world,” Gwen said. ‘We want people to come and take a seat at the table.”
Relish: Food, Wine & Spirits Experience will take place October 2-4 in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa. Tickets for individual events and packages are vailable at relishfoodwine.com.
