15th Annual Culinary Round Up
Our 15th annual Culinary Round Up will be held at Portola Hotel & Spa on Sunday, Feb. 23 at 4pm
Since 2010, Rancho Cielo’s annual Culinary Round Up has provided a unique opportunity for our guests to meet and see our culinary students in action. It’s an evening of fun, food and libations with a Western flair, including an exciting raffle and live auction.
Proceeds from the event benefit the culinary program at Rancho Cielo, where the students have a pathway to earning their high school diploma while gaining hands-on culinary training and earning industry certifications. If not for supporters like you, opportunities like this—to test their skills, to learn service, presentation and plating for large events—would not exist.
All of the food and beverages, as well as raffle and auction items, are generously donated by local businesses and help generate additional funds needed for us to serve our students.
Participating Restaurants
Alvarado Street Brewery – Ardent Culinaire Catering – Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.
The C Restaurant + Bar (InterContinental The Clement Monterey) – Estéban Restaurant (Casa Munras Garden Hotel & Spa)
Fin+Field Restaurant Bar (Monterey Marriott) – Folktale Winery & Vineyards – Food Fleet (Jeff Mora)
Jacks Monterey/Peter B’s Brewpub (Portola Hotel & Spa) – Lucia Restaurant and Bar (Bernardus Lodge & Spa)
Monterey Peninsula College – The Quail – Rancho Cielo Drummond Culinary Academy
Roy’s at Pebble Beach – Santa Lucia Preserve – The Sardine Factory – Schooners Monterey (Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa)
Seventh & Dolores – Stillwater Bar & Grill (Pebble Beach Resorts) – The Wild Plum Café – Woody’s At the Airport
Libations
Alvarado Street Brewery – Bernardus Winery – Dawn’s Dream Winery – Doc Pepe’s Lab – Folktale Winery
Galante Vineyards – Joyce Winery – McIntyre Vineyards – Odonata Wines
Peter B’s Brewpub – Peerless Coffee & Tea – Scheid Family Wines – Wrath Wines
Please Keep Checking Back for Additions!
The Experience
For foodies, oenophiles and beer enthusiasts alike, there’s nothing better than an evening filled with elegant food and beverages, especially when the cuisine is prepared by some of the finest chefs from across the Monterey Peninsula and the up-and-coming culinary students of our Drummond Culinary Academy.
Set the scene in a beautiful ballroom where you can stroll at your own pace,
sampling some of the finest local wines and craft beers to pair with
innovative small plates, each composed of ingredients fresh from the bounty of Monterey County.
At each table you visit, you will be able to meet each student and hear how their journey led them to that moment—and where they hope their culinary training will lead. They have overcome major hardships to pursue their passion for cooking and food. Participating in the Culinary Round Up helps build their repertoire as they prepare for additional training, internships, and work in the hospitality industry.
This is an exciting networking event for everyone—most importantly for the students, who are connecting with expert chefs from local restaurants who may be willing to hire them after graduation.
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NO HOST VALET PARKING AVAILABLE TO ALL GUESTS ATTENDING THE EVENT
Make one of the Monterey Peninsula’s premiere foodie events a mini getaway!
Portola Hotel & Spa is offering special room rates to attendees!
Book your room today!
Get Involved
We are always in need of volunteers to support this event. Please contact volunteer@ranchocieloyc.org if you’d like to help with the 2025 Culinary Round Up.
Alternatively, if you are reading about this for the first time or have attended the event and loved it, join us at the Drummond Culinary Academy Dining Room at Rancho Cielo on a Friday evening (see our Reservations page for dates and times). The students also prepare and serve gourmet meals for the public.
Guests can choose options from a seasonal, three-course prix-fixe menu of contemporary California cuisine that speaks to the bounty and culture of the Salinas Valley and the students themselves. It is also a unique opportunity to participate in their learning, which is as much hospitality and culinary training as an empowerment journey.
