I can’t think of a more fun activity to do on the weekend of October 11 and 12, then spending time near the beach at the inaugural Manhattan Beach Food & Wine Festival. Ticket holders walk around the venue to receive unlimited gourmet food tastings prepared by an All-Star lineup of some of the best chefs in North America.

Located at Manhattan Village, a 40,000-square-foot outdoor space located at the end of the Veterans Parkway Greenbelt Path. Guests can ride their bicycles or walk along the beautifully landscaped trail runs through Manhattan Beach to Hermosa Beach. Those who drive to the venue will find complimentary parking.

Event Founder Shelby Russell and Event Host Chef Neal Fraser are excited to open Southern California’s newest culinary festival.

Festivities for this two-night culinary extravaganza include meeting some of the industry’s best chefs and learning about their restaurants. Chefs from Manhattan Beach and nearby Hermosa Beach, and El Segundo will be preparing their favorite bite-size specialities. Other chefs from Denver, Los Angeles, Mexico, New Orleans, New York, Palm Springs, San Francisco, Solvang, and Vancouver will also prepare their favorite dishes for a spectacular showcase of creativity and talent.

It’s for a good cause too. This year’s Manhattan Beach Food & Wine event beneficiary is Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP). Long co-chaired by chef Marcus Samuelsson, C-CAP is a workforce development nonprofit that provides underserved teens pathways to pursue careers in the restaurant and hospitality industry. Annually, C-CAP provides culinary, job and life skills in 186 schools across the United States from Arizona to Baltimore, Camden, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City & Long Island, Newark, Philadelphia, suburban Maryland, and Washington DC.

The Manhattan Beach Food & Wine Inaugural All-Star Chef Lineup includes:

MANHATTAN BEACH CHEFS

Chef David LeFevre: Fishing with Dynamite, MB Post, The Arthur J, AttaGirl – Manhattan Beach, CA

Chef Jose Acevedo: Mercado – Manhattan Beach, CA

Chef Brendan Collins: Boa Steakhouse – Manhattan Beach, CA

Chef Shaun Dry: BrewCo Social – Manhattan Beach, CA

Chef Chris Feldmeier: Love & Salt – Manhattan Beach, CA

Chef Chris Park: The Strand House – Manhattan Beach, CA

Chef Hiroshi Shima: Sushi Roku – Manhattan Beach, CA

Chef Sherry Yard: Bakery by the Yard – Manhattan Beach, CA

TORRANCE CHEF

Chef Jeffray Gardner: Marsatta Chocolate – Old Town Torrance, CA

HERMOSA BEACH

Chef Ray Hayashi: Ryla – Hermosa Beach, CA

CULVER CITY CHEF

Chef Bernhard Mairinger: Lustig – Culver City

LOS ANGELES CHEFS

Event Host Chef Neal Fraser: Redbird, Vibiana – Downtown Los Angeles, CA

Chef Vartan Abgaryan: Momed – Los Angeles, CA

Chef Nyesha Arrington: Native By Nyesha – Los Angeles, CA

Chef Wes Avila: Ka’teen – Los Angeles, CA

Chef Sandra Cordero: Xuntos – Los Angeles, CA

Chef Dom Crisp: Lonely Oyster – Los Angeles, CA

Chef Fred Eric: Fred62 – Los Angeles, CA

Chef Elizabeth Falkner – Los Angeles, CA

Chef Rostislava Garafano: Malibu Meringue – Los Angeles, CA

Chef Suzanne Goin: A.O.C. – Los Angeles, CA

Chef Jackson Kalb: Jemma, Ospi, Jame – Los Angeles

Chef Lord Maynard Llera: Kuya Lord – Los Angeles

Chef Antonia Lofaso: Black Market Liquor Bar, Scopa Italian Roots, DAMA – Los Angeles, CA

Chef Steve Samson: Rossoblu, Superfine – Los Angeles, CA

Chef David Schlosser: Shibumi – Los Angeles, CA

Chef Warren Schwartz: Magpies Softserve – Los Angeles, CA

Chef Jimmy Shaw: Loteria Grill – Los Angeles, CA

Chef Jet Tila – Los Angeles, CA

Chef Johnny Tran: Intercrew – Koreatown Los Angeles, CA

NEW YORK CHEF

Chef Joey Campanaro: Little Owl – New York City, NY

SAN FRANCISCO CHEF

Chef Dominique Crenn: Atelier Crenn – San Francisco, CA

SAN PEDRO CHEF

Chef Dustin Trani: J. Trani’s, Trani’s Dockside Station – San Pedro, CA

SANTA MONICA CHEF

Chef Susan Feniger: Border Grill, Socalo – Santa Monica, CA

PALM SPRINGS CHEF

Chef Michael Hung: Palm Springs Surf Club – Palm Springs

SOLVANG CHEF

Chef Steven Fretz: Coast Range – Solvang, CA

SONOMA CHEF

Chef Chris Cosentino: Nick’s Cove – Sonoma, CA

DENVER CHEF

Chef Alex Seidel: Mercantile Dining & Provisions, Fruition – Denver, CO

NEW ORLEANS CHEF

Chef Aarón Sánchez: Johnny Sánchez, Showbird, Adobo Cantina – New Orleans

Chef Hiroshi Shima: Sushi Roku – Manhattan Beach, CA

VANCOUVER CHEF

Chef Matthew Stowe: JOEY Restaurants – Vancouver, BC Canada

MEXICO CHEF

Chef Ruffo Ibarra: Oryx Restaurante – Tijuana, Mexico

Sip a variety of varietals from illustrious wineries, premier spirits, handcrafted cocktails, and craft breweries. There is also a curated selection of non-alcoholic beverages, along with live entertainment, and fun photo-worthy moments.

Tickets for the 21+ year old event start at $294.95 per person for Friday, October 11 and Saturday, October 12.

The VIP Power Hour is $454.85 per person and will open one hour early at 6 to 7 p.m.  Regular Admission will be from 7 to 10 p.m. Get a Two Day Pass for Regular Admission for Visit www.ManhattanBeachFoodandWine.com. The address is 3200 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Manhattan Beach.

Chef Matthew Stowe: JOEY Restaurants – Vancouver, BC Canada