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Manhattan Beach is about to get a generous serving of Downtown Los Angeles as celebrated chefs from across the country gather as festival founder and producer Shelby Russell and acclaimed Chef Neal Fraser will welcome more than 35 acclaimed chefs to the third annual Manhattan Beach Food & Wine coming to the drift at Manhattan Beach September 25th and 26th.

Who said there can’t be more than one chef stirring the pot?

Stirring several familiar names into one delicious entrée, Neal Fraser of DTLA’s Redbird will help showcase leading restaurants, wineries, premier spirits, handcrafted cocktails, craft breweries, nonalcoholic beverages and live entertainment in a sprawling resort setting.

For Downtown diners, the guest list reads like pages from DTLA’s culinary history—past and present. Fraser will be joined by Holy Basil’s Deau Aprapornnoparat, Poppy + Rose’s Michael Reed and Rossoblu’s Steve Samson, alongside Susan Feniger, whose Border Grill once brought its celebrated modern Mexican cooking to Downtown, and Ray Garcia, who gave DTLA Broken Spanish, B.S. Taqueria and Asterid. They may be gathering several miles west of Downtown, but the chefs, flavors and memories will bring a generous taste of DTLA to Manhattan Beach.

Fraser leads the Downtown contingent from Redbird, his seasonal contemporary American restaurant inside the former rectory adjoining Vibiana. As the festival’s culinary curator and host chef, he will help bring the larger collection of chefs, restaurants and culinary talent together for the two-night celebration.

Chef Deau Aprapornnoparat will represent Holy Basil, the Thai restaurant that earned a devoted following in Downtown before expanding into Atwater Village and Santa Monica. Known for its energetic flavors and modern approach to Thai cooking, Holy Basil adds some welcome heat to the coastal festivities.

Chef Michael Reed will arrive from Poppy + Rose, the popular Downtown restaurant known for Southern-inspired comfort food and brunch, as well as Poppy & Seed in Anaheim. Chef Steve Samson will represent Rossoblu, his DTLA restaurant inspired by the food and traditions of Bologna and Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region.

Susan Feniger also belongs to this Downtown culinary gathering. Feniger and her longtime business partner, Mary Sue Milliken, once operated Border Grill in DTLA, where its colorful atmosphere and modern approach to regional Mexican cuisine made the restaurant a familiar Downtown destination. Anyone who still misses Border Grill will have another opportunity to experience Feniger’s cooking as she joins the festival representing Alice B., Border Grill and Socalo.

Chef Ray Garcia’s ties to Downtown extend across several influential restaurants. He opened Broken Spanish and B.S. Taqueria in DTLA in 2015, bringing national attention to his bold and deeply personal interpretation of Mexican-American cuisine. After Broken Spanish closed during the pandemic, Garcia returned to Downtown in 2022 with Asterid, the sophisticated restaurant he opened inside Walt Disney Concert Hall on Bunker Hill. He now continues the Broken Spanish story through Broken Spanish Comedor.

The wider lineup reaches far beyond Downtown and includes chefs from across Southern California and around the country. Among them are Ludo Lefebvre of Petit Trois, Lord Maynard Llera of Kuya Lord, Sherry Yard of Bakery by the Yard, Aarón Sánchez of Johnny Sánchez in New Orleans, Dean Fearing of Fearing’s in Dallas and Alex Seidel of Mercantile Dining & Provisions in Denver.

The festival will also welcome Vartan Abgaryan of Momed, Yoshiyasu Aiba of Sushi Roku, Jose Baca of westdrift, Brendan Collins of BOA Steakhouse, Shaun Dry of Rock’N Fish, Marco Gagliardi of Josephine, Jeffray Gardner of Marsatta Chocolate, Anthony Greco of Porto’s Bakery and Joel Hammond of Uchi West Hollywood.

Additional participating chefs include Ray Hayashi of Ryla, Imran Khan of Fitoor, David LeFevre of Fishing with Dynamite, MB Post, The Arthur J, Ryla and AttaGirl, Christy Lucchese and Frank Ryan Saporito of Wife and the Somm, Raphael Lunetta of Lunetta, Alice Mai of AttaGirl, Jayro Martinez of Top of the V, Chris Park of The Strand House and Wendy Pomerantz of Bertha Mae’s Brownie Co.

Also appearing are Ben Robinson of Bravo’s “Below Deck,” Ligia Rossi of République, Alan Sanz of Mirate and Daisy Margarita Bar, Rudy Suazo of Maple Block Meat Co., John Sungkamee of Emporium Thai and Emporium Thai Market, Oscar Torres of Verse, and Dustin Trani of J. Trani’s, The Majestic and Trani’s Dockside Station. Culinary students from the Culinary Careers Program will participate as well, with more chefs expected to be announced.

Photos courtesy Manhattan Food & Wine

The festival’s new location gives DTLA food lovers an excuse to turn the tastings into a weekend escape. Situated on 26 acres approximately three miles from LAX, westdrift Manhattan Beach is a 393-room Autograph Collection Hotel with a nine-hole golf course, resort-style pool, CrossFit-inspired fitness center and JUTE Coastal Bar + Kitchen.

Guests can spend the day enjoying the resort and nearby Manhattan Beach before heading into an evening of strolling, sipping and sampling. Exclusive hotel packages are available for those who want to stay for the weekend and enjoy the complete resort experience.

Manhattan Beach Food & Wine will benefit the Culinary Careers Program, commonly known as C•CAP. Long co-chaired by chef Marcus Samuelsson, the workforce-development nonprofit provides underserved teenagers with pathways into careers in the restaurant and hospitality industries.

C•CAP provides culinary instruction, employment preparation and life-skills training in 186 schools across the United States. Its programs serve students throughout Arizona and in Baltimore, Camden, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City and Long Island, Newark, Philadelphia, suburban Maryland and Washington, D.C.

This year’s festival partners include INFINITI as the official vehicle, Delta Air Lines as the official airline, westdrift Manhattan Beach as the official host hotel, San Pellegrino as the official water, Chef Works as the official hospitality apparel provider, Sub-Zero, Wolf and Cove as the official kitchen appliance partner, and Southern California Restaurant Design Group as the official commercial kitchen designer.

The third annual Manhattan Beach Food & Wine takes place Friday, September 25, and Saturday, September 26, 2026, at westdrift Manhattan Beach. Delta VIP Early Entry runs from 6 to 7 p.m., followed by regular admission from 7 to 10 p.m. Both evenings are restricted to guests ages 21 and older. Tickets and hotel packages are available at ManhattanBeachFoodandWine.com.

Manhattan Beach can borrow our chefs for two nights of luxury, fun and good eats—but they have to promise to give them back.