words by Hayden Seder

Now back for its fourth year, the annual Sun Valley Food & Wine Celebration is the area’s premier food and wine event. The brainchild of the Sun Valley Culinary Institute (SVCI), which offers affordable, professional culinary education, the Sun Valley Food & Wine Celebration is five days of VIP experiences and public events, including the gala opening dinner, private chef dinners, cooking classes, demonstrations, tastings, lectures, and more. Join SVCI January 27–31, 2026, for an unforgettable culinary experience.

The Chefs

Each year, SVCI is thrilled to welcome exciting new chefs as well as the return of favorite culinary masters to the Sun Valley Food & Wine Celebration, which has seen the likes of James Beard Award Winners, Chopped champions, Tournament of Champions participants, acclaimed restaurateurs, and Food Network celebrity chefs. This year’s lineup of seventeen chefs is no exception, and includes Barton Seaver, one of the world’s leading sustainable seafood experts and educators; James Beard Award nominee Brother Luck, nationally recognized for his appearances on Top Chef, Chopped, and Beat Bobby Flay; and Kelsey Barnard Clark, the fifth woman and first southerner to win the title of Bravo’s Top Chef and a 2024 James Beard Award nominee for Best Chef: South.

Event Lineup

In addition to the usual lineup of demonstrations, dinners, the Apres Ski Grand Tasting at the Limelight Hotel Ketchum, and Britt’s Burger Bash (open to the community), there are several new events this year, including the Wine Tasting & Seafood Extravaganza at the Limelight Hotel Ketchum, the VIP Gala at the Sun Valley Clubhouse, and a special dinner and DJ at Trail Creek Cabin.

Tuesday, January 27:

-VIP Welcome Reception

-Chefs Steve Phelps and Barton Seaver dinner at a private home

Wednesday, January 28

-Chef Brother Luck Cooking Class

-Passmore Caviar Class

-Chers Barton Seaver and John Sundstrom “Sustainable Seafood Lecture”

-VIP Gala

Thursday, January 29

-Chef Kris Paladino Cooking Class

-Wolfe Cutlery Demonstration Class

-Chef Ethan Stowell Cooking Class

-Chefs Clark, Luck, Randolph, Rescigno, and Sawyer dinner at Trail Creek

-Chefs John Sundstrom and Jason Wilson dinner at a private home

Friday, January 30

-Jonathon Sawyer Ski Day and Lunch

-Apres Ski Grand Tasting

-Chef Joe Sasto and Boich Vineyards dinner at a private home

Saturday, January 31

-Chef Tieghan Gerard Cooking Class

-Chefs Estes and Stewart Cooking Class

-Chef Joe Sasto Cooking Class

-Wine Tasting and Seafood Extravaganza

-Britt’s Burger Bash

-Chef Maria Mazon dinner at a private home

-Chef Ethan Stowell dinner

-Chef Tieghan Gerard dinner at a private home

Tickets

There are two ticket levels that get you into every event of the festival: VIP ($1,650) or Sponsor ($,6,600, which includes two tickets). Individual tickets are also available to the Apres Ski Grand Tasting ($150), the Wine Tasting & Seafood Extravaganza ($125), as well as cooking classes and dinners, which will be released leading up to the event.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit https://www.sunvalleyculinary.org/2026-food-and-wine-celebration.