The Big Sur Food and Wine Festival masters the art of food, place and story.

A culinary experience is oft not relegated solely to the ingredients and how their flavors blend together. How a meal lands on the palate can be highly impressionable, shaped by the elements that surround it: the lighting, the music, the ambiance, the company. If you are hiking to your meal, and that meal is made from local ingredients and paired with a story, does it taste different? If you are enjoying a glass of wine over unadulterated views of the coastline, without another person in sight, can you taste the notes of cherry or black pepper with more clarity?

The Big Sur Food and Wine Festival, an event that draws people from across the country and the world, answers such questions.

“It’s almost like you can’t say you have a favorite child,” says CFO Elsa Rivera, wondering if there is an experience or meal that’s stood out in memory from recent years. “There are so many nuances, and so much joy and engagement that I can leave one event and say, ‘Oh, that’s just my favorite dish’ but go to another event and say, ‘I didn’t think that could be topped, but here we are.’”

The event occurs over the course of three days, from Nov. 6-8. It is decentralized, spread out at various locations and venues in Big Sur, a mix of private and public places. Each event brings its own flavor – in atmosphere and tastings. The festival kicks off Thursday morning with an event called the Magical Mystery Tour, a surprise-driven experience designed to take people to lesser-known spots not typically accessible to the public.

For the active type, there is a Friday morning hike to various destinations, where guests will meet chefs and winemakers along the way, accompanied by the vistas of the region that give it its claim to fame.

The original iteration of the festival took place in 2009, eventually becoming a project under the Big Sur Food & Wine Foundation, a nonprofit charitable fundraiser that was formed in 2016. It is an entirely volunteer-run organization, raising funds through events like the Big Sur Fashion Show and the Food and Wine Festival to give back to the Big Sur community.

Last year, the organization raised over $1 million to address challenges from natural disasters and the pandemic by supporting entities like the Big Sur Health Center, the Big Sur Valley fire brigade, Big Share (a local food distribution center) and the Esselen Tribe. There’s a special emphasis on supporting education and the arts as well, with funds going toward local schools and the Henry Miller Memorial Library.

“We all know that it’s not if something’s going to happen in Big Sur, but when,” says Rivera. “It’s the recovery and the long-term effects of slides, bridges, fires, torrential winters – all in an area that is super sensitive, but with high visitation.”

All participating chefs and sommeliers are volunteers, too. The festival’s chef coordinator, Peggy Giles, works year-round to recruit talent – often returning chefs or new faces she meets at collaborative events like the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s seafood sustainability conference. Winemakers and sommeliers are sourced in a similar way. Past participants have included Chef Tim Eelman of the Village in Big Sur; Christopher Watts, executive chef at Gurney’s Montauk Resort; Jeniece Grimshaw, chef and owner of Bijou Bakery in Cayucos; and Ron Mendoza, baker and owner of Ad Astra.

The sommelier lineup is equally impressive: Mike Trupiano, a specialist in rare wines, and Rajat Parr, three-time James Beard Award winner and co-author of Secrets of the Sommeliers.

This year, there’s a new event: a dinner curated by Indigenous chef Christina Lonewolf Martinez and chef Isabel Escorcia – a celebration of ancestry and the sacred terrain of Big Sur. Led by an all-women team, the reception begins with foraged charcuterie such as blue corn bellini and wild boar salami, followed by courses like acorn flour pasta with foraged mushrooms.

“I love the joy people exude during the events,” Rivera says. “It’s such a connecting experience. Chefs tell me that’s why they return – the grassroots camaraderie.”

BIG SUR FOOD & WINE Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 6-8. Various locations in Big Sur. Price varies depending on the event. bigsurfoodandwine.org/bsfwtickets