I know it's hard to think about the holidays in July, but the ever popular (and pricey) 12 Days of Christmas dinner series lineup at The Restaurant at Meadowood was announced this week, and the high-rolling foodinistas among you might want to snag some reservations before they're gone.
As it has for the last six years, the benefit dinner series calls highly respected chefs from around the world to come to St. Helena and cook alongside chef Christopher Kostow in his Michelin three-star kitchen. Among the big names this year are S.F.'s own Corey Lee (Benu) and recent Food & Wine Best New Chef honoree Blaine Wetzel of The Willows Inn on Lummi Island outside Bellingham, Washington. And, as always, each chef is paired with a Napa or Sonoma vintner who will provide all the pairings for the evening.
While expensive, these five-plus-course dinners are a super-luxe way to kick off the holiday season, as I can attest, and make for a special and remote-seeming one-night getaway, if you have the means. As in past years, the final night of the series, on December 20, will be helmed by Kostow himself.
The dinners start on Friday, December 5 with chef Matthew Orlando of Amass Restaurant in Copenhagen. Tickets start at $395 per person ($750 per person for chef's counter tickets), for dinner, and there are packages with one-night stays at the resort (probably recommended if you plan to drink, and you don't live in St. Helena) which are $1375 per couple for weekday events and $1450 per couple for weekend events, plus tax & gratuity. The price includes dinner for two and one night’s lodging at Meadowood, as well as a copy of Chef Kostow’s upcoming book, A New Napa Cuisine.
Proceeds from the dinners will benefit both The Holly Cranston Memorial Fund, which helps children with disabilities and their families; and the Napa Emergency Women's Services, which provides support for victims of domestic violence.
Below, see this year's promo video.
Day 1: Friday, December 5
Chef Matthew Orlando of Amass Restaurant, Copenhagen, Denmark
Armand de Maigret, The Hilt / Jonata
Day 2: Saturday, December 6
Chefs Frank Castronovo & Frank Falcinelli of Frankies Spuntino and Prime Meats, Brooklyn, NY
Boots Brounstein, Diamond Creek Vineyards
Day 3: Tuesday, December 9
Chef Kobe Desramaults of In De Wulf, Dranouter, Belgium
Ted and Heidi Lemon, Littorai Wines
Day 4: Wednesday, December 10
Chef Alexandre Gauthier of La Grenouillère, La Madelaine sous Montreuil, France
Mark Malpiede, Williams Selyem
Day 5: Thursday, December 11
Chef Blaine Wetzel of The Willows Inn, Lummi Island, WA
Ehren Jordan and Anne-Marie Failla, FAILLA
Day 6: Friday, December 12
Chef Joshua McFadden of Ava Gene's and Roman Candle Baking Co., Portland, OR
John and Maggy Kongsgaard, Kongsgaard
Day 7: Saturday, December 13
Chef Virgilio Martínez of Central, Lima, Peru and Lima London, London, England
Mondavi Family, Continuum Estate
Day 8: Tuesday, December 16
Chef Grant Achatz of Alinea, Next and The Aviary, Chicago, IL
Cam Baker and Kate Solari Baker, Larkmead Vineyards
Day 9: Wednesday, December 17
Chef Corey Lee of Benu and Monsieur Benjamin, San Francisco, CA
Steve and Jill Klein Matthiasson, Matthiasson
Day 10: Thursday, December 18
Chef Esben Holmboe Bang of Maaemo, Oslo, Norway
Joe Wender and Ann Colgin, Colgin Cellars
Day 11: Friday, December 19
Chef Ignacio Mattos, Estela, New York, NY
Mr. and Mrs. Hi Sang Lee, DANA Estates
Day 12: Saturday, December 20
Chef Christopher Kostow, The Restaurant at Meadowood, St. Helena, CA
H. William and Deborah Harlan, BOND
