A Taste of Yosemite Showcases Flavors of America at Beloved Yosemite National Park

Fiona Chandra

Yosemite National Park may not be on typical winter destination radar, but A Taste of Yosemite brings food lovers there in cold weather. Each winter, some of America’s most renowned chefs gather at Majestic Yosemite Hotel for eight sessions of culinary celebrations. This year, the 32nd Annual Taste of Yosemite will be throughout January and February. In the heart of Yosemite National Park, the festival at AAA four-diamond Majestic Yosemite Hotel will showcase the flavors of American cuisine against the backdrop of one of the country’s most famous national parks.

Each session begins with a Meet the Chefs Reception at the Solarium on Sundays, followed by three culinary demonstrations on Mondays and Tuesdays. There are dinners at the Majestic Dining Room on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and another Meet the Chefs Reception takes place on Wednesday evenings. The gala dinners consist of a five-course meal prepared by visiting chefs amid the chandeliers, pine trestles and granite pillars of the dining room.

The series kicks off on Monday, Jan. 8 with Chefs Victor Scargle (Boisset Collection, Napa Valley), Maria Hines (Tilth, Seattle), and Ryan Scott (Market & Rye, San Francisco). Other chefs who will be participating in the sessions include Anita Lo (Annisa, New York), Gayle Pirie and John Clark (Foreign Cinema, San Francisco), Suzanne Goin (Lucques, Los Angeles), among others. In the final week, instead of a cooking demonstration, guests will have the chance to partake in a cheese tasting with Sue Conley and Peggy Smith from Cowgirl Creamery.

Tickets to each session are $199 per person. Each ticket includes one of the gala dinners for that session and all other events. Session and lodging packages are also available starting from $265 per person based on double occupancy. Lodging options for the packages include Majestic Yosemite Hotel and the Yosemite Valley Lodge.  Free event-specific shuttle bus transportation will be provided between Yosemite Valley Lodge and Majestic Yosemite Hotel.

A Taste of Yosemite runs Jan. 8 – Feb. 3. Tickets and lodging packages are here.