Acacia House at Las Alcobas Napa Valley, a newly opened Luxury Collection Hotel in St. Helena, is thrilled to unveil the guest chef lineup for the first annual Feast of the Seven Cultures dinner series. Hosted by Acacia House partner and celebrity chef Chris Cosentino (Cockscomb, San Francisco; Jackrabbit, Portland) and business partner, Oliver Wharton, the weeklong dinner event will feature six star-studded guest chefs who will each create a one-night-only tasting menu based on the country they represent. The countries featured in the series include Mexico, France, Portugal, Germany, Spain, Italy, and California, which all represent the seven wine regions in which the concept for Acacia House is based.

The dinners, which take place beginning December 18th through December 24th, will feature a 5-course menu with both plated and family-style dishes.

Feast of the Seven Cultures Guest Chef Lineup

Monday, December 18

Roland Passot (La Folie, San Francisco) – France

Tuesday, December 19

Traci Des Jardins (Jardinière, San Francisco) – Mexico

Wednesday, December 20

Abraham Conlon and Adrienne Lo (Fat Rice, Chicago) – Portugal

Thursday, December 21

Paul Kahan (Blackbird, avec, Big Star and most recently, Publican Anker, Chicago) – Germany

Friday, December 22

Jamie Bissonnette (Toro, Boston) – Spain

Saturday, December 23

Staffan Terje (Perbacco, San Francisco) – Italy

Sunday, December 24

Chris Cosentino (Acacia House, St. Helena) – California

Tickets are on sale now through Tock. The dinners are $190 per person (excluding tax and gratuity) with an optional beverage pairing for $95. Two seatings are available at 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. A portion of proceeds from the dinners will go to Napa Valley Community Disaster Relief Fund.

One of Wine Country’s most anticipated restaurant openings, Acacia House by Chris Cosentino (1915 Main Street, St. Helena, CA 94574), debuted in Napa Valley in May 2017. Partners Chris Cosentino (Cockscomb, San Francisco; Jackrabbit, Portland) and Oliver Wharton introduced their new concept at Las Alcobas Napa Valley, A Luxury Collection Hotel, to critical acclaim and earned 3.5 stars by the San Francisco Chronicle. Offering an inventive approach to relaxed Napa Valley fare, Acacia House honors its Wine Country location with unique regional wines complemented by select European accents. Set within the historical Acacia House dating back to 1907, the restaurant reflects the rustic, convivial atmosphere of the former inn with updated elements from celebrated design team Yabu Pushelberg. Las Alcobas Napa Valley is a co-development between Las Alcobas Hotels and Resorts Founder and CEO Samuel Leizorek and Managing Principals Guneet Bajwa and Sushil Patel of Presidio Companies. Acacia House is open seven days a week from 7:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. for breakfast; 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for lunch; 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. for dinner; and bar and lounge service from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Chef Roland Passot

French-born chef Roland Passot is the owner of La Folie and the more casual, Left Bank Brasseries. Chef Passot grew up in Lyon, the culinary capitol of France, and began cooking as an apprentice at the age of fifteen. Trained by some of France’s most famous chefs, Passot soon became an assistant sous-chef to Chef Jean Paul Lacombe, the two Michelin star chef of French Gastronomic institution Léon de Lyon. Chef Roland has been awarded the James Beard Award for Best Rising Star Chef in 1990, James Beard Best Chef in California 2005-2007, Inducted into the Maitres Cuisinier de France in 1991, Best Food and Best French Restaurant by Zagat in 2002, Best French Restaurant in 7×7 Magazine, 4-stars by the San Francisco Magazine, 4-stars by the San Francisco Chronicle, and has been on the Top 100 Restaurant List since 1998 (when it was first published), in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Chef Traci Des Jardins

Growing up in California’s agriculture-rich central valley, Chef Traci Des Jardins (James Beard Foundation Award for “Best Chef: Pacific” 2007, Jardinière, Mijita, Public House) is current Chef/Partner of The Presidio-based The Commissary (Esquire’s “Top 10 Restaurants in the Nation” 2014), Arguello, and Transit. With over 25 years in the San Francisco culinary community, Des Jardins leverages her classical French training alongside some of America’s preeminent chefs to lead restaurant concepts each acclaimed for their dynamic kitchen approach. Recognized as one of the country’s top female chefs, Des Jardins also sits on the board of the local non-profit La Cocina as a dedicated philanthropist in addition to advising Impossible Foods on the company’s revolutionary plant-based Impossible Burger.

Chef Abraham Conlon & Partner Adrienne Lo

Impacted by his Portuguese heritage and his surrounding Lowell, MA, community’s strong Southeast Asian presence, Chef Abraham Conlon (James Beard Foundation Best Chef Award Finalist, Star Chefs “Rising Star” 2015) first founded underground culinary experience X-marx with partner Adrienne Lo. The two’s current venture, Fat Rice (Bon Appetit “Best New Restaurant,” Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand) opened in 2012 as the harmonization of Abraham’s & Adrienne’s rich culinary upbringing with culinary exploration and preservation. Conlon and Lo have since opened two adjoining concepts The Bakery at Fat Rice, a Chinese Bakery and evening petisco bar, as well as Chinese gambling hall-inspired cocktail lounge The Ladies’ Room in 2016 before releasing their first cookbook, The Adventures of Fat Rice, exploring the vibrant food culture of Macau.

Chef Paul Kahan

Over the past two decades, One Off Hospitality’s Executive Chef and Partner Paul Kahan has become the nationally recognizable face of Chicago chefs. Passionately seasonal and unconventionally creative, Paul has received international acclaim for Blackbird, avec, The Publican, Big Star, Publican Quality Meats, Nico Osteria, Dove’s Luncheonette, Publican Quality Bread, Publican Tavern and most recently, Publican Anker. Awarded the coveted honor of Outstanding Chef by the James Beard Foundation in 2013 and Best Chef of the Midwest in 2004, Paul has earned the praise of many who claim him to be one of America’s most influential working chefs. In September 2017, Paul released his long-anticipated debut cookbook, Cheers to The Publican, with co-author and mentee, Chef Cosmo Goss, of The Publican and the forthcoming Pacific Standard Time.

Chef Jamie Bissonnette

Chef Jamie Bissonnette (James Beard Award Best Chef: Northeast 2014), co-helms NYC and Boston’s most popular tapas destination Toro as well as Boston’s beloved Italian enoteca Coppa. Winner of Food Network’s Chopped series as well as Food & Wine first ever People’s Choice Best New Chef, Bissonnette champions nose-to-tail cuisine as both a past winner and judge of the Cochon nose-to-tail competition. After debuting The New Charcuterie Cookbook in 2014 (his first), Bissonnette opened Toro Bangkok, Toro Dubai in addition to globally inspired Cambridge, MA, eatery Little Donkey alongside Co-Chef/Owner Ken Oringer (James Beard Award, Best New Chef North East 2001).

Chef Staffan Terje

Surrounded by fresh produce growing up on grandfather’s Swedish farm outside of Stockholm, Chef Staffan Terje (Piatti Ristorante, Scala’s Bistro) applies his classical French training to the West Coast’s bounty of local ingredient as Chef/Partner of Italian-driven San Francisco restaurant Perbacco. Cooking in the Bay Area for over three decades, Terje’s time-tested culinary approach earned him the opportunity to cook at The James Beard House in New York City. Concurrently running Perbacco’s sister concept barbacco eno trattoria just next door, Chef Terje maintains the same quality-driven tenets that bedrock each concepts’ respective seasonal menus.

Chef Chris Cosentino

Channeling his vision for whole animal cookery, Chris Cosentino (Next Iron Chef America, Top Chef Masters Winner) is the chef and co-owner of San Francisco’s celebrated Cockscomb (San Francisco Chronicle 3-star restaurant), Portland, OR’s newly-opened Jackrabbit and Napa Valley’s Acacia House at Las Alcobas, a Luxury Collection Hotel. The chef & co-creator of, Beginning his first executive chef position began at Incanto in 2002, Cosentino went on to co-create Boccalone artisanal salumeria before opening Cockscomb in 2014. The author of Beginnings: My Way To Start A Meal (Potter/Ten Speed/Harmony), Cosentino most recently released Offal Good: Cooking From The Heart, With Guts (Clarkson Potter) as a resource for mastering how to cook and honor the animals we eat in 2017.