Opening early 2022 is Rainbird,  a new upscale, tasting menu restaurant located in the historic El Capitan Hotel in Merced, California. This dining concept will bring something totally new to the central region of the state, with a focus on experimental and thought-provoking dishes something that has never been done before in Merced (the town known as the “Gateway to Yosemite”).

Helmed by Executive Chef Quentin Garcia, Rainbird will embody California’s Central Valley with a vegetable-forward, five-course tasting menu celebrating the very best of seasonal harvest, rooted in Chef Quentin’s deep relationships with the community and surrounding agricultural region. The experimental concept will epitomize the “farm-to-table” culinary movement while encapsulating Chef Quentin’s impressive international culinary training–from staging in Denmark’s Michelin-starred Dragsholm Slot under world-famous culinary innovator Claus Henrikson to working at The Restaurant at Meadowood in St. Helena and serving as Executive Chef at Blue Note in Napa.

With a team entirely made of Merced locals at Rainbird, Garcia has fostered an inspiring, family-like culture in the kitchen, where his employees are excited to work in an industry that has struggled immensely over the past couple of years.

“At Rainbird we foster an environment of open communication and trust, which makes for an unmatched culture that translates into our dishes and our customer’s experiences,” he explains. “Our goal is to nurture guests through food, and the only way to put forth that nourishment is to work together as a team and infuse positive energy into the best final product and a beautiful plate.”