Beyond the banquet

Pictured above: Stanford Inn & Resort, Mendocino

Tired of the same old meetings and standard banquet fare? Throughout California, resorts and event spaces are flipping the script on the standard meeting experience with chef-driven food, interactive culinary experiences and more, designed to make your next event a memorable one.

Hotels & resorts with elevated culinary experiences

Stanford Inn & Resort

The only 100% plant-based resort in the US, the Stanford Inn by The Sea Historic Farm & Eco-Resort on the Mendocino coast shares the secrets from its award-winning vegan restaurant, Ravens, through a variety of cooking classes for corporate groups. The inn itself offers holistic luxury with gorgeous views, beautifully appointed rooms, a day spa and a saltwater pool.

The Ahwahnee

For a culinary adventure in Yosemite, plan your event in the fall or winter to take advantage of one of three food and wine events the historic Ahwahnee Hotel hosts. Depending on the event, you’ll get to meet chefs, vintners or experience the hotel transformed into an English manor hall. 

Appellation Lodi

With nine distinct meeting spaces, the Appellation Lodi - Wine & Roses Resort and Spa in Lodican host events of all sizes. A popular add-on is its seasonal, curated culinary, baking and tasting classes that elevate the standard meeting.

Rosewood Miramar Beach

Swap the banquet room in Montecito for the beehive through the Rosewood Miramar BeachBeekeeping Experience led by Executive Chef Partner Massimo Falsini. Under his guidance, groups can explore the on-site apiary and then suit up and harvest their own honey from the hive. Each team member will go home with a jar of the honey they helped make.

The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage 

At The Ritz-Carlton Rancho Mirage, the food and beverage team is happy to get outside the kitchen or out from behind the bar to share their knowledge with your group. Chefs are on hand to teach your team how to make homemade pasta or tapas, while sommeliers and master mixologists lead tequila and whiskey tastings and share their secrets to sensory wine tasting.

Estancia La Jolla

Enclosed on 10 acres in Torrey Pines, Estancia La Jolla offers more than 47,000 sq. feet of meeting space. That’s a whole lot of area for your team to collaborate during fun experiences like salsa-making competitions and mixology lessons in barrel aging.

Creative spaces for interactive food experiences

Matson Vineyards

Book an event at Redding’s boutique Matson Vineyards, and not only will you get a bucolic atmosphere and stellar wines like claret and shiraz, but you’ll also have the opportunity to create an interactive dinner hosted by a local guest chef. 

Amador Adventures

One of the top fine dining restaurants in Amador County, Taste Restaurant & Wine Bar can accommodate groups of up to 60 people. A unique group experience is having Chef Micah prepare classic dishes tableside, with recipes tips and tricks provided. Vino Noceto Winery also provides the perfect pairing of wine and painting for your next team-building event.

Bricoleur Vineyards

With a stunning location just outside Healdsburg in Sonoma, Bricoleur Vineyards offers meeting planners a variety of venue spaces, allowing them to create a special event in several ways. Get your team out in the culinary garden with a lesson in regenerative farming taught by Farmer Mikey, don an apron and toque to make pasta with a chef or sit down to a wine-paired dinner hosted by Executive Chef Todd Knoll. 

Wilson Creek Winery

It’s time for your team to roll up their pants and get their feet dirty. At Temecula’sWilson Creek Winery, the Grape Stomp Experience is a feet-on adventure where teams stomp grapes and race to see who can fill their bucket first. If you’re looking for a less messy experience, challenge your team to blend their own wines in the Wine Blending Competition. 

The Gourmandise School

At The Gourmandise School, there’s no such thing as too many cooks in the kitchen! The Santa Monica culinary studio offers professional chef-led interactive cooking classes, tastings and workshops that make food the star of your event. 

Buena Park Bests

In Buena Park, craft the perfect cocktail adventure for your team at The Cauldron Bar, a French bar and restaurant where your team can concoct their own cocktails and mocktails, or at Beach Boulevard Club, a speakeasy that transports teams back in time. Or if you want to bring out the team’s inner child, a night at Medieval Times pairs a hearty feast with thrilling jousts and falcon fights. 

For your next event, don’t settle for a typical conference when California's culinary scene offers everything from pasta-making in wine country to beekeeping by the beach. Instead, transform your next corporate gathering into an experience that nourishes both body and team spirit.