Cat Cora to appear at SD Food and Wine Festival 2026
The Line Up at the SD Food + Wine Festival keeps getting more and more impressive for 2026. Joining will be Cat Cora, famously known as the first female IRON CHEF. That’s damn impressive but she’s also a world-renowned chef, author, restaurateur, contributing editor, television host and personality, avid philanthropist, health and fitness expert, lifestyle entrepreneur, and proud mother of six.
On the final day of the SDWF, Cat Cora will team up with Aiden Owens, at Encinitas’ Herb & Sea for an incredible Cali-Mediterranean dinner. Reserve your seat now - it will sell out.
She trained at the CIA (not that one, rather the Culinary Institute of America) and went on to cook at two 3-star Michelin restaurants in France. And yes, if you watched any FoodTV in your past you probably saw her. She’s simply an amazing chef.
In 2006, Cat was awarded Bon Appetit Magazine's "Teacher of the Year Award" and was named the Executive Chef of the magazine. Since then, she has blazed her own trail through the culinary world, becoming the first female inducted into The American Academy of Chefs Culinary Hall of Fame. Cat has opened more than 18 restaurants across the United States and globally, highlighting her platform on health, wellness and sustainability. Cora is also a prominent published author of three successful cookbooks, one children's book and, in 2015, her raw and remarkably candid memoir called Cooking as Fast as I Can: A Chef's Story of Food, Family and Forgiveness.
MORE THAN A GREAT CHEF
Outside the kitchen, Cat is known for her philanthropy. She is President and Founder of Chefs for Humanity, an organization that originated in response to the 2004 Tsunami disaster. Modeled after Doctors Without Borders, the not-for-profit gathers the culinary community together to raise funds and provide resources for important emergency, educational and hunger-related causes. Recognizing Cat's altruistic determination in the food world, UNICEF named her a nutritional spokesperson to help raise awareness for humanitarian crises around the world.
AWARDED BY PRESIDENT OBAMA
In 2018, Chef Cat Cora launched her Women's Empowerment Culinary Internship Program to mentor, give back and help women succeed in the culinary arts. President Barack Obama awarded her The President's Volunteer Service Award for helping to address the most pressing needs in her community and our country and The President's Lifetime Achievement Award for building a stronger nation through her volunteer service.
STILL UNDECIDED WHETHER THE SAN DIEGO WINE + FOOD FESTIVAL IS FOR YOU?
Don’t overthink it. If you like good food, if you’ve ever taken a photo of your food and shared it with friends, if you are guilty of using terms like “umami” or worse, “mouth feel”, then you are definitely going to love this event. Even if you’re not a foodie but just looking for a good way to escape the madness of 2026 then this event is for you.
Just imagine - three hours to wander endless food and wine booths in the glorious San Diego sunshine, taking in the bay views (“why don’t we come down here more often?”), and eating and drinking like there is no tomorrow. If the thought that AI will soon destroy the world is on your mind then take a break and enjoy what’s left of our time on Earth. There’s simply no better way to spend an afternoon than feasting on gourmet bites, sipping great wines, and just loving that we all live in San Diego.
Get your tickets before they sell out. Grab some friends and go! I go every year and I would never miss it and neither should you.