Food and wine lovers are invited to mingle with the country’s top celebrity chefs and winemakers at the fourth annual Montana Master Chefs, taking place September 30 through October 3, at The Resort at Paws Up, a luxury ranch resort created for guests with a true passion for exquisite food, exceptional wines, and the eagerness to experience the pristine Montana wilderness. “Each of the featured chefs will prepare a five-course menu, paired with wine from several select Napa Valley vintners,” notes Larry Lipson, co-owner of The Resort at Paws Up. An all-inclusive couples package starts at $4,323, which offers three meals per day including evening dinners with featured chefs and wine pairings by select vintners; Champagne welcome; wine tastings; fly fishing, horseback riding, ATV tours, sporting clays, and other activities; airport transfers, on-property transportation, and much more. (800/473-0601, www.montanamasterchefs.com) JANE SHIOMI
Participating this year as featured and guest chefs are:
• Mark Peel, executive chef and owner, Campanile Restaurant, Los Angeles; co-author of several books; just opened Tar Pit, Los Angeles
• Brian Bistrong, executive chef and owner, Braeburn Restaurant, New York
• Wes Coffel, executive chef, The Resort at Paws Up, Montana
• Lee Anne Wong, visiting chef and alumni ambassador, the French Culinary Institute, New York; media personality and cheftestant (Season 1), Bravo TV Top Chef, and supervising culinary producer, Bravo TV Top Chef and Top Chef Masters
• Dale Levitski, executive chef, Sprout, Chicago, and runner-up Bravo TV Top Chef (Season 3)
The selected vintners include:
• Trefethen Family Vineyards, Napa, California: Family owned and operated vineyards since 1968. Notable varietal include 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon
• Merry Edwards Winery, Sebastopol, California: Owned and operated by one of the few female winemakers, these outstanding wines are made from carefully hand-harvested grapes found in the Russian River Valley
• Grgich Hills Estate, Rutherford, California: Family owned and producers of world-class certified organic and Biodynamic wines in Napa Valley
