RELISH returns to Newport Beach with a feast of food, wine and spirits
By DIANNE RUSSELL
From Stu News Arts: Celebrating the people, places and performances that make Southern California’s arts community extraordinary. More at www.stunewsarts.com.
To the delight of culinary enthusiasts, RELISH: A Food, Wine & Spirits Experience made its debut in Newport Beach in 2025. Co-created by chef and Newport Beach resident Jamie Gwen and Cobalt Events planner Nicole Hirsty, RELISH brought Food Network chefs, wine purveyors and foodies together for a dazzling celebration of culinary creativity, fine wine and the people who make the region’s food scene so extraordinary.
Click on photo for a larger image
Photos courtesy of RELISH
Chefs and artisans participating in the RELISH experience: (L-R) Geoffrey Zakarian, Chef Sherry Yard, Chef Scott Conant, Chef Kat Turner, Cheesemaster Afrim Pristine, Chef Katie Chin and Chef Jamie Gwen
From October 2-4, RELISH returns for another three-day world-class epicurean experience. The country’s most iconic chefs deliver a variety of experiences, including intimate cooking demonstrations, winemaker seminars and spirit tastings, a master class in cheese, pastry enlightenment and more, all spread throughout the weekend event.
Longtime friends (they met the first day of seventh grade) Gwen and Hirsty were inspired to create RELISH after the pandemic. They saw an opportunity to create a new, more intimate culinary experience.
Click on photo for a larger image
Chef Jamie Gwen speaks at last year’s inaugural event; Nicole Hirsty is at the far right
Gwen came from a food background, although growing up, she didn’t dream of becoming a chef.
“I never anticipated going to culinary school,” she said. “I should have gone to law school. My mother had a cafe and bakery when I was in my teens and I ended up working for Wolfgang Puck at an early age, even before culinary school.”
Click on photo for a larger image
Some of the culinary offerings at last year’s event
Gwen was raised by a mom who cooked like the army was coming to dinner. “We celebrated around food,” she said. “I recently lost my mom and she loved RELISH; she was so proud last year. I grew up around food, immersed in it and with a tremendous love for it, so trying to parlay that passion into new experiences and opportunities as an entrepreneur is the inspiration behind the creation of RELISH.”
Click on photo for a larger image
Attendees enjoy the beautiful venue
Gwen admits they were crazy enough to do it again.
“I’m very delighted, proud and humbled to be going into our second year of RELISH, “Gwen said. “My business partner Nicole Hirsty and I set out to create the most bespoke, sophisticated, fabulous and high-level food, wine and spirits event that we could dream up and we’re grateful our inaugural year was so well received.”
Beyond being business partners, according to Gwen, theirs is a “best friendship” that has spanned many years. “RELISH is a business, but it is very much a passion project for both of us, and we really hope that that comes through,” she said.
Click on photo for a larger image
Guests at 2025 RELISH relish the cuisine
What sets RELISH apart from other culinary events, Gwen explained, is the opportunity for food, wine and spirits lovers in our community to experience top-level talent that otherwise doesn’t always come to Orange County. That alone is a reason to come celebrate. “All of the events are unique in their own way over the course of three days,” she said. “We highlight chefs, artisans and new spirits. It’s a bounty of delicious things to bring the community together. We’re very proud and grateful; that’s essentially the essence of RELISH.”
Click open story button to continue reading…
Certainly, RELISH is a unique name.
“Newport has lots of wonderful food events and they’re all fabulous, but we wanted to set ourselves apart and raise the bar,” Gwen said. “We came up with 100 different names and then got a group of mentors, business leaders and comrades together and ranked all the names. We settled on relish…using that word to describe the deepest food level experience. It’s the opportunity to relish in all of it and it’s a shared love of coming together, toasting and tasting, sipping and savoring.”
Click on photo for a larger image
Gwen and Hirsty launched RELISH in 2025 at VEA Newport Beach
The countdown is on. The weekend of October 2-4 kicks off with opening night at VEA Newport Beach, then continues at Marriott Resort & Spa, ANQI at Bloomingdale’s South Coast Plaza and Park Club Costa Mesa.
VEA Resort Newport Beach hosts the Opening Night Cocktail Party & Grand Tasting on October 2 from 5-8 p.m.
Guests will mingle with the event’s star-studded culinary lineup featuring celebrity chefs Geoffrey Zakarian, Scott Conant, Sherry Yard, Kat Turner, Katie Chin and Jamie Gwen, Maitre Fromager Afrim Pristine and Sommelier Rebecca Rose Phillips, while enjoying an evening of chef-curated hors d’oeuvres, interactive food and drink pop-ups, handcrafted cocktails and award-winning wines.
The celebration continues with RELISH After Hours.
Click on photo for a larger image
Innovative cuisine highlights RELISH 2025
Saturday offers a full day of culinary discovery, beginning with Fashion + Food at ANQI at Bloomingdale’s South Coast Plaza from 11 a.m.-1 p.m., followed by The Art of Cheese & Wine at The Park Club from 2:30-3:30 p.m. and culminating with the RELISH Culinary Icons Dinner + Sip & Savor Cocktail Hour from 5:30-10 p.m.
Sunday brings the RELISH Burger+Bubbles Brunch at VEA from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. The weekend concludes with RELISH in Wellness, a revitalizing retreat from 12-2:30 p.m.
Is there anything Gwen is particularly excited for food lovers to taste this year? “So many things. New additions to relish this year include lots of new spirits.” They’re expanding their bourbon tastings with rye from the South that is aged in Syrah casks that Gwen said is extraordinary. They also have plenty of caviar this year, and she’s very excited about a new creation from chef Sherry Yard (of Wolfgang Puck fame) known as the ‘queen of pastry.’
“Sherry is brioche happy lately and she’s doing a brioche donut with vanilla sugar and homemade raspberry jam. We have a signature dessert of hers we have not disclosed; it’s being served Saturday night at our Culinary Icons dinner.”
Last year the theme of Sunday brunch was sushi and donuts.
“Everyone thought that was crazy, but I’m always excited about brunch. Those were two of my favorite things in the world and brunch is just a wonderful way to mix and mingle with other foodies. It’s casual and everything was very well received. This year we’re doing burgers and bubbles and I’m not sure what’s better than free-flowing champagne and sliders, so I’m all for that at 10 a.m. on Sunday morning,” said Gwen.
Although she has been in the business and in the public eye for many years, Gwen is still inspired by bringing people and food together.
“I’ve had a very blessed career and I’m grateful,” she said. “It’s been media-centric but the opportunity to be one-on-one and face-to-face with people who are really enjoying what we’ve created is very satisfying to me.”
Gwen is quick to offer accolades to Hirsty for her creative input. “Nicole’s a design genius and the way that she produced RELISH from an event planning standpoint is such a testament to her talent. She founded Cobalt Events and has owned it for almost 25 years, and in my opinion, she is the top event planner in Los Angeles. She has a long, illustrious list of clients.”
There is still a little space available left for RELISH. However, the event is nearing the point when it sold out last year, so grab your tickets.
“Come join us,” Gwen said. “Nicole and I are very excited about it and we’re going to relish it for sure.”
For tickets and the complete RELISH event schedule, go to www.relishfoodwine.com.
From Stu News Arts: Celebrating the people, places and performances that make Southern California’s arts community extraordinary. More at www.stunewsarts.com.
