Hail to the Chefs

It seemed like a good way to draw guests to The Ahwahnee Hotel throughout January: Invite some chefs to do cooking demonstrations, mingle at cocktail parties, cook dinners — and play in Yosemite National Park.

Twenty-five years later, Chefs' Holidays at The Ahwahnee has turned into a tradition. And for its anniversary, a host of well-known chefs are showing up.

Among them are Ryan Scott, a native of Modesto and a graduate of Los Banos High School and a contestant on the fourth season of Bravo's "Top Chef." He's cooking with Ariane Duarte and Carla Hall, fifth-season "Top Chef" contenders, on Jan. 27-28.

"Just being in the splendor that is Yosemite is really exciting for me," Scott wrote in an e-mail. "I grew up in the valley, so we used to go up to the park quite often. And what's better than hanging out with my 'TC' friends in Yosemite?"

Through Feb. 4, chefs such as Brad Farmerie, a contestant on Season 2 of Food Network's "The Next Iron Chef," Stephanie Izard, winner of "Top Chef" Season 4, and Sara Moulton, the longtime cooking show host, chef and cookbook author, will take part in Chefs' Holidays. Farmerie and Izard are featured in Session 4 on Jan. 20-21, which Moulton is moderating.

Guests literally eat it up.

"To our guests, the behind-the-scenes tour of The Ahwahnee's kitchen is the highlight, as well as the five-course gala dinner that ends each of the eight sessions," says Kathy Langley, The Ahwahnee's coordinator of Chefs' Holidays.

For the food lovers who attend, all of this luxury comes at a price. Packages for two start at $998 (plus tax) at The Ahwahnee or $694 (plus tax) at Yosemite Lodge at the Falls. These prices include lodging, access to all of the demonstrations and a welcome reception with the chefs, as well as two tickets to the five-course gala dinner at the end of each session. (There are a total of eight sessions; each is two or three days long.)

This story was originally published January 12, 2010 at 6:13 PM with the headline "Hail to the Chefs."