Annual Napa Valley Food and Wine Pairing Competition Enters
6th Year Supporting Numerous Non-Profit Organizations
March 14, 2025 (St. Helena, CA) — HALL Napa Valley, a family-owned producer of exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon, is thrilled to announce details about the highly anticipated Cabernet Cookoff, returning on Saturday, April 12, at HALL St. Helena. Presented by The Coeur Foundation, this dynamic annual event brings together an incredible lineup of top culinary teams, all competing to win proceeds for a nonprofit of their choice through an exciting food and wine pairing competition. Ticket proceeds go directly to the non-profit organizations.
“Hosting this event for the 16th year is incredibly rewarding,” says Vintner Kathryn Hall. “I couldn’t be more thrilled! Bringing together fellow food and wine enthusiasts for a spirited pairing competition allows us to strengthen our commitment to the community and its many diverse organizations.”
Guests can choose between two ticket options. The VIP Ticket offers access to an exclusive vertical wine tasting with Kathryn Hall, Mike Reynolds, and Megan Gunderson from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., along with in-and-out access to the VIP Lounge and entry to the main event. The Main Event Ticket provides access to the lively competition from 12:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Competing chef teams will showcase their culinary creativity by crafting a small dish they believe pairs perfectly with HALL Jack’s Masterpiece Cabernet Sauvignon—an acclaimed wine that has earned high praise from the industry’s top critics. Adding to the excitement, the 2025 Cabernet Cookoff marks the official public release of the highly anticipated 2022 vintage of HALL Jack’s Masterpiece Cabernet Sauvignon.
Guests will have the opportunity to taste 15 unique dishes alongside Jack’s Masterpiece Cabernet Sauvignon and cast their votes for two People’s Choice winners based on pairing, plating and taste. Meanwhile, a distinguished panel of celebrity judges will evaluate the pairings to determine two Judges’ Choice winners. In total, four winners will be crowned—two selected by the attending guests and two by the celebrity judges—making for an unforgettable afternoon of exceptional food, wine, and friendly competition.
Participating 2025 Cabernet Cookoff chef teams and the nonprofit organizations they have each selected to compete include:
- The Grill at Silverado Resort
Chef Patrick Prager Nonprofit Partner: No Kid Hungry - Movida Lounge
Chef Kevin Schantz Nonprofit Partner: La Casa De La Madres - Colibri Mexican Bistro
Chef Edgar Castro Nonprofit Partner: California Restaurant Foundation - Oak Avenue Catering
Chef Chao Bishop Nonprofit Partner: Napa Humane Society - Parche
Chef Paul Iglesias Nonprofit Partner: Building Futures - Farmhouse Restaurant at Farmhouse Inn
Chef Craig Wilmer Nonprofit Partner: AbleGamers - Luce Restaurant & Bar
Chef Dennis Efthymiou Nonprofit Partner: CA Pitbull Rescue - Hi Neighbor Hospitality: The Vault Steakhouse
Chef Jason Halverson Nonprofit Partner: Sprouts Chef Training - The Grove at Copia
Chef Cheyenne Simpkins Nonprofit Partner: The Bill Briwa Scholarship - One Market Restaurant
Chef Mark Dommen Nonprofit Partner: Breakthrough T1D - Oenotri
Chef Tyler Rodde Nonprofit Partner: CASA, A Voice for Children - Il Posto Trattoria
Chef Justin Graffigna Nonprofit Partner: Horn Heart Foundation - Broma Restaurant at Shashi Hotel
Chef Jarad Gallagher Nonprofit Partner: Love and Second Chances - Meyhouse
Chef Omer Artun Nonprofit Partner: Farming Hope - French Corner Napa
Chef Adam Rowley Nonprofit Partner: Share the Care Napa Valley
2025 Cabernet Cookoff event sponsors include Almaden, Aloha Collection, Bright Rentals, Cypress Grove, Central Valley, Elvia Moreno Flowers, Glass Tats, HALL Napa Valley, Harvest Sanitation, KLH Consulting, Inc., Kollar Chocolates, Napa Sonoma Magazine, Private Spring Water, The Right Sound, and Valley Valet.
WHAT: 16th Annual Cabernet Cookoff presented by The Coeur Foundation
WHEN: Saturday, April 12, 2025
TWO TICKET OPTIONS
- VIP TICKET: 11:00am-12:00pm Vertical Tasting, $300pp (includes below)
12:00pm-2:30pm – In/Out VIP Lounge Access + Main Event - MAIN EVENT TICKET: 12:00pm-2:30pm, $150pp
WHERE: HALL St. Helena
401 St. Helena Hwy. S. St.
Helena, CA 94574
(707) 967-2626
TICKETS: To purchase tickets, please visit: www.hallwines.com/cabernetcookoff Since inception, Cabernet Cookoff has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for non-profit 501c3 organizations all over the country. For more information on how to get involved as a culinary team, sponsor, or non-profit organization, please visit The Coeur Foundation.
ABOUT HALL FAMILY WINES
HALL Family Wines is a family-owned winery renowned for producing world-class wines from exceptional vineyards throughout California and Oregon. Entering their fifth decade of winemaking, the HALL family, led by Craig and Kathryn Hall, continues to craft high-quality Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, and other varietals under the HALL, WALT, and BACA brands. The winery operates six tasting rooms: HALL St. Helena, HALL Rutherford, HALL Palm Springs, WALT Sonoma, WALT Oxbow, and BACA Healdsburg. With a commitment to artisanal craftsmanship, HALL Family Wines aims to reflect the unique character of their twelve estate vineyards, including Rainin, Sacrashe and Bergfeld located in Napa, Bob’s Ranch and BACA Estate in Sonoma, Clos Pepe Estate in Santa Barbara, and The Corners Vineyard in Anderson Valley to name a few. Vice President of Winemaking Megan Gunderson oversees the meticulous attention to detail that ensures each wine expresses the distinct soils and climates of these regions. Sustainability is integral to HALL’s operations. The HALL St. Helena winery was the first in California to achieve LEED® Gold Certification in 2009, and it received another gold certification for its gravity flow facility and tasting room in 2014. The estate vineyards are certified sustainable by the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance and Fish Friendly Farming, with two vineyards also holding organic certification. Additionally, HALL has 1.5 acres of solar panels on the rooftop at HALL St. Helena, which reduces CO2 emissions by over 900 metric tons annually. For more information, visit hallwines.com, waltwines.com, and bacawines.com, or call 707-967-2626. Follow @hallwines, @waltwines, and @bacawines for updates and to join the conversation.
ABOUT The Coeur Foundation
The Coeur Foundation is committed to empowering individuals and organizations in the Napa and Sonoma Valley regions to enhance and enrich various initiatives. This dedication is manifested through various initiatives, notably its annual Cabernet Cookoff event, aimed at fundraising for local non-profit organizations by way of a food and wine pairing competition. These endeavors aim to help bolster the wine country community, fostering the arts and entrepreneurship and enhancing public schools, health, and wellness. Derived from the French word for “heart,” The Coeur Foundation is guided by the foundational values of C.A.R.E. (Community, Arts, Responsibility, and Entrepreneurship). The Coeur Foundation directs its philanthropic investments towards initiatives that resonate with these principles. For further details, please visit www.coeurfoundation.org.
