Gateway To Big Sur Presented By Hyatt Carmel Highlands And The Big Sur Food And Wine Festival To Kick Off On Thursday, November 1, 2012, At The Hyatt

Hyatt Carmel Highlands, located at 121 Highlands Drive in the Carmel Highlands, long known as the legendary location for culinary talent and host of the world famous Masters of Food and Wine announced today they will serve as the lead sponsor and host of the opening event of the Big Sur Food and Wine Festival.

Join us on Thursday, November 1st from 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. for the Gateway to Big Sur presented by the Hyatt Carmel Highlands and Big Sur Food and Wine Festival. The Gateway to Big Sur entices the palate in a celebration of local flair and regional flavor in the epicenter of culinary innovation.

The Hyatt Carmel Highlands will be transformed into an enchanting oasis featuring thirty-five vintners, menu tastings from eighteen notable chefs including the Hyatt Carmel Highlands Chef Matt Bolton and two guest chefs from two Hyatt West Coast properties and live entertainment There will be wines from Pisoni, Talbott, Chappellet, Continuum, Au Bon Climat, andmore, all paired with great foods from chefs including Matt Bolton at the Hyatt Carmel Highlands, Kent Torrey of the Cheese Shop, Domingo SantaMaria of Deetjens Big Sur Inn, Truman Jones of the Restaurant at Ventana Inn and Spa and other culinary personalities.

Hyatt Carmel Highlands will be bringing in two guest chefs for this opening event:

Greg Lopez, Executive Chef for Two Hyatt Hotels in Seattle as well as Urbane

A New Jersey native, Chef Greg earned his culinary arts degree from The New England Culinary Institute and has spent more than 10 years in fine dining establishments, boutique hotels and resorts. His goal in the kitchen is to take Mother Nature's bounty, highlight technical skills and present each dish with a chef's whimsy.

Chef Greg oversees four kitchens in the two Hyatt Hotels in Seattle as well as Urbane. The much loved and lauded multi-award-winning restaurant Urbane continues to tantalize the tastebuds with its degustation delights and sophisticated, high-quality fine dining experience. Under Chef Greg's reign, the kitchen uses local and national seasonal produce as a starting point for dishes that both excite, and sometimes challenge, the palate. The cuisine style is based in both European and Asian traditions and influences, combining classic techniques with a modern execution.

Adam Nichol, Chef De Cuisine, Grand Hyatt San Francisco

At an early age of 15, Chef Adam began his culinary journey. A classical French trained chef with modern cooking methods, Chef Adam prides himself on his use of seasonal ingredients uniquely and thoughtfully prepared. Chef Adam also worked at New York Central in the Grand Hyatt where he specialized in creating ideas for simple, delicious plates to put together, utilizing different meats that you don't necessarily see on everybody's menus -- buffalo, elk, ostrich. "I have a passion for cooking, a passion for food and that's my driving force is," said Chef Adam. Chef Adams is the Chef De Cuisine for One Up Restaurant and work under Ian Libberton at the Grand Hyatt San Francisco.

"We could not be more delighted and honored to co-host this event with the Hyatt Carmel Highlands," states Toby Rowland-Jones, founder and President of the Festival. "Two and half years ago, we hosted the first Gateway opening night for our weekend at this historic resort, and the staff and management could not have been more helpful in our goal of promoting the culinary creativity of the entire Big Sur coast, while raising funds for local Big Sur non-profits. The idea of revitalizing the feeling of the world-class Masters is a sort of dream come true for us. Many of our committee members worked at the Masters and because of the intimate nature, it's there they developed winemaker and chef friendships that have