FESTIVAL OVERVIEW
The Valle Food & Wine Festival was founded in 2017 by chefs Javier Plascencia and Nancy Silverton along with writer Carolina Carreño and Fernando Gaxiola, owner of the travel company Baja Food & Wine. The second annual festival, now run by Carreño and Gaxiola, is held in the fast-growing wine and travel region, Valle de Guadalupe, in Ensenada, about 60 miles south of the US/Mexico Border. It is unique in drawing a lineup of first-rate chefs from both sides of the border to promote and celebrate the bounty of the region and the unique cuisine of Baja California, which is now being recognized world-wide. Chefs cook in a wide open field, surrounded by vineyards and mountains, over open fires, and in barrel smokers and Caja Chinas, exemplifying the rustic chic style of the Valle.