Archive's octopus — poached and charred on the grill, finished with jeaw sauce and lemon labne — is the kind of dish that stops a tasting line in its tracks. It's this issue's cover image for good reason: Executive Chef Jurnie Stewart's plate captures exactly what the SoCal Chef Open has always been chasing — bold technique, real craft, and a field full of people who came from all over the valley to taste it.
That single dish was one bite among dozens served across the event's 19th year. On Monday, August 10, from 5 to 9 p.m. on the soccer fields at Galway Downs, the valley's chefs, winemakers, and small-business owners gathered for a single reason: to raise funds for the at-risk and special-needs youth served by Oak Grove Center. Every ticket sold, every glass poured, every plate passed across a tasting table goes back to a center built around kids who need it — nineteen years running, that hasn't changed.
What has changed is the shape of the event itself, largely thanks to Romy Fazeli, whose own family roots run through Fazeli Cellars on the De Portola Trail. "My family owns a winery here in wine country," she says. "This is in my blood. I want to showcase this to everybody."
For years the event ran as a straightforward chef-against-chef competition. But somewhere along the way, Fazeli noticed the win wasn't really the point. "I found that it was less that people wanted to compete," she says, "but I really want to showcase what this valley has to offer." So this year, the SoCal Chef Open grew into what Fazeli calls A Taste of Temecula Valley — a showcase, not a showdown, with more than a dozen local wineries joining the chef lineup. KTLA's Henry DiCarlo emceed the evening, and a wave of Temecula Valley's own influencers turned out alongside longtime supporters, proof the event's reach now extends well past the valley's borders.
A cause nineteen years in the making
Oak Grove Center opened its doors in 1989 in Murrieta, built as a residential treatment and education facility for children facing emotional and behavioral challenges. Today it serves more than 800 children and teens a year across three campuses, offering residential care, a K-12 nonpublic school, wraparound services, and support for autism, independent living, and recovery. Its mission, in short: rebuild young lives through education, healing, and restored relationships.
The Chef Open's roots trace back further than most guests realize — it began as a way for golfers to unwind after the Oak Grove Golf Classic, before opening to the public, and has grown every year since. The money raised has done specific work, funding Oak Grove's sports and recreation programs and past capital projects like a baseball field for its students. There's a fitting symmetry to it, too: Oak Grove runs its own youth culinary program, building confidence and discipline through cooking — meaning the chefs who show up each year are, in a quiet way, extending work the Center already does daily.
"If it's all for a good cause, and all the ticket sales go back to Oak Grove," Fazeli says, "it's a win-win."
Walk the grounds at Galway Downs and that spirit was easy to find. Chef Hany Ali's table at Europa Village drew guests in with his Zarzuela de Marisco, a Catalonian seafood stew from a chef who grew up along Egypt's Red Sea coast. A few steps over, Grazing Theory's Gina LaMora built that same win-win straight into her plate, designing her signature Emerald Huerta Bite — kiwi, aged manchego, Serrano ham — specifically for this year's fundraiser, paired with a Masia de la Vinya Sauvignon Blanc. And at the bar, Ducks in a Row's Dr. Bobby Castro, Beverage Director at Corbeaux Wine & Tea House, poured his Thai Gimlet and Rambutan Gin & Tonic Jell-O shot with the same belief that drives Oak Grove itself: real care comes from genuine connection.
On the plate
Beyond Archive's headline dish, the chef lineup carried real weight. Golden Creek Reserve brought Wagyu beef under Executive Chef Claudia Sandoval. Ghost Kitchen Crew's Chris Kavanaugh — whose résumé includes cooking for the Grammys and the ESPYs — plated Bulgogi and Ube. Savage Chef Bar & Grill's Mario Amaral, a Le Cordon Bleu graduate who's worked under Wolfgang Puck at Spago, served Lamb Merguez Sliders alongside chef-partner Dylan Soro.
Rounding out the lineup: 1909/TOAST's Sesame Sweet Chili Fried Chicken Sandwich, Corkfire Kitchen's Seabass Zarandeado, The Pit Barbecue's Oak Smoked Brisket Slider with Brandt Beef, and Meritage at Callaway's Handcrafted Potato & Onion Varenyky. Casita Mia served Smoked Chorizo & Poblano Queso Cavatappi, Destination Smokehouse brought Black Diamond Oxtail and Pork Belly Burnt Ends, Downtown PUBlic House plated Crispy Five Spice Pork Belly Lardons, and Public House Temecula served Fish Ceviche. Small Barn brought Bay Scallops, Talia Kitchen served Whipped Ricotta Toast and Citrus-Tequila Cured Salmon, Zen Curry and Grill plated Butter Chicken and Naan, Chef Ronny served Garlic Butter Steak Bites, and URBN Market Fusion brought its Yuzu Tare. For dessert: Adonai Desserts and More's mini cupcakes and ube brownie bites, and Famous PUDN's kettle-cooked pudding.
In the glass
More than a dozen wineries poured. Doffo Winery — founded in 1997, now run by Marcelo Doffo's three children — brought its Paulina and Cabernet Sauvignon; back at their home property, the winery is also known for MotoDoffo, the family's rare and vintage motorcycle collection, a detail that makes a Doffo visit unlike anywhere else in wine country. Falkner Winery served its Pinnacle Slider and a Jamaica & Guajillo Sour; back at their own property, perched at 1,500 feet along Calle Contento, the winery is known for panoramic hilltop dining at The Pinnacle Restaurant. Truffle Pig Winery — home to Domenico's Italian Chop House and Temecula-native Executive Chef Taylor Israelsen — is one of the valley's newest properties. Fazeli Cellars brought a 2023 Norooz among its pours; Akash Winery poured its Dreamville Malbec; Bel Vino its Sparkling Peach Mango. Rounding out the list: Danza del Sol, Masia de la Vinya, Outlaw Wine Company, PAMEC, Ultimate Vineyards at Maurice Car'rie, Wiens Cellars, and The Cave at Oak Mountain Winery. Crazy Mountain — backed by George Clooney, Rande Gerber, and Mike Meldman — poured a non-alcoholic option, while Lionheart Coffee, The Rush Coffee Temecula, Kompoocha Brewing, Bare Knuckle Brewing, and Relentless Brewing Company rounded out the lineup.
A valley worth returning to
Nineteen years in, the SoCal Chef Open is still growing. Romy is already thinking about what comes next — more vendors, a refined format, a four-figure ticket goal within reach. But the growth was never really about scale for its own sake.
"I want people to come here," she says, "and be introduced to something new."
New reasons to fall for a valley she's spent her whole life inside of — and, this year more than ever, a reason for that discovery to give something back.
"I really want to showcase what this valley has to offer."
"If it's all for a good cause, and all the ticket sales go back to Oak Grove — it's a win-win."