Located a short drive northeast of San Francisco, California’s famed Napa Valley is renowned as one of the greatest winemaking climates in the world. With such a magnificent concentration of top vineyards and wineries right next door to each other, it was difficult to choose only a few for this list of our favorites in the area

Boris Portnoy is the Pastry Chef of The Restaurant, a sophisticated yet playful dining experience in the upscale Meadowood Resort. Known for his innovative pastry style, elegant execution of dishes and collaborative approach in the kitchen, Portnoy has settled down in the heart of Napa Valley, the place that inspires him the most, to share his talent.

It seems almost redundant to say that Napa Valley has quickly been recognized as one of the finest regions in the world for producing top quality grapes, but what is often overlooked is who exactly is making all this spectacular wine. Coinciding with Auction Napa Valley, we recently had the chance to speak with four of the best, and most revered vintners in all of Napa to discuss what makes their wines so special, their personal favorite varietal, and what, to them, is the best part of Auction Napa Valley.

This June, celebrities and average oenophiles alike will make their annual pilgrimage to the Mecca of American wine country, Napa Valley, to participate in the most celebrated wine and food festival in the country, Auction Napa Valley. Long renowned as the epicenter of wine making in America, Napa Valley is also home to more Michelin rated restaurants per capita than anywhere else in the world, which includes culinary superstars like French Laundry’s Thomas Keller, Bottega’s Michael Chiarello, Mustard Grill’s Cindy Pawlcyn, and Meadowood Napa Valley’s Christopher Kostow.

In 1960, Kenzo Tsujimoto began his career in Japan as an entrepreneur in one of the most controversial, exciting, and innovative industries of the day—gaming. With a sharp focus on originality and invention, his company, Capcom Co. Ltd., quickly rose to the top, becoming one of the leading game developers and publishers of our time.

As springtime rolled around, the Wild King Salmon season began. These fish, one of the nicer fish of the San Francisco Bay area, have had a steady decline in its population. Due to its shortage and limitation of quantity, these fish have recently become extremely hard to find.

American Express presented the fourth annual West Coast signature culinary event, Pebble Beach Food and Wine with celebrity chefs such as Tom Colicchio, Daniel Boulud, Christopher Kostow, Michel Richard, Gary Danko, Tyler Florence, Masaharu Morimoto, Charlie Trotter, Jacques Pépin, Rick Tramonto, Nancy Silverton, Jonathan Waxman, Ming Tsai, Michael Chiarello, Guy Fieri, Dean Fearing and David Myers, just to name a few.

Lea Porter calls herself a simple girl from Texas, but she has traveled to more than 30 countries throughout the world, shared drinks with the Queen and dinner with Prince Charles, mingled with socialites at the home of Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter, and skied with Olympic medal winners Franz Klamer, Picabo Street and Donna Weinbrecht.

For more than 33 years, Gladstones has been running an institution in southern California as the go-to destination for the freshest seafood available. Sbe, the reputable hospitality, restaurant and entertainment group, has proudly acquired the restaurant.