Presented By Sponsor
Pala Mesa Golf Resort
Hosted by
Fallbrook Chamber of Commerce &
space oneTEN
Save the Date!
November 7, 2026
Tickets go on sale early October!
Meet the Chefs
Maître Cuisinier de France Bernard Guillas is the former executive chef of the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club Inc and the landmark AAA 4-diamond Marine Room restaurant.
Born into a family of butchers, bakers, and restaurateurs, Guillas’ French upbringing was influenced by his daily exposure to food. He began his formal training at Le Bretagne Restaurant in Questembert, France with the legendary Georges Paineau.
Jumping continents, Guillas worked at Maison Blanche restaurant in Washington DC under Pierre Chambrin, former White House executive chef. Guillas moved to San Diego as the Chef de Cuisine of the Grant Grill, located in the historic US Grant Hotel.
An avid culinary explorer, Guillas has a roster of impressive credits that include appearances on The Today Show, Martha Stewart Radio, James Beard House, Food Arts Magazine, and the America’s Rising Star Chefs Television Series. Guillas was named Chef Magazine’s Chef of the Year in the USA and San Diego’s Best Chef numerous times and was been inducted into the Académie Culinaire de France and the Disciples of Escoffier International.
Guillas is the author of two award-winning cookbooks, Flying Pans “Two Chefs One World “ and Two Chefs One Catch, “A Culinary Exploration of Seafood” co-authored with chef Ron Oliver. Chef Guillas promotes sustainability and plays an active role in supporting his local communities.
His philanthropic interests benefit local and international charities while traveling extensively throughout the world promoting the San Diego, California, and Moab Utah region.
Born in Costa Rica but raised in New York, Chef Byron Gomez is the Executive Chef of 7908, Aspen’s finest supper club. Bryon has trained and worked at some of the most prestigious restaurants in Manhattan, under the best chefs and mentors in the industry including Daniel Boulud, Gavin Kaysen, Daniel Humm and Ronny Emborg. Despite not having any formal training, he worked hard to be self-taught, advancing his way through the kitchens of Michelin starred restaurants, Café Boulud, Atera and Eleven Madison Park. As Sous Chef at EMP, the restaurant won Top Restaurant in the World by S. Pellegrino. He later traveled with the Eleven Madison Park teams to their pop-up restaurants in the Hamptons and Aspen, before deciding to settle down in the Rocky Mountains. Byron enjoys seasonal activities such as cycling, snowboarding and surfing, but his favorite activity is to cook and break bread, especially on his days off.
Duskie Estes is a graduate of Brown University. Growing up in San Francisco, she fell in love with restaurants through her weekly Wednesday night dinners out with her father. She has worked at numerous restaurants including Baywolf in Oakland, California and the acclaimed Palace Kitchen in Seattle. She also co-authored with Tom Douglas Seattle Kitchen, which received the James Beard Award in 2001.
In 2001, Estes and her husband, John Stewart, opened ZAZU kitchen + farm in Sonoma County. In 2005, they founded Black Pig Meat Co., making bacon and salumi from pasture-raised pigs (and they now make lard lather soap and lip lardo lip balm too!). San Francisco Magazine named ZAZU one of the Top 50 Restaurants in the Bay Area and the restaurant has been included in the San Francisco Michelin Guide since 2008. In 2011, Estes and Stewart were crowned King and Queen of Pork at the Grand Cochon at the Aspen Food & Wine Festival.
They farm in three places in Sonoma County and raise almost 100 animals (rabbits, chickens, ducks, sheep, pigs, and goats). Estes and Stewart also make Black Pig Pinot Noir, Pink Pig Sparkling Wine, and Bacon Hard Cider with their friends at Thomas George Estates and Tilted Shed, respectively.
Duskie was a fierce competitor on the seasons three and five of the Food Network’s Next Iron Chef and is currently a judge on Food Network's Guy's Grocery Games. Estes and Stewart have also been featured on Guy’s Big Bite, the Travel Channel, and more. ZAZU has been included in the New York Times, Gourmet, Food & Wine, and other publications.
Chef Hugo Ortega is the owner of Urbe restaurant in Houston, Texas. Hugo is the best-known Mexican chef in Texas. He brings the street food of his youth to Houston, with thrilling results.
Maeve Schulz Rochford is an acclaimed chef and the owner of Sugar and Scribe Bakery in San Diego, California. She gained national recognition by winning Season 2 of the Food Network's 'Holiday Baking Championship' in 2015.
Meet the Mixologists
Manny’s passion and deep knowledge of tequila production along with his mixology ability makes him the ideal Global Tequila CAZADORES® Brand Ambassador. Always using traditional ingredients, Manny has over 25 years’ experience in the industry developing cocktails for some of the world’s best bars, hotels, restaurants and chefs in Mexico and America.
“Time is the master of taste.”
Sommer K. Walker, CSS, is a global luxury strategist and master educator stewarding some of the rarest spirits in the world. Known for transforming rarity into revenue, she brings over two decades of experience building multi-million-dollar portfolios in prestige markets across Asia, Europe, and the U.S.
Two decades of distribution, importing, compliance and brand building.
As the voice behind Luxury Distilled, Walker explores the unwritten language of cultural prestige. Her editorial lens centers on scarcity, ritual, legacy, and restraint—favoring silent codes over spectacle. She is also a champion of female-led ventures, serving as advisor and mentor to emerging founders in luxury, wellness, and heritage-based consumer goods.
A Certified Spirits Specialist and Chevalier of the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, Vice Echanson -Walker blends classical education with contemporary cultural intelligence. Her studies include:
- Equity & Venture Capital (Bocconi, Milan)
- Sustainability & ESG (Oxford)
- Luxury Brand & Hospitality Strategy (SDA Bocconi, HK Poly U)
- Connected Leadership (Yale)
- Chinese Market & Culture (Nanjing University)
As Vice Echanson with La Chaine Des Rotisseurs I steward Culinary, and spirit standards grounded in restraint, dignity and the long view. I believe true luxury doesn’t scream—it whispers. My frameworks, including The Rarity Code™ and The Almost Theory ™, form the philosophical foundation behind the Luxury Distilled ethos: a call to remember that taste, like legacy, is best built in silence. I write to reveal the invisible systems that create taste and trust.
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