Octopus sizzled over open flame and whole lambs turned on an aspen-wood dome as Graton Resort & Casino threw open the gates on its first-ever Savor Sonoma festival, a two-day food and wine celebration that drew Top Chef alumni and Sonoma County's own culinary stars to Rohnert Park. The inaugural event ran Friday and Saturday, and by all accounts it delivered on its live-fire promise, with chefs cooking whole proteins over open flame in front of a crowd that lined up for a taste of nearly every station.
According to The Press Democrat, the festival's flagship Live Fire & Vine event took place Saturday poolside at the Graton Resort Hotel, featuring local restaurants, wineries and breweries alongside chefs cooking over open fire. Aarón Sánchez, the chef and restaurateur known for his longtime appearances on MasterChef and Chopped, headlined the festival and served small plates of grilled chicken with congri, tomato, peach salad and crystal mojo sauce. Sánchez, who owns Johnny Sánchez restaurant in New Orleans, joined a lineup that paired nationally recognized culinary talent with some of Sonoma County's best-known chefs, per the same account.
Top Chef alumni Bryan Voltaggio and Michael Voltaggio, who co-own Voltaggio Brothers Steak House, cooked paella for the crowd, while chef Marcus Samuelsson, associated with Top Chef Masters, also appeared at the festival. Roy Ellamar, Graton Resort's executive chef who leads the newly opened rooftop restaurant AYA, prepared bluefin tuna for guests. Nyesha Arrington grilled a Santa Maria tomahawk ribeye steak in Rohnert Park, and Jeremy Whitcomb prepared a vegetarian paella with Jimmy Nardello peppers, the outlet's report notes.
Local Talent Shares the Spotlight
Sonoma County's own dining scene was well represented alongside the visiting names. Charlie Palmer, founder of the Charlie Palmer Collective and associated with Dry Creek Kitchen and Folia Bar & Kitchen, appeared at Savor Sonoma; Palmer opened the culinary-driven Appellation Healdsburg hotel in late 2025, with Folia Bar & Kitchen now run by his son, Chef Reed Palmer, according to Appellation Hotels. Dustin Valette, who is associated with Valette and The Matheson, also appeared at the festival. Valette, a third-generation Healdsburg native, serves on the National Advisory Council for the Emeril Lagasse Foundation, which oversees the Aarón Sánchez Impact Fund that benefited from the weekend's proceeds, according to the Emeril Lagasse Foundation.
That charitable tie-in was baked into the ticket price. Graton Resort & Casino directed $5 from each ticket sold, plus a direct $15,000 contribution, to the Aarón Sánchez Impact Fund, which supports culinary scholarships and grants for Latino youth, per the resort's own account shared on Facebook. The fund operates under the Emeril Lagasse Foundation to give young Latino chefs a path into culinary arts education.
Live Fire, Zero-Proof Bars and a Few Mermaids
Large lamb and other meats cooked slowly on an open-fire aspen dome, one of the festival's signature spectacles, while Graton employees dressed as mermaids added a theatrical touch to the poolside scene, The Press Democrat reported. The Wine Country Village section of Live Fire & Vine included agave spirits alongside a zero-proof bar stocked with BERO, the non-alcoholic beer brand co-founded by actor Tom Holland — a nod to the growing demand for booze-free options at culinary festivals.
Guests came from well beyond Sonoma County to eat their way through the lineup. Danica and Clinton Jones traveled from Fairfield, Robert and Barbara Sulatycky came from Napa, and Monette and Gerard Guevara made the trip from Folsom, all attending Live Fire & Vine. Keith Braga of Vacaville and Marco Fraternale of San Francisco both singled out the tomahawk ribeye on the bone as a highlight of their visit.
A Bigger Bet on Wine Country Dining
Savor Sonoma's debut lands just months after Graton's own $1 billion expansion opened on May 4, which brought a 144,000-square-foot smoke-free gaming wing, the Playbook Sports Bar and dessert shop SoCo Dough Co. to the property, as KTVU reported. AYA, the 250-seat wood-fired rooftop restaurant where Ellamar hosted Friday's Headliners' Dinner, sources ingredients directly from the resort's own 40-acre farm, according to Tribal Gaming and Hospitality Magazine, which noted Ellamar previously ran Harvest by Roy Ellamar at Bellagio in Las Vegas before joining Graton.
More growth is on the way. Graton's multi-year expansion plan calls for a new hotel tower with 200 to 240 guest rooms and an adults-only pool opening in 2027, followed by a 3,500 to 3,800-seat entertainment venue set for 2028. The dining and resort buildout has already created more than 430 new local jobs in 2026, including 160 positions in culinary and food service.
Leadership Transition Looms Over Growth Push
Savor Sonoma's arrival also comes amid a leadership shift for the tribe behind the resort. In July, Tribal Chairman Greg Sarris announced he will step down by the end of 2026 after 34 years leading the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, the sovereign tribe that owns and operates Graton Resort & Casino, as Hoodline previously reported. Sarris guided the tribe from federal recognition to its current status as a major regional economic engine, a legacy that now frames the resort's aggressive push into high-end dining and entertainment.
That push tracks with broader trends in the region. Visitor spending in Sonoma County rose 1.3% in 2025 to $2.4 billion, and a February 2026 survey found 59% of local residents prioritize culinary experiences for regional tourism growth, according to Sonoma County Tourism. Hospitality already supports roughly one in ten jobs across the county, per the same source, underscoring why Graton is betting big on food and wine as its next act.
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