Montana isn't the first place most people picture when they imagine a Michelin-caliber culinary weekend — and that's exactly the point. The inaugural Big Sky Food & Wine Festival is planting a flag in one of the country's fastest-growing food destinations, and it's doing so with a roster of talent that would make a coastal city jealous.
Running September 24-26, 2026, the three-day event will bring together more than 40 Michelin Star and James Beard Award-winning chefs, Master Sommeliers, and wine and spirits experts against the backdrop of Big Sky's Lone Mountain. The program spans cooking demonstrations, grand tasting tents, interactive food, spirits and wine tastings, intimate dinners, live-fire cooking and live music — all built around a celebration of Montana's agricultural heritage.
A Star-Studded Culinary Lineup
Leading the festival is Host Chef Ming Tsai of Big Sky's BāBā at the Yellowstone Club. He's joined by a constellation of decorated names including Nancy Silverton, Akira Back, Jeremy Ford, Eduardo Garcia and Marc Forgione, who will appear in the Grand Tasting Tent, at guest chef and winemaker dinners, and throughout the beverage programming.
"I am so excited to serve as Host Chef of the first annual Big Sky Food & Wine Festival," says Ming Tsai of Big Sky's BāBā. "Combining some of the country's best chefs serving their Michelin Star- and James Beard Award-winning dishes, sommeliers and mixologists pouring in the Grand Tasting Tents and at intimate dinners, underneath the most beautiful mountains and delivered with local hospitality, it's going to be an epic inaugural year."
"It's an honor to be a part of the inaugural Big Sky Food & Wine Festival, a weekend that is guaranteed to become a cherished tradition," adds Nancy Silverton, 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award Honoree, James Beard Foundation. "Big Sky has a wonderful and growing food scene, and I can speak on behalf of all of the participating chefs in saying we are ready to feed the spirit and people of Montana."
The Talent Traveling to Montana
The participating culinary roster reads like a national tasting menu, drawing from top kitchens coast to coast:
- California: Roberto Alcocer (Valle, Oceanside), Max Boonthanakit (Camphor, Los Angeles), Eric Bost (Jeune et Jolie, Lilo, Carlsbad), Massimo Falsini (Caruso's, Montecito), David & Serena Fisher (7 Adams, San Francisco), Brian Limoges (Enclos, Sonoma), Kelly McCown (The Kitchen, Sacramento), Evan Neumann (Auro, Calistoga), Philip Pretty (Heritage, Long Beach), Nancy Silverton (Osteria Mozza, Los Angeles), Seigo Tamura (715, Los Angeles)
- Colorado: Kelly Whitaker (The Wolf's Tailor, Denver)
- Florida: Shingo Akikuni (Shingo, Miami), Juan Manuel Barrientos Valencia "Juanma" (Elcielo, Miami), Bryce Bonsack (Rocca, Tampa), Tristan Brandt (Tambourine Room, Miami), Mike Collantes (Soseki, Winter Park), Jeremy Ford (Stubborn Seed, Miami), Luciana Giangrandi (Boia De, Miami)
- Georgia: Ron Hsu (Lazy Betty, Atlanta)
- Louisiana: Sue Zemanick (Zasu, New Orleans)
- Montana: Josh Adams (Campione Roman Kitchen, Livingston), Akira Back (Akira Back, One&Only Moonlight Basin, Big Sky), Buck's Roadhouse (Big Sky), Wei Chen (OMAWEI x Taikun, Big Sky), Allison Fasano (Bozeman), Marc Felder (Sage Lodge, Pray), Eduardo Garcia (Bozeman), Cesare Lanfranconi (Tutti Bene, Bozeman), Ming Tsai (BāBā, Yellowstone Club, Big Sky), Jarrett Wrisley (Shan, Bozeman)
- New York: Marc Forgione (Forgione, New York), Sungchul Shim (Kochi, New York), Jassimran Singh (Crown Shy, New York)
- North Carolina: Sam Hart (Counter, Charlotte)
- Texas: John Bates (InterStellar BBQ, Austin), Felipe Riccio (MARCH, Houston)
- Washington DC: Danny Lledó (Xiquet), Nicholas Stefanelli (Masseria), Yuan Tang (Rooster & Owl)
- International: Guillermo González Beristáin (Pangea, Monterrey, Mexico)
Master Sommeliers and Beverage Experts
The beverage program is anchored by an equally serious lineup of wine and spirits talent, including Jeff Bell (Please Don't Tell, New York), Ben Foster (Yellowstone Club, Big Sky), Morgan Melkonian (Peter Michael Winery, Calistoga), June Rodil (Goodnight Hospitality, Houston), and Sabato Sagaria and Dustin Wilson (Apres Cru, New York).
Inside the Grand Tasting Tent
The festival's signature Grand Tasting Tent at the Big Sky Events Arena in Town Center pairs Michelin-Starred and James Beard Award-winning chefs and acclaimed restaurants with a premier wine list that includes Krug, Ruinart, Château d'Esclans, Moët & Chandon, Dom Pérignon, The Mascot, Peter Michael, Lingua Franca, Nicolas-Jay, Occidental, Joseph Phelps, Chappellet, Flowers, Faust, Quintessa, Troplong Mondot, Pichon Baron, Outpost, Platt Vineyard, Minuty and more to be announced — alongside Montana craft breweries, distilleries and artisan food producers from across the country.
On the Culinary Stage, Host Chef Ming Tsai will emcee interactive cooking demonstrations featuring chefs Jeremy Ford, Marc Forgione, Eduardo Garcia and Nancy Silverton.
VIP Access, Speakeasies and Montana Mixology
VIP ticket holders gain entry to The Reserve, an exclusive tasting tent, and The Hideaway, a curated speakeasy experience featuring acclaimed bartenders. The Grand Tasting Tent also spotlights the Montana Mixology Tent, showcasing handcrafted cocktails made with Montana craft spirits alongside zero-proof options — a nod to the fast-growing non-alcoholic category.
Emerging musical artists including Brittney Spencer and HAFFWAY will perform throughout the day, while curated retail, coffee and pastries and other activations round out the experience.
Intimate Dinners at Big Sky's Most Exclusive Venues
Beyond the tents, the festival will host ticketed dinners at some of Big Sky's most spectacular venues, with guest chefs, winemakers and bartenders leading one-of-a-kind experiences. Initial programming includes:
- Thursday, September 24, 2026 — Opening Night BBQ at The Barn (included in VIP ticket), featuring John Bates (InterStellar BBQ, Austin), Will Foden (Eglise Lodge, Big Sky), Francesco Martinelli (Tom Weiskopf Clubhouse, Big Sky) and additional chefs.
Why It Matters
For operators, destination marketers and hospitality executives, the Big Sky Food & Wine Festival is a signal worth watching: culinary tourism is no longer the exclusive domain of established coastal markets. When more than 40 Michelin and James Beard names agree to travel to a Montana mountain town for an inaugural event, it validates Big Sky as a serious dining destination — and that halo effect lifts every restaurant, lodge and beverage producer in the region.
The practical takeaways for the industry:
- Destination events drive shoulder-season demand. A late-September festival extends the calendar between summer and ski season — a lesson for any resort market trying to fill rooms and seats in off-peak windows.
- Local sourcing is a headline, not a footnote. By building the program around Montana's agricultural heritage, craft breweries, distilleries and artisan producers, the festival turns local food sourcing into a marketing asset rather than an operational afterthought.
- Zero-proof belongs on the tasting table. The Montana Mixology Tent's inclusion of non-alcoholic cocktails alongside craft spirits reflects where beverage programs are heading — inclusive by design.
Operators and buyers should treat inaugural festivals like this one as scouting grounds — for emerging chefs, standout producers and partnership opportunities before they hit the national radar.
Plan Your Weekend
The Big Sky Food & Wine Festival runs September 24-26, 2026 in Big Sky, Montana, with additional dinners, chefs and wineries still to be announced. For more culinary events and destination dining coverage, explore our reporting on the Kaua'i Poke Fest and the Waldorf Astoria's ballroom experiences.
Will you be heading to Big Sky next fall? Which chef or winery on this lineup are you most excited to see? Drop your thoughts in the comments and let us know.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Top 40 Under 40” for founding American Wholesale Floral. Politz is also the founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
