For many, the name Charlie Palmer is immediately associated with his eponymous steak houses—and his Michelin star gem Aureole—in Manhattan. But it’s also synonymous with Sonoma Wine Country and Dry Creek Kitchen in Sonoma County—as well as his long association with events like Pigs & Pinot, which benefits organizations like No Kid Hungry.
Now he’s bringing his magic to the South Bay, with a new hotel and restaurant.
It comes via his relatively new hospitality development venture, Appellation Hotels, which he runs with business partner Chris Hunsberger, a 30-year veteran of the Four Seasons.
They’re building a new hotel in Healdsburg, took over the revamp of Lodi’s Wine & Roses six months ago, and are working on a Morgan Hill hotel property with entrepreneur Frank Leal.
Palmer met Leal—whose properties include a winery, an event center and a restaurant—on frequent visits to Healdsburg. They got to talking and now have a project well in the works: Appellation Morgan Hill, slated to open toward the end of 2025.
Meanwhile, Palmer has cooked up a star-studded event that will take over the streets of downtown Morgan Hill on Sunday, Oct. 27, from 1-5pm.
The inaugural MOHI Food & Wine Festival should be a foodie’s delight, given that it features the kitchen heads from local restaurants alongside celebrity chefs.
Attendees should expect tasty dishes will be paired with mostly local wines. And the best part is that it directly benefits Morgan Hill high school culinary programs that dovetail with a range of hospitality specialty tracks at Evergreen College.
“We met with people who run the culinary and hospitality programs at the local high schools,” Palmer says. “These programs give young people at an early age the opportunity to see this as a career possibility. Out of 7k to 8k kids in the system, 170 kids are involved. A good start. When I was a junior in high school, I myself was introduced to the culinary world. It really opens up your mind. Not everyone knows what they want to do, or can say, ‘This is my dream,’ at that stage.”
He feels this established pathway to growing hospitality talent is one key factor in framing Morgan Hill as a “culinary destination.” Palmer also points to the farms and orchards and the rapidly growing winery scene, as well as the construction partnership with Leal.
He’s made the culinary pathway program the beneficiary of this $200-ticket event for one overriding reason. “We all have to be thinking about this: How can we grow and encourage the next generation of chefs and hospitality professionals?” Palmer said. “We want to help them expand and build it into something better, and work with Evergreen College to expand their culinary program, as well. A bunch of my buddies, including Michael Mina, are all very excited to support it.”
The event will feature 12 stations, with a mix of local and star chefs, like Tyler Florence, Michael Mina and Elizabeth Faulkner, paired with wineries, including Alara Cellars, Calera and Guglielmo. He’s got some big-name sponsors, including the Big Green Egg, who are donating money to the scholarship fund, as well as the 12 eggs which the chefs will be using to prepare their dishes.
Palmer is very excited by what he’s found in the South Bay, including interesting produce and beyond.
“I didn’t know that mushroom propagation is part of this scene,” he said.
He hopes this event will highlight Morgan Hill as a place of many foodie-focused facets that people don’t know very much about, creating a desire for exploration.
When asked what gives him hope that Morgan Hill can blossom to its full potential, he says the place is a lot like Healdsburg 25 years ago.
“It started with big ideas that we were able to accomplish,” Palmer said. “From the time I decided what Dry Creek Kitchen was to be and what I wanted, it just snowballed, and everyone wants to know more about what makes the area special. Getting word out on a national level and relationship-building are key. We need to do this in Morgan Hill.”
For details, visit mohifarm.com/store/event/2024-mohi-farm-food-wine-festival.
