Bravo’s Ben Robinson makes his CA festival debut at Manhattan Beach Food & Wine, Sept 26. Get tickets and hotel packages now.
Ben Robinson has fed superyacht guests off the coast of Croatia, Sardinia, and half the Mediterranean’s most exclusive marinas. This September, he’s cooking three miles from the Manhattan Beach Pier.
The Below Deck and Below Deck Mediterranean star; the guy viewers have watched plate seven-course tasting menus in a rocking galley kitchen — is making his California food and wine festival debut at the 2026 Manhattan Beach Food and Wine Festival on Saturday, September 26th. It’s his first appearance at a California festival, he’s flying in from Florida specifically for it, and he’s joining roughly 50 other chefs at westdrift Manhattan Beach for what’s shaping up to be the most star-studded night the festival has had yet.
A Yacht Chef Comes Ashore
Robinson built his reputation under conditions most chefs never face: unpredictable seas, demanding charter guests, and a kitchen the size of a walk-in closet.
That’s the kind of pressure that makes plating a five-course dinner in a beachside ballroom look almost relaxed by comparison. His Below Deck fame comes from exactly that contrast — technical skill under absurd constraints — which is worth remembering when he’s cooking with a full commercial kitchen instead of a galley for once.
What Manhattan Beach Food and Wine Actually Is
The festival isn’t a single tasting room. It’s a two-night event — Friday, September 25th and Saturday, September 26th — built around a Grand Tasting featuring close to 50 chefs alongside roughly 50 wine and spirits producers.
Robinson joins Saturday’s Grand Tasting specifically, meaning guests get one night to catch him among a lineup that’s positioning itself as the region’s premier coastal culinary event. Doors for VIP early entry open at 6:00 pm; general admission runs 7:00 to 10:00 pm.
Why a TV Chef Is Worth the Trip
It would be easy to write off a Bravo chef appearance as pure spectacle, but Robinson’s culinary chops predate the show — Below Deck simply put a camera on skills he already had. For festivalgoers who’ve watched him navigate demanding charter guests and impossible timelines for years, seeing that same precision applied to a stationary kitchen and a five-star setting is the actual draw.
Expect dishes that lean into technique over spectacle — the kind of plate that reads simple until you taste what went into the reduction.
Planning Your Weekend
westdrift Manhattan Beach is offering hotel packages alongside festival tickets, making this an easy full-weekend plan for anyone within driving distance of the South Bay. Given Robinson’s single-night appearance, early ticket purchase is the practical move for anyone set on meeting him.
Is Chef Ben Robinson appearing both nights of the festival?
No. He’s confirmed for Saturday, September 26th as part of the Grand Tasting lineup.
What is Chef Ben Robinson known for?
He’s the executive chef featured on Bravo’s Below Deck and Below Deck Mediterranean, known for cooking on luxury charter yachts.
Where can I buy tickets to Manhattan Beach Food and Wine?
Tickets and hotel packages are available now at ManhattanBeachFoodandWine.com.
Reality Show Chef Robinson on LIVE
Robinson’s appearance gives Manhattan Beach something it doesn’t usually get: a chef whose reputation was built on live television, cooking live in front of the people who’ve been watching him for years. For South Bay locals, it’s a rare chance to close the distance between screen and plate. Grand Tasting tickets for Saturday, September 26th are on sale now at ManhattanBeachFoodandWine.com.
