Free Inspiration Guide
Taste Tri-Valley Restaurant Week kicks off on Thursday, February 19th, 2026 with a special Opening Night Dinner featuring four Signature Chefs from across the region:
Chef Francis X. Hogan
Crush’d Wine Bar + Kitchen, Danville & Sabio on Main, Pleasanton
Chef Luis Blanco
Bravazo in Pleasanton
Chef John Phung
Uncle Yu’s in the Vineyard, Livermore
Chef Munish Rana
Pippal, Dublin
This year’s dinner is inspired by Spice Route cuisine, with each chef creating one course, paired with a Wente Vineyards wine, as part of a collaborative, multi-course dining experience.
Meet this year’s Signature Chefs and get a quick snapshot of their background, restaurant, and what they’re bringing to the table on Opening Night Dinner. Tickets are available, but selling out fast. Save your seat! Get Tickets →
Opening Night Dinner, First Course:
Causa | Chilled layers of delicately seasoned mashed potatoes with a choice of shredded chicken breast, tuna, or garden vegetables, finished with avocado and onions.
Who inspired you to become a chef?
Chef Luis Blanco says his mother was his biggest inspiration, describing her as an amazing cook who was passionate about food and always happiest in the kitchen.
What’s your favorite dish to cook?
Cebiche, a classic Peruvian dish.
What’s one kitchen detail that matters most to you?
He loves using microgreens for decoration and presentation, noting how he much he loves the look of each plate.
Who would you most like to cook for?
His mother, and Gastón Acurio, whom he considers one of the best chefs in the world.
If you weren’t a chef, what would you be doing?
A professional soccer player.
What’s a dish that left a lasting impression on you?
Peruvian sushi fusion at Maido in Lima, Peru.
Where do you like to dine locally?
Amakara (Danville).
Opening Night Dinner, Second Course:
Fresh Lobster Shu-Mai | Handcrafted lobster dumplings with velvety pumpkin sauce and American White Sturgeon caviar.
Who or what inspired your love for cooking?
Chef John Phung was raised in Vietnam and credits his mother as his earliest inspiration in the kitchen. He says her cooking had a unique “Vietnam and French flair,” a combination that continues to influence his culinary style today.
What’s your favorite dish to cook at home?
Crab with garlic and butter.
What ingredients or tools are essential in your kitchen?
Sea salt and black pepper.
Who would you most like to cook for?
His daughter, because she loves his cooking and appreciates meals that are both delicious and healthy.
If you weren’t a chef, what would you be doing?
Design.
What’s a dish you’ll never forget?
Poached surf clam (Mactra antiquata) with consommé.
Where do you like to dine locally?
Danville Bridges.
Opening Night Dinner, Third Course:
Mango Alleppey Fish & Prawn Curry | Fish and prawns in a coconut-mango gravy, accented with curry leaves and aromatic chili oil, served with flaky layered paratha.
Who inspired you to pursue cooking?
Chef Munish Rana credits his father as his main inspiration, saying he encouraged him to cook and helped guide him along the way.
What’s a dish that’s especially meaningful to you?
Homemade goat meat prepared at his home in Himachal, using locally sourced goat — a dish tied closely to place and memory.
What ingredient should always be in your kitchen?
Fresh coriander, which he considers essential in an Indian kitchen.
Who would you most like to cook for?
He shares that he would love to cook for his favorite previous chefs — the people he learned to cook from.
If you weren’t a chef, what would you be doing?
A contractor.
Opening Night Dinner, Fourth Course: Cardamom-Scented Sticky Date Pudding | Warm date pudding with burnt blood orange butterscotch, Seasonal Californian and vanilla gelato
What first drew you to the culinary world?
Chef Francis X. Hogan says his uncle worked in the industry, and from a young age he was captivated by “the romance of the late nights, fabulous guests, and incredible food.”
What’s your favorite thing to cook?
Pizza made with long-fermented dough.
What tools or ingredients are essential in your kitchen?
An immersion blender and anchovies.
Who would you most like to cook for?
John Lennon — for the dinner conversation alone.
If you weren’t a chef, what would you be doing?
Running a small record shop.
What dishes have stayed with you over the years?
Chocolate gnocchi from Leopold’s in San Francisco, and lobster with tapioca at Jean-Georges in New York City.
Where do you like to dine locally?
Corner Slice in Livermore.
