Most food festivals aim to bring in the crowds. Arte Culinaria, a new festival launching Memorial Day weekend at Montage Los Cabos, will cap its affair at 70 guests.
“I didn’t want this to be an event where you have 300 guests and you snap a photo with one of the chefs,” said Marco Ortlam, managing director of the Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star hotel. “If you’re here, you get to participate… and [the chefs] will touch every single guest.”
Ortlam said the May 22 to 24 festival grew from a question: “How do we marry great Mexican chefs and a great Mexican food scene with an international twist to it?”
The answer: working with the Los Cabos Tourism Board and enlisting a slate of chefs and bartenders who already love the hotel and the destination. These include culinary visionaries like Daniela Soto-Innes of Rubra in Punta Mita, Mexico; Dominique Crenn of Five-Star Atelier Crenn in San Francisco; Jorge Vallejo of Quintonil in Mexico City; Julien Royer of Odette in Singapore; Manu Buffara of Restaurant Manu in Curitiba, Brazil; and Richard Lee of Saison in San Francisco. From the beverage world, the festival will include Handshake Speakeasy, Tlecan and Licorería Limantour, all from Mexico City; Bar Crenn from San Francisco; and winemaker Jesse Katz of Aperture Cellars of Healdsburg, Sonoma. (Full disclosure: Forbes Travel Guide is a partner.)
Ortlam said the hotel didn’t just want chefs and mixologists whose names looked good on a poster. “Our guests…will distinguish between somebody genuinely desiring to be here and just a robotically executed experience,” he said.
The Food
One of the festival’s defining features is “four-hands” meals, where two acclaimed chefs collaborate on a menu. The powerhouse pairing of Crenn and Royer will craft a five-course lunch on May 23 (Origins). That evening, Vallejo and Soto-Innes will showcase modern Mexican cuisine in their five-course dinner accompanied by cocktails from the innovative Handshake Speakeasy (Roots of Mexico – Presented by Tequila Reserva de la Familia).
The following day, Lee, who brings a California sensibility, and Buffara, who specializes in plant-forward fare, will unveil five courses for lunch influenced by landscapes that inspire them (A Sense of Place Through Two Perspectives). Katz, who produces Montage International’s private Montage Estate wine collection and was named Wine Enthusiast’s 2025 Winemaker of the Year, will pair them with Aperture pours.
The weekend lineup will also include other dining and drinking options. Enjoy decadent breakfasts like a Dom Pérignon champagne tasting that explores the evolution of the maison through exquisite vintages (culminating with the Plénitude 2), hors d’oeuvres on Marea’s scenic ocean-facing terrace (May 23), and Kaviari caviar, Krug and a plated Baja-tinged menu from Royer at one of the hotel’s luxurious residences overlooking Santa María Bay (May 24).
The final dinner, Ember & Sea, will bring all the chefs together for live-fire cooking. Each will prepare a dish over an open flame, and guests will be able to leisurely visit the stations for a taste. Tlecan, which focuses on small producers, will supply wines from emerging regions. All visiting bars will have a station mixing signature cocktails as well.
While Ortlam says all the events will be “phenomenal,” he’s most looking forward to the opening-night soiree, Welcome to Baja – Presented by Capital One, featuring Cristina Hanhausen (of Momiji in Mexico City) and Erick Bautista (of NOL in Mérida, Mexico) from the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy. “They’re young, and they represent the next generation,” he said. “I’d love to see their interpretation of what they think this should be.” The evening will spotlight Hanhausen and Bautista’s Baja-inspired dishes and free-flowing Ruinart.
The Drinks
Montage Los Cabos could have coasted on the big-name chefs for this inaugural festival, but it enlisted some of the world’s premier bars, too. “I think that beverage goes hand in hand with the culinary experience but oftentimes gets forgotten,” Ortlam said.
One highlight will be the Late Night Latin Grooves event on May 23. Handshake Speakeasy, Licorería Limantour and Tlecan will take over the hotel’s Mezcal bar for a one-of-a-kind collaboration. Sip cocktails from these top institutions while enjoying a blend of Afro-Latin percussion with contemporary beats from Mexico City electronic duo Sotomayor.
Aside from the aforementioned events, there will be some drink sessions to add to the itinerary. A master distiller will lead a tasting of rare and unreleased tequilas (May 24). Hues of Gold and Blue will pair sweet Château d’Yquem — the only designated Premier Cru Supérieur in Sauternes — and blue cheeses ranging from delicate to bold (May 24). And Katz will offer a tasting of Collage, arguably his best wine yet, made from 200 acres of vineyards across five Sonoma County appellations (May 23).
Other Events
While the meals will be an undeniable draw for Arte Culinaria, the festival will also incorporate other events. One of the most popular activities is an exclusive outing on a 112-foot luxury yacht to the famed Cabo Arch (May 24). Crenn and Soto-Innes will host and serve light ceviche alongside champagne and rosé and a soundtrack of chef-curated tunes.
For a creative activity, try Canvas & Jicaras with Mexican painter Gennaro Garcia on May 23. The artist will introduce his work and then teach a painting class on the central lawn. A tasting of Mexican spirits will help inspire you to create a masterpiece.
And in case you simply want to soak up that Baja sun in between meals, Montage Los Cabos will have a pool cabana reserved all day long that comes with complimentary light bites and drinks.
Ortlam hopes to turn Arte Culinaria into an annual event and already is planning future editions. He says the festival will lean more into the art offerings, perhaps bringing in artisans from Guadalajara for pottery workshops; the agriculture piece, including farm outings to show off the regional produce; and a stronger social component, maybe repeating a prior hotel initiative to build a new kitchen for an underprivileged school.
“People crave these kinds of experiences that in a way are related to food and beverage,” he said. “But you don’t have to be a foodie…it’s more related to the rich culture of Mexico.”
