What is usually a connector over the Sacramento River between the City of Sacramento and Yolo County — the Tower Bridge — was transformed into a culinary hub and dinner site.
Hundreds of people gathered on the Tower Bridge on Sunday afternoon for the 12th annual Tower Bridge Dinner, which featured a menu made by four chefs in the Greater Sacramento area.
The chefs — Bucky Bray from NixTaco in Folsom, Devin Dedier from Vacanza Romana, Jeana Pecha from Omakase Por Favor, and N’Gina Guyton from the recently closed Jim Denny’s —curated a menu using fresh ingredients grown by local farmers.
“It's one of Sacramento's biggest marquee events,” Bray said. “We went fully inclusive and collective on the menu, so there's little bits and parts of each and every one of us on each in every course, it's awesome.”
Unlike previous years when chefs each came with their own dishes, this year they collaborated to create each plate.
The entrance to the Tower Bridge Dinner. Sept 7., 2025.Chris Felts/CapRadio
The dinner, which began in 2013, is a Visit Sacramento event that celebrates the farmers and agriculture that is produced in the Sacramento region.
“It's really a celebration of the hospitality community, but it starts with the farmers,” said Mike Testa, president and CEO of Visit Sacramento. “When you talk about the ‘Farm to Fork Capital,’ a lot of people think about the restaurants, but no, it's the farmworkers. It's everything in between. It's those farms that ultimately get to our forks. And that's what this event celebrates.”
Ratatouille Tartine appetizer from The Sawyer Executive Chef Sam Shafer. Sept. 7, 2025.Chris Felts/CapRadio
According to Testa, the dinner serves as a fundraiser for scholarships for the children of migrant farm workers, and it supports events like Terra Madre America, which takes place in late September.
“Those are free events, and I always tell people they're free to everybody,” he said. “An event like this helps to drive funds to put those events on.”
Phil Pluckebaum, the councilmember for District 4, attended the dinner, but as a staff member helping to serve the food. He said he grew up working in restaurants, so serving the Sacramento community is a fun way to give back.
“The farm to fork has been a massive benefit to the region, not just because of our agricultural roots, but because of the quality of cuisine the region produces,” Pluckebaum said. “We're trying to showcase some of the best in the cuisine in Sacramento, and just provide a really unique and fun experience for folks.”
The three-course meal was influenced by California, Asian, Mexican and Native American cuisines. The dishes included an Ash Crusted Albacore, a Blue Corn Rabbit Tamal and a Braised California Bison.
It wasn’t just entrees that people could try; there were also appetizers and desserts on display from local restaurants and bakeries in Sacramento. Chef Yekaterina Balagian from Seasons Kitchen and Bar in Davis crafted a stuffed grape leaf appetizer with duck confit, True Origin Foods rice, black currants and urfa biber garlic yogurt. The Sawyer Executive Chef Sam Shafer made a ratatouille tartine for guests to enjoy.
Seasons 52 Kitchen and Bar Chef Yekaterina Balagian made a stuffed grape leaf appetizer with duck confit, True Origin Foods rice, black currants and urfa biber garlic yogurt. Sept. 7, 2025.Keyshawn Davis/CapRadio
Many of the region’s leaders were in attendance, including Sacramento State President Luke Wood, UC Davis Chancellor Gary May, Cal Expo CEO Tom Martinez and Sacramento Fire Chief Chris Costamanga, to name a few.
Aziz Bellarbi Salah, a general manager for several restaurants in Sacramento, said the event embodies chefs and growers coming together to create something beautiful.
”That connection, maintaining ‘local’ as a strength, and insisting on great ingredients keeps our entire region, its economy, and its creativity flowing,” he said.
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