2018 California Nut Festival

Get ready for the 2018 California Nut Festival scheduled for Saturday, April 21, 2018, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the historic grounds of the Patrick Ranch Museum in Chico. The crowd-favorite culinary event is presented by the Butte Agriculture Foundation and sponsored by Tri Counties Bank and Meriam Park – A Development for Food Innovation, C.F. Koehnen & Sons, PG&E, California Olive Ranch, RUSH Personnel Services, Farmers' Circle members and involved media partners. With a focus on locally grown and produced foods and beverages from the North Valley, tree nuts such as almonds, chestnuts, walnuts, pecans and pistachios take center stage throughout the crowd-pleasing event. Each year, this spirited festival showcases plentiful gourmet food offerings, always-popular wine, beer and cider sampling, nut-inspired cooking demonstrations, live musical entertainment on two outdoor stages, a wonderful art show featuring talented local artists and much more. Back by popular demand, there will be a spirited “Nutty Chef Competition” where festival attendees can watch as three local chefs compete on stage in succession for bragging rights and a trophy (that the winner can keep for a year). The chefs will be provided with a number of ingredients from our valued vendors -- like olive oil, nuts, honey, spices, sauces, beer and wine -- plus they will be able to bring some “secret” or special ingredients of their own. Not only is the event fun to attend, it provides much needed support for the historic Patrick Ranch Museum. To date – and as a direct result of this event – $140,000 has been raised and donated to the Patrick Ranch Museum to preserve and interpret the agricultural history of the Sacramento Valley.