The chefs for the annual Tower Bridge Dinner have been announced, but this year, there are just four instead of the usual five — and they have an international flair.
Brad Cecchi, executive chef at Canon restaurant, is this year’s culinary advisor. At a recent State of Tourism luncheon presented by Visit Sacramento, Cecchi talked about how the dinner showcases our agricultural region.
Francisco Rivera is the chef at Hawks Public House.
“What makes this region the Farm-to-Fork Capital?” Cecchi said. “To me, there’s no better expression than the Tower Bridge Dinner. Yes, it’s a beautiful event; yes, it is an unforgettable meal. More than that, it’s a reflection of who we are as a region. It brings together farmers, ranchers, winemakers, chefs, hospitality and guests around one table and reminds people that the Sacramento food scene is … world-class but deeply grounded in community.”
The Tower Bridge Dinner began in 2013 as a celebration of the agricultural roots of the Capital Region. A different set of chefs creates the menu every year, each bringing their own culinary and cultural influences.
Giancarlo Zapata is the executive chef at Chicha Peruvian
Kitchen.
“I know what it’s like to stand on the bridge, the pressure, the adrenaline, the collaboration, the pride of representing Sacramento on that stage,” Cecchi said.
This year’s chefs include Kate Sutherland from Waterboy, Giancarlo Zapata from Chicha Peruvian Kitchen, Francisco Rivera from Hawks Public House and Joe Pruner from the soon-to-open Bocce in East Sacramento. The chefs will collaborate to create appetizers and a three-course menu from seasonal ingredients to feed more than 800 diners. The Tower Bridge that connects Sacramento with West Sacramento is shut down for the evening as guests dine on the span.
Joe Pruner is the chef of Bocce in East Sacramento.
“Every year, the chefs find new ways to honor the bounty of Northern California while still cooking from their own point of view, and that balance is part of what makes this dinner so special,” Cecchi said.
The dinner menu will be revealed in August with the dinner scheduled for September 6. Registration for the random drawing to purchase two tickets will be available mid-summer.
Kate Sutherland is the chef at Waterboy.
Also at the Visit Sacramento tourism luncheon, CEO Mike Testa announced that the GoldenSky country concert is returning in 2027. The last time it was at Discovery Park in Sacramento in 2024, it attracted 75,000 visitors. He added that a deal was made to add more runners to the California International Marathon, which usually has 10,000 registered runners, in December.
Runners reach the finish line of the 2025 California
International Marathon in Sacramento. (Shutterstock photo)
Each year, organizers of the run have had to turn down 6,000 hopefuls due to capacity limits, but Testa said an agreement was reached with Union Pacific Railroad to alter its train route the day of the race to add more course availability. The UP train usually runs through Midtown during the race, making it impossible for the runners to cross over the tracks. Testa brought Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty onstage for the announcement.
“We worked with UP,” McCarty said. “They’ve allowed us to allow us to extend the marathon by having the train run through the center of the city later in the day. We’ll be able to essentially double the marathon capacity.”
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