The eighth annual Masters of Taste food and beverage festival takes over the field at the Rose Bowl Stadium today, marking the event’s return after its 2025 edition was postponed because of the Eaton and Palisades fires.
The festival, which runs from 3 to 7 p.m. at 1001 Rose Bowl Drive, brings together more than 100 restaurants, bakeries, wineries, breweries and spirit brands. All proceeds go to Union Station Homeless Services, the Pasadena-based nonprofit that has been providing housing and services to people experiencing homelessness in the San Gabriel Valley since 1973. Organizers say the event has raised more than $3.5 million for Union Station over the past seven years.
This year’s host chefs are Thomas Kalb and Vanessa Tilaka Kalb, the husband-and-wife team behind Agnes Restaurant & Cheesery at 40 W. Green St. in Old Pasadena. The restaurant, which is housed in a former Pasadena Fire Department horse stable built in 1922, has earned recognition from the Michelin Guide for its seasonal, farm-to-table cooking rooted in American regional traditions.
The Kalbs have ties to the event’s charitable mission that go beyond their role as hosts. According to HeySoCal, the couple prepared and served meals for Eaton Fire survivors in January 2025 at Friends in Deed, the Pasadena shelter and social services organization. They have also been involved in efforts such as the Pasadena Restaurant Coalition, which works to support local restaurants and their communities.
“We’re here to bridge the community,” the Kalbs said at a media preview event in late March, according to HeySoCal.
The fire connection runs deeper. Union Station Homeless Services CEO Katie Hill, who joined the organization in December 2024, took on the job just weeks before the Eaton Fire tore through Altadena and parts of Pasadena in January 2025. Union Station’s Adult Center was converted into a distribution hub for donated essentials and hot meals in the fire’s aftermath, serving thousands of residents who had been displaced overnight. Union Station operates multiple facilities in Pasadena and maintains a location at 2105 Lincoln Ave. in Altadena.
At the March media preview, Hill outlined the scope of Union Station’s work over the past year, according to HeySoCal. The organization served more than 4,200 people, helped over 1,200 individuals and families move into permanent housing, assisted another 2,200 in keeping their housing, and served more than 700,000 meals.
Hill also announced a new initiative at the preview event that connects two of Union Station’s strategic priorities: food access and workforce development. According to HeySoCal, the program will operate out of a new commercial kitchen and will train participants in food safety certification and culinary skills, creating pathways to employment. Hill told attendees that several chefs and restaurant partners involved in Masters of Taste have committed to hiring graduates of the program.
The event was created by Rob and Leslie Levy, owners of The Raymond 1886 restaurant at 1250 S. Fair Oaks Ave. in Pasadena. Rob Levy, a former Union Station board member, has said in past interviews that the idea grew from a desire to move beyond traditional fundraising galas. According to a 2022 account in the Pasadena Outlook, Levy wanted to hold an event where attendees would not feel they were at a charity affair, and his wife, Leslie, suggested gathering chefs together at the Rose Bowl.
Several Pasadena restaurants are among the vendors participating today, including Agnes Restaurant & Cheesery, Alexander’s Steakhouse, Celestino Ristorante, Ramen Tatsunoya, Mercado, Granville, The Raymond 1886, and Mama M Sushi & Rolls, according to the Visit Pasadena website. Chaaste Family Market, a Filipino grocery on Allen Avenue in Pasadena, is also among the local participants. Returning participants from across the region include Porto’s Bakery & Café, Pez Coastal Kitchen and Casa Cordoba, while newcomers this year include Sushi Roku, Maple Block Meat Company and BOA Steakhouse, according to Millennium Magazine.
The Kalbs have said the event’s end zone will feature a themed area they are calling “The Field of Cheese,” with offerings from 13 cheesemakers from around the country, according to HeySoCal.
VIP ticket holders have access starting at 3 p.m., with general admission entry beginning at 4 p.m. According to the Old Pasadena website, general admission tickets are $199 and VIP tickets are $225. The event is restricted to guests 21 and older.
Union Station Homeless Services reports a 97 percent success rate in placing program participants into permanent housing. The organization currently serves more than 4,000 individuals and family members each year across more than 40 cities in the San Gabriel Valley, according to a March 2026 press release announcing its new three-year strategic plan. In that release, Hill stated: “Our community continues to face enormous challenges when it comes to housing stability.”
Tickets and additional information are available at mastersoftastela.com or through the official Masters of Taste app. Contact: info@mastersoftastela.com or 626-240-4550.
