Kitchen staffers prepare an entree during the Tower Bridge Dinner in Sacramento on Sunday.
ZIYU JULIAN ZHU
julian.zhu@sacbee.com
Sunday night, dozens of local chefs combined efforts to feed more than 200 diners at one of Sacramento’s most extravagant dining events. The Tower Bridge Dinner, hosted by Visit Sacramento, showcases the best and brightest culinary talent the city has to offer.
When the gates opened, well-heeled locals filtered in, mixing and mingling over a glass of Silt Wine Company’s Sparkling Charmat Method Chenin Blanc, made in nearby Clarksburg, just a few miles down river. Guests sampled appetizers spread across tables as the late afternoon sun shimmered on the dramatic gold struts of the bridge.
As the sun began to set, guests took their seats as the wait staff served each dish of the four-course meal. The dishes were collaboratively created by a team of four lead chefs, and were meant to tell the story of California’s immigrant farmer history through food.
As night fell and West Sacramento’s Ziggurat building glowed luminously, guests returned to the sampling tables for an array of desserts.
Guests sample appetizers during the Tower Bridge Dinner in Sacramento on Sunday. ZIYU JULIAN ZHU julian.zhu@sacbee.com
To a great extent, chefs showcased the bounty of the Sacramento region, using produce from local producers such as Ray Yeung tomatoes, Stillwater Orchards pears and Dwelley Family Farms corn grown in Brentwood.
An exclusive experience, the Tower Bridge Dinner is Sacramento’s most sought-after ticket and a magnet for high-profile guests. Attendees spotted amongst the crowd included city, state and local politicians as well as Sacramento Kings head coach Doug Christie.
Most of the seats are instantly snapped up by the event’s sponsors. This year, just 80 tickets were made available to the public, offered via a lottery system. Tickets to the dinner cost $300 a head.
Proceeds from the sales go into the production of the dinner itself, as well as the city’s biennial Terra Madre Americas event, which brings food-focused crowds from around the world. Visit Sacramento also uses the money to fund College Assistance Migrant Program scholarships at Sacramento State for children of migrant farmworkers.
This story was originally published September 7, 2026 at 2:00 PM.
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Sean Timberlake is the food and dining reporter for The Sacramento Bee. He has been writing professionally about food for over 20 years.