This Dominican Republic Resort Is Hosting a Two-Day Food Festival With Michelin-Starred Chefs, Beachfront Dining, and Caribbean Flavors

The stone streets of Altos de Chavón. The deep blue water beside Minitas Beach. The fairways of Teeth of the Dog, curling along the edge of the Caribbean Sea.

Casa de Campo Resort & Villas has always felt like several destinations gathered into one enormous retreat in the Dominican Republic. In October, the 7,000-acre resort will add another reason to plan a trip to La Romana: two days devoted to food, wine, and some of the culinary world’s best-known names.

The Casa de Campo Food & Wine Festival is returning for its fourth year from Oct. 9-10, bringing Michelin-starred chefs, global restaurateurs, Dominican culinary talent, tastings, demonstrations, and a beachfront dinner to one of the Caribbean’s most complete resorts.

This year’s lineup includes Michael Mina, Hubert Keller, Joe Isidori, and Adam Pawlak, with Univision personality Raúl de Molina returning as host.

The festival is being presented in partnership with Invited, with a program centered on live culinary showcases, chef-led demonstrations, wine pairings, and the chance to see how prominent chefs develop their dishes.

Who Is Cooking at Casa de Campo This Year?

The biggest new name on the festival roster is Michael Mina, the award-winning chef behind the Mina Group, whose restaurant portfolio has spread his contemporary American cooking across several major culinary destinations.

Mina’s food is known for marrying refined technique with intense flavors, making his appearance one of the headline additions to the fourth edition of the event.

He will be joined by Hubert Keller, the French-born Michelin-starred chef returning for his fourth consecutive festival. Keller has spent decades interpreting classical French cooking through a modern, accessible lens, and he has become one of the annual event’s defining personalities.

Joe Isidori is also returning, following his Casa de Campo debut last year. Isidori is best known as the founder of Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer, the restaurant brand that turned burgers, shakes, and comfort food into playful, oversized culinary creations.

The program will also feature local chefs, giving Dominican ingredients and cooking traditions a place alongside the visiting international talent.

What Is Dinner Under the Stars?

The festival’s most intimate experience will take place away from the main tasting pavilion.

Adam Pawlak, a Top Chef finalist and restaurateur known for his contemporary Midwestern cooking, will lead the festival’s Dinner Under the Stars at Minitas Beach Club.

The open-air dinner will feature a multi-course menu accompanied by selected wines, with the Caribbean Sea providing the setting.

It is the kind of event that fits Casa de Campo particularly well. The resort’s size gives it room to create several distinct festival environments, from large tastings and demonstrations to a more focused dinner beside the beach.

Two Days Built Around Tasting

The festival begins on Friday, Oct. 9, with the first day of programming at the Grand Tasting Pavilion.

The pavilion returns on Saturday, Oct. 10, with another day of chef appearances, tastings, food-and-wine pairings, and interactive presentations. The weekend concludes with Pawlak’s dinner at Minitas Beach Club.

The emphasis is not solely on sampling finished dishes. The demonstrations are designed to let attendees hear directly from the chefs, explore their techniques, and understand the decisions behind their menus.

The result is part festival, part culinary workshop, and part Caribbean vacation.

Why Casa de Campo Works for a Food Festival

Casa de Campo is far more than a traditional beachfront resort.

Its 7,000 acres include hotel rooms, private villas, restaurants, a marina, an equestrian center, a shooting club, tennis and pickleball facilities, a spa, and three golf courses designed by Pete Dye.

You can spend the festival exploring the resort in sections, with each part offering a different atmosphere.

At the heart of the property is Altos de Chavón, an artisan village designed in the style of a 16th-century Mediterranean town. Its stone plazas, galleries, restaurants, and amphitheater have made it one of the Dominican Republic’s best-known cultural attractions.

Down by the water, the Casa de Campo Marina & Yacht Club has berths for 250 vessels, along with shops and restaurants overlooking the boats.

Then there is Minitas Beach, home to the beach club that will host the festival’s closing dinner.

The setting allows the culinary weekend to become a full resort trip rather than a single event. A tasting can be followed by an afternoon at the beach, a spa treatment, a round of golf, or dinner at one of the property’s restaurants.

Is This Still One of the Caribbean’s Great Golf Resorts?

Golf remains a central part of the Casa de Campo experience.

The resort has 63 holes across three Pete Dye-designed courses: Teeth of the Dog, Dye Fore, and The Links.

Teeth of the Dog is the best known of the trio, with several holes running beside the Caribbean Sea. Dye Fore stretches across high terrain near Altos de Chavón, with views of the Chavón River and the surrounding countryside. The Links offers a parkland-style alternative with lagoons, rolling fairways, and inland scenery.

Casa de Campo also has a Golf Learning Center equipped with TrackMan technology, making it possible to add lessons, club fitting, or practice sessions to the weekend.

A food festival at a golf resort naturally creates opportunities for longer stays. You can arrive early for a round, remain after the final dinner, or pair the culinary program with several days in a private villa.

A Resort Made for Villa Stays

The villa side of Casa de Campo is one of the property’s most distinctive features.

Villas range from garden residences to large homes with private pools, golf views, and waterfront settings. Many include dedicated staff and golf carts for traveling around the resort.

The format works particularly well for the festival. Groups of friends or extended families can share a villa, attend the tastings together, and still have their own living spaces, pools, and dining areas between events.

The hotel and Premier Club provide a more traditional resort experience, while the villas turn the weekend into a private Caribbean escape.

The Spa Casa de Campo, a Forbes Four-Star retreat, adds another option between festival events, with wellness treatments, hydrothermal facilities, and private treatment spaces.

How Do You Get to Casa de Campo?

Casa de Campo is in La Romana, on the southeastern side of the Dominican Republic.

The closest gateway is La Romana International Airport, located only a brief drive from the resort. Flight availability varies by season, so many visitors also arrive through Punta Cana International Airport or Las Américas International Airport in Santo Domingo.

Punta Cana is roughly an hour away by car, while the trip from Santo Domingo generally takes longer.

The Dominican Republic has extensive nonstop service from major US gateways, making the festival practical for either a long weekend or a longer fall vacation.

Once you arrive at Casa de Campo, most of the trip takes place within the resort. Golf carts are a standard way to travel among the villas, beaches, marina, restaurants, golf courses, spa, and Altos de Chavón.

Why the Dominican Republic Belongs in the Culinary Conversation

The festival arrives as the Dominican Republic continues to broaden its identity as a Caribbean travel destination.

The country is already known for its beaches, all-inclusive resorts, golf courses, and historic cities. Food is becoming an increasingly important part of the experience, from contemporary Dominican restaurants in Santo Domingo to chef-led dining at major resorts.

Casa de Campo’s event brings those worlds together. International chefs draw attention, while Dominican talent, ingredients, and traditions give the festival its connection to place.

Andrés Pichardo Rosenberg, president of Casa de Campo Resort & Villas, said the fourth edition reflects the resort’s commitment to culinary experiences that bring together international excellence and Dominican heritage.

Jason Kycek, the resort’s senior vice president and chief marketing officer, said the event also offers a platform for the Dominican Republic’s growing place in the international culinary world.

The fourth edition feels like the clearest expression of the festival so far: prominent chefs, two concentrated days of programming, and a resort with enough golf, beach, culture, dining, and villa experiences to turn a culinary event into a complete Caribbean vacation.

The chefs may provide the reason to travel in October. Casa de Campo gives you plenty of reasons to remain a little longer

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