Greer's OC

Construction is now underway on Huntington Beach’s newest luxury hotel slated to open in early 2016. The Paséa Hotel & Spa, across from the Huntington Beach Pier, will be an eight-story, 250 room resort, and a part of a 191,000-square-foot Pacific City retail and entertainment center, also in the works.  

The new Paséa Hotel & Spa will also include a Balinese-inspired spa with both indoor and outdoor treatment areas; expansive custom designed pool area including an outdoor courtyard with water and fire features;  a signature restaurant with display exposition cooking and floor-to-ceiling views through warehouse glass into the entire kitchen, and a wood-fired inferno centerpiece;  a rooftop deck and bar, and spacious outdoor dining patio overlooking the ocean.

For events there will be more than 25,000 square feet of space, including an 8,700-square-foot ballroom and 6,000-square-foot event lawn, and 10 meeting rooms of various sizes;  a social room with a built in bar, and the most advanced AV, music, and technology to personalize each event.

A Blend Café will serve fresh coffee, pastries, sandwiches, and wine by the glass; in-room dining served 24-hours a day; and pool service—food and cocktails from the signature restaurant served poolside or catering to private cabanas.

Celebrity Cruises Great Wine Festival

By Sue Facter

When you hear anything about Celebrity Cruises, you think about luxury on the high seas. But not this time! Celebrity hosted its first land-based wine (and food) fest at the Great Park in Irvine.

Guests paid $100 a pop to sample some of the best wines and absorb them with a variety of gourmet treats from some of the OC’s best eateries including Slapfish, Maro Wood Grill, Clay Oven, Bluewater Grill, Riptide Rockin Sushi and more. And then there were two dishes from Celebrity Cruises chefs.

Proceeds from the festival benefited Legal Aid of Orange County.

Celebrity is no stranger to good food. It introduced the industry’s first gourmet food truck last year. Ten of its restaurants have received Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence. Celebrity’s Executive Chef, John Suley, a former Daniel Boulud staffer, is a James Beard Foundation Rising Chef nominee. He is known for his edgy and refreshing cuisine. “Few people realize while at sea, we make our food from scratch. It’s made from the highest quality."

Pictured above the Art Institute Student Chef Michael Nye, Corporate Executive Chef Rufino Rengifo, the Art Institute Student Chefs' Chelsea Bachetti and Brian Mazzoli and Executive Chef John Suley. (Photo by Todd Williamson/Invision for Celebrity Cruises/AP Images).