Dave Bernahl and Robert Weakley's favorite things

Dave Bernahl and Robert Weakley are the creators of Pebble Beach Food & Wine, a celebration of California's finer taste treats, which they founded in 2008 under the umbrella of Coastal Luxury Management.

Weakley, 38, had run the Masters of Food & Wine event at the Park Hyatt Highlands for 21 years, but the venue was turned into a residence club, and the company moved the event to South America.

Together with Bernahl, 33, who had been at the helm of the Carmel luxury store Pacific Tweed, he fashioned a fledgling event that capitalized on the state's agricultural and culinary hubs.

To keep current on the chefs and wineries that participate in the Pebble Beach Food & Wine event, and the Los Angeles Food & Wine spin-off they created (now in its third year), Bernahl and Weakley eat their way across the country, sometimes hitting five restaurants in one night hint:

Tyler Florence is using all local products and farmers, which is fabulous.

[...] to work it all off, I go back to the gym at the Mandarin, followed by a massage - and end up feeling like a Kobe cow.

Keiko À Nob Hill, 1250 Jones St. Says Rob: She is a Japanese chef doing French food, and her partner has one of the most amazing wine collections around - old white Burgundies and stuff from the 1960s and '70s, Napa Valley Cabernets going back into the 1950s.

Rye, 688 Geary St. Says Dave: Some people get annoyed at the wait, but if you watch the intensity, whether it's happy hour or 1 in the morning, the bartenders are like, 'This is how we make the drink; we're not going to cut corners.'

Says Rob: As crazy as it sounds, their grilled cheese is probably the best out there right now because of the eclectic cheeses they use.

[...] they have a standard with Gruyere, mixed with small artisanal cheeses and brioche bread.