BBQ Bootcamp

As Executive Chef at Alisal Ranch, Chef Erik Sandven brings Alisal Ranch the best ingredients the state’s central coast has to offer, while creating a sense of place for the hotel’s guests and embracing the ranch’s rich history through an array of dining experiences, including summer rodeos, the multi-day BBQ Bootcamp, weddings, the California Ranch Cookouts held throughout the year, and more.

Sandven began his culinary career in 2011 as a line cook at RAYA at The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, quickly climbing the ranks to become the hotel’s saucier, and then sous chef. Six years later, he went to another iconic Orange County luxury hotel, The Resort at Pelican Hill, as the sous chef in their restaurants Pelican Grill and Andrea, before being promoted to chef de cuisine at the Coliseum restaurant.

In 2021, Sandven was recruited by The Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara to be their banquet chef, during which he oversaw all banquet culinary functions and operations, the Club Lounge, as well as the Obar Kitchen. In 2023, Sandven joined Alisal Ranch.

Outside of the kitchen, Sandven enjoys spending time with his wife, visiting the local farmer’s markets, and playing golf.

Kim Prince is a third-generation restaurateur with a knack for frying “hot” chicken coursing through her veins; at the age of eight, she recalls being the “Pickle Bucket Girl” at her family’s restaurant in Nashville, TN. The Prince family is recognized and awarded as the creators of Nashville Hot Chicken.

Kim studied Public Administration at Fresno State University where her professional career in Human Resources began in 1992. From 1999-2019 she worked for various TV networks like ABC TV, The WB, CMT/MTV, and NBCUniversal. TV Production and Development afforded her opportunities to travel around the world and work with many A-List celebrities, professional athletes, and high-profile influencers.  In 2016, after returning to LA from Nashville, she started a pop-up restaurant: Holtville Chicken. In 2019, opened a brick ‘n mortar in the Baldwin Hills/Crenshaw district with partner Greg Dulan (owner of Dulan’s Soul Food).  Hotville Chicken has been recognized by Los Angeles Magazine’s Best of 2020 and Best New Restaurant.  Hotville Chicken has also been featured in: The NY Times, Infatuation LA, Zagat, and the LA Times.

Chef & Restaurateur Matt Horn is a leading authority on barbecue and a rising star in the US restaurant scene overall, drawing acclaim from barbecue aficionados and media across the nation with his own California-style. In October 2020 he opened his first restaurant, Horn Barbecue, in Oakland, CA, which drew instant acclaim from loyal fans and both local and national media, followed by the 2022 opening of his sophomore concept, Kowbird, and his first elevated dining concept, Matty’s Old Fashioned in 2023. In 2021, Matt Horn was named one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs in America, and Horn Barbecue was named one of Esquire Magazine’s Best New Restaurants in America and landed a coveted Michelin Bib Gourmand designation. In 2022 Horn Barbecue was nominated for a James Beard Award, in the Best New Restaurant category. Chef Horn was recently named to the Williams Sonoma Chefs Collective (2023), is a YETI Chef Ambassador and Chef Partner for MadeIn Cookware.