January 30, 2020

Cielo will be hosting a Friends of James Beard event on Thursday, January 30th featuring chefs from around the United States.

To review the menu, just click here and download the full PDF.

Keep checking in to see who is participating and for menu updates.

Selected Chefs

Chef Melissa Akin
(Host Chef)

Chef Andrew Zimmerman
(Sepia and Proxi, Chicago, IL)

Chef Pat Sheerin
(Student of Life)

Chef Ed Sura
(Uchiko, Austin, TX)

Chocolatier Matias Boirie
(Norman Love Confections, Ft Myers, FL)

November 29, 2018

Cielo once again hosted the James Beard Foundation’s Celebrity Chef Tour for a second year. 2018’s event also included a chef meet and greet with the participating chefs featuring house crafted cocktails and passed hors d’oeuvres the night before the dinner. Guest were able to personally meet each chef and discuss cooking techniques and tips along with learning about each chef’s background and history.

Hosted by Cielo’s Chef Melisa Akin, who was Cielo’s Pastry Chef for the 2017 event, the dinner began with house crafted drinks featuring Tito’s Vodka. Each chef prepared food items that were flown in from all over the world, including Skuna Bay Salmon from Alaska, Burgundy Truffles from France along with Florida Gulf Pompano and Creekstone Farms New York Strip from Arkansas. Dessert was prepared by Lev Dalke who graduated from the French Pastry School in Chicago, IL.

Selected Chefs

• Chef Melissa Akin (Host Chef)


• Chef Andrew Zimmerman


• Chef Pat Sheerin


• Chef Ed Sura


• Chef Paul Virant


• Pastry Chef Lev Dalke (Host Pastry Chef)

November 30, 2017

The James Beard Foundation’s Celebrity Chef Tour brings a taste of what happens at the James Beard House in New York City to more than 20 cities across the country each year. The award-winning Sanibel Island eatery, Cielo welcomed the JBF tour to Sanibel for the first time on Thursday, November 30th, 2017.

Hosted by Cielo’s Chef Allen Casey, the dinner began with specialty drinks featuring Afrohead Rum with hors d’oeuvres from 5:30-6:30pm, followed by a one night only, multi-course dinner with wine pairings by Marcus Preece, General Manager of Cielo. Featuring one-of-a-kind meals and signature dishes from an amazing group of JBF nominees and Michelin Star chefs. The culinary experience ended with a decadent dessert course by Pastry Chef Melissa Akin who graduated from the New England Culinary Institute.

Selected Chefs

Chef Allen Casey (Host Chef)

Chef Andrew Zimmerman

Chef Pat Sheerin

Chef Ed Sura

Chef Paul Virant

Pastry Chef Melissa Akin (Host Pastry Chef)