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L.A. Loves Alex's Lemonade Returns to UCLA October 17, 2026: The Fall Preview

  • Jul 18
  • 7 min read

Updated: Aug 15



One of the most consequential culinary afternoons in Los Angeles returns to Westwood this fall, tickets are on sale now, and the guest list is a who's who of American cooking.


L.A. Loves Alex's Lemonade returns to UCLA's Royce Quad on Saturday, October 17, 2026, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., per Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation. Tickets are on sale directly through ALSF at $275 for General Admission, and per the Foundation, general admission prices will increase to $300 after September 1, 2026, so early buyers save $25. The public cookout is the anchor of a two-day weekend, opening Friday, October 16 with an invite-only Welcome Dinner reserved for sponsors, All Access ticket holders, and participating chefs. Only the Saturday event is open to general admission, and past editions have sold out.


ALSF describes the format directly: superstar chefs, brewers, vintners, and mixologists deliver one-of-a-kind food and drink samplings across the Royce Quad lawn, with guests meeting the chefs behind each dish. The afternoon is family-friendly, and children 12 and under receive complimentary admission when accompanied by a ticketed adult. A portion of every ticket is tax-deductible, per ALSF.





The founders and how the event started


Founded in 2009, per ALSF, the event was created by chef Suzanne Goin, restaurateur Caroline Styne, and chef David Lentz. Per The Lucques Group, the three were inspired by Philadelphia's Great Chefs Event and decided to create a Los Angeles counterpart, enlisting culinary friends from across the country to donate their time. Today, the Lucques Group operates A.O.C. on Third Street, A.O.C. Brentwood (which took over the former Tavern space in 2021), and the restaurants at Downtown LA's Proper Hotel, including Caldo Verde and Cara Cara.


What the event has raised


Per ALSF, L.A. Loves Alex's Lemonade has raised more than $12 million since 2009, with the 2025 edition bringing in over $1.3 million across ticket sales, the on-site auction, and the Kids' Campaign. Fine Dining Lovers reported the 2024 edition raised over $1.6 million, and the cumulative $10 million milestone was crossed after that event. Haute Living's 2025 post-event coverage reported more than 1,800 guests joined over 100 chefs, mixologists, and vintners on the quad.


For readers building a fall calendar of food events in Los Angeles, this is the day chefs from LA and around the country show up to cook side by side for a cause. It is family-friendly, outdoors, and structured as a walk-around tasting rather than a seated meal.


The chef roster: 2025 lineup and returning regulars


The 2026 chef roster is being announced on a rolling basis on the ALSF campaign page, so this is what past editions have looked like as a benchmark for the caliber. The 2025 lineup, per LA Weekly's preview and ALSF, brought together:


  • Nancy Silverton of Osteria Mozza, Pizzeria Mozza, and Chi Spacca

  • Chris Bianco of Pizzeria Bianco (Phoenix), a James Beard Award winner and frequent participant

  • Michael Cimarusti of Providence, which received its third Michelin star in 2025, and Connie & Ted's

  • Jeremy Fox and Matthew Schaler of Rustic Canyon and Birdie G's (Santa Monica)

  • Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis of Bestia, Bavel, and Saffy's (Arts District)

  • Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo of Jon & Vinny's, Animal, and Son of a Gun

  • Ludo Lefebvre of Petit Trois

  • Suzanne "Jazz" Singsanong of Jitlada (East Hollywood)

  • Neal Fraser of Redbird (Downtown LA)

  • Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken of SOCALO (Santa Monica)

  • Kris and Sarah Yenbamroong of Night + Market Venice

  • Michael Reed of Poppy & Seed (Anaheim)

  • Clark Staub and Jill Davie of Full of Life Flatbread (Los Alamos)

  • Marc Vetri, Adam Perry Lang, Donald Link, Nancy Oakes, and Rocco Whalen among the visiting national roster, per Beverly Press coverage


Auction highlights: what past bidders have taken home


The afternoon includes both silent and live auctions of chef-driven experiences, travel packages, and one-of-a-kind items. Per LA Weekly's coverage of the 2024 edition, standout live-auction lots have included:

  • A Women Chefs Dinner featuring Nancy Silverton, Suzanne Goin, Sherry Yard, Nancy Oakes, and special guest chef Alice Waters, with wines curated by Caroline Styne, which sold to two bidders for a combined $160,000

  • A dinner at Jimmy and Molly Kimmel's Hollywood Hills barn cooked by Marc Vetri, Adam Perry Lang, David Chang, Jon Shook, Vinny Dotolo, and Chris Bianco, which sold for $80,000

  • Resort and travel packages, chef-in-your-kitchen dinners, and rare wine lots throughout the silent auction, per the ALSF auction site


What we hear you should expect from the day


Per prior coverage from Resy, Haute Living, and Time Out, the event is structured as an open-air tasting on the Royce Quad lawn, with chefs and beverage partners set up in tents around the perimeter. Ticket-holders sample small plates from each participating chef, plus wine, beer, cocktails, and specialty non-alcoholic drinks from the mixologist and vintner partners. Past editions have included:

  • Small-plate savory bites from 60+ chefs across the day

  • Signature cocktails and spirit-free options from LA's top bar directors

  • Wine and beer tastings from more than a dozen participating partners

  • The Kids' Campaign presentation, where local kids who ran lemonade stands throughout the summer present a giant check to Alex Scott's parents at the event

  • Inspiring childhood cancer hero stories woven throughout the afternoon, per ALSF

  • Live music and a family-friendly atmosphere

The event pairs naturally with the surrounding Los Angeles restaurant openings our monthly roundup tracks, if you want to make a weekend of it.


Tickets and pricing


Per ALSF, three ticket tiers are on sale now directly through the event registration page:

  • General Admission: $275 through August 31, 2026 ($175 tax-deductible), rising to $300 on September 1, per ALSF. Includes access to the full afternoon tasting and all participating chef, wine, beer, and cocktail booths.

  • VIP Ticket: $600 ($450 tax-deductible), limited quantity. Includes VIP check-in and access to the event a half hour before it opens to the public, a seat in the VIP area, and an invitation to the after-party.

  • All Access Ticket: $1,500 ($1,300 tax-deductible), limited quantity. Includes all VIP benefits plus an invitation to the exclusive Welcome Dinner on Friday, October 16, 2026, where All Access holders mingle with participating chefs in an intimate setting.

  • Children 12 and under: Complimentary admission with a ticketed adult, per ALSF

  • Tax-deductibility: The tax-deductible portion is specified per tier by ALSF; exact amounts confirmed at registration

Tickets are available at the official ALSF event page. Both VIP and All Access are marked as limited quantity, per ALSF, and past editions have sold out.


Sponsorship tiers


The 2026 edition returns with Northwestern Mutual as Presenting Sponsor, per the ALSF campaign page's step-and-repeat banner, with American Express also appearing on event signage. Multi-tier sponsorship packages are available for organizations and businesses. Per ALSF, sponsor benefits scale with tier and include:

  • Presenting Sponsor: 8 tickets to the exclusive October 16 Welcome Dinner, VIP check-in with half-hour early access to Royce Quad, emcee recognition throughout the event, press release inclusion, and logo placement on the L.A. Loves Alex's Lemonade step-and-repeat

  • Executive Chef Sponsor: 4 tickets to the Welcome Dinner, VIP check-in with half-hour early access, emcee recognition, press release inclusion, and event signage

  • Chef Sponsor: 2 tickets to the Welcome Dinner and event acknowledgment

  • Additional tiers: Sous Chef and In-Kind Sponsor packages with scaled benefits

For sponsorship inquiries, ALSF directs interested parties to Sara Schuster via the campaign page.


The Kids' Campaign


The event's Kids' Campaign is a parallel fundraising track where children across Los Angeles run lemonade stands throughout the summer and present a giant check to Alex Scott's parents at the event. Per ALSF, the Kids' Campaign has raised nearly $550,000 since its inception over the past five years. For every $300 a young fundraiser raises, they earn one complimentary adult ticket to the event.

Charles Lentz served as the 2025 Kids' Campaign Chair, per ALSF, kicking off the check presentation at last year's event. LA restaurants and businesses can participate by donating a percentage of proceeds during the summer campaign window; past supporters have included Valerie Gordon of Valerie Confections (Salted Lemonade) and Warren Schwartz of Magpies (Blueberry Lemon Softserve Pie), per ALSF.


Details at a glance


  • What: L.A. Loves Alex's Lemonade, a walk-around chef cookout benefiting Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer

  • When: Saturday, October 17, 2026, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

  • Where: Royce Quad, UCLA Campus, Los Angeles, CA 90095

  • Hosts: Chef Suzanne Goin, Caroline Styne (The Lucques Group), and Chef David Lentz

  • Presenting Sponsor: Northwestern Mutual, per ALSF

  • Tickets: General Admission $275 through Aug 31 (then $300), VIP $600, All Access $1,500. Kids 12 and under complimentary with a ticketed adult.

  • Welcome Dinner: Friday, October 16, 2026 (invite-only, for sponsors, All Access holders, and participating chefs; not general admission)

  • Charity: All proceeds benefit Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer research

  • Buy tickets: alexslemonade.org/event/439/register


The FJM take


Since 2009, L.A. Loves Alex's Lemonade has become the fall counterpart to the summer's biggest chef events, and it belongs on every serious food lover's calendar for two reasons that do not often line up in the same afternoon. First, the roster: it is a working-chef lineup, not a headliner-and-openers structure, which means you eat from Silverton, Cimarusti, Menashe, and Lefebvre with the same ease you would sample a new booth. Second, the cause: the event has moved over $12 million into pediatric cancer research, per ALSF, and the Kids' Campaign check presentations grounded it in something bigger than any menu.


For the best food in Los Angeles in a single afternoon, on a single lawn, at a single ticket price, this is the day. And with GA jumping to $300 on September 1, this is the month to lock in the $275 early bird.


Editor's note: All figures, dates, ticket details, and sponsor information attributed to Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, The Lucques Group, LA Weekly, Beverly Press, Fine Dining Lovers, Resy, Haute Living, and Time Out. Chef roster for the 2026 edition is being announced on a rolling basis on the ALSF campaign page. Food Journal Magazine has not attended the event and will refresh this post as the 2026 roster is finalized.


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