On the banks of the Napa River in Northern California, a crowd has gathered around Chef Itamar Abramovitch. He’s in his element, dancing to the live music of a roving guitar player and joking with the raucous attendees, most of whom have their phones out to record the experience. In front of Abramovitch is a massive halibut, which he fillets, chops and mixes with ingredients like pineapple, chile pepper and wasabi peas. When he gives the signal, the crowd moves in, palming handfuls of raw meat and dropping the pieces into their mouths from above as Abramovitch looks on with pride, a gold plastic crown on his head.

The crown is fitting. Abramovitch is the king of the (M)EAT CARNIVAL, a primal, decidedly carnivorous outdoor feast he started with a fellow chef in Israel in 2016. “The concept really came from the desire of two chefs to get out of the kitchen and really engage with our guests,” he says. What started as a small, impromptu barbecue soon became one of the hottest tickets around, prompting Abramovitch to bring the concept to the U.S. three years ago.

Today, the (M)EAT CARNIVAL draws hundreds of attendees to a secret location—it moves around the California Bay Area and Napa Valley—for one weekend every month, each guest paying $195 for the all-you-can-eat feast where the only rule is you eat with your hands. “We are very succinct and clear in our messaging: There are no tables to sit at, no cutlery to eat with and no plates to hold your food,” Abramovitch says. “We know it’s not for everyone, but for those who are adventurous and really enjoy food, this event is for them.”

He’s quick to point out that it’s not an event where attendees sample tiny bites and leave hungry. Indeed, some guests amble around with a Flintstones-sized smoked rib in their hand, gnawing off a piece of meat as they make their way to a magician performing card tricks. The event features about seven stations, with the chef at each one unveiling upwards of six dishes throughout the evening. A crowd will build at one as a chef squeezes whole-roasted lemons over an entire smoked lamb, then rush over to another to grab a bite of brisket-stuffed monkey bread, before running back to a station near the entrance to try a bite of sabich, the iconic Israeli sandwich.

That sabich is made by Chef Jay Norgart, who graduated from the Salvation Army’s Culinary Arts Training Program in 2022. “Being new to the culinary scene, I was honestly scared to participate,” he says. “I’m glad I did, however, because it’s become one of the most amazing experiences of my life.” In addition to the sabich, which is built on focaccia and layered with eggplant, tomato, hard-boiled egg, pickles and amba sauce, Norgart also kicks the event off with a pitted date, which is stuffed with smoked beef before the whole thing is smoked again, and it’s all drizzled with pomegranate molasses. “Once it hits their mouths, they go nuts,” Norgart says of guests who sample the creation.

The chance to interact with the guests directly as they cook—and to see immediate reactions as each diner takes a bite—is what brings many chefs back to the carnival. “We chefs, we get insanely tired of being in the kitchen,” says Chef Kenny Boyle, who participated in the event and brought several early-career chefs as well. “For me, (M)EAT CARNIVAL is a chance to get out of the kitchen, get creative and watch our guests enjoy the food.”

As the night wears on and the wine continues to flow, the divide between chef and guest breaks down even more (some guests have already gotten their hands dirty chopping meat or prepping dishes with the chefs), and attendees begin to move behind the stations, right next to the chefs, to get closer to the food. Boyle’s station thumps with singing and music from a boombox as he creates massive Turkish kebabs called İskender from Abramovitch’s mother’s recipe. The dish is heavily seasoned with a spice blend that wafts over the crowd, each one mounted on a marrow bone, smoked and served on crostini with beef tallow, smoked tomatoes and smoked caramelized onions.

If meat is the main theme of the carnival, smoke runs a close second. There are smoked breads to swipe into rich shakshuka, ribs finished in a large competition smoker and, toward the end of the night, each station serves a selection of smoked fruits. Smoke also appears in what may be the grand finale—and possibly the single most luxurious and indulgent dish many attendees will have ever experienced. As word gets out around the carnival, a new crowd builds in the far back corner where the team of chefs from MAC BBQ, a San Francisco-based competition barbecue and catering team, open a tin of caviar and place it under a smoking dome. When the cloche is finally lifted and a few lucky guests get a smoke-filled bump, generous portions of caviar pearls are served with A5 Wagyu and bone marrow before it’s all finished with a final shower of shaved truffle. Attendees swoon.

Soon it’s time for the (M)EAT CARNIVAL to leave town again, with those brave guests who have made it to the end slowly heading to the exits, eager to slip into pants with a drawstring and sleep off the meat sweats. But, as they leave, there’s one final bite. “As a surprise twist, we give everyone a freshly baked Otis Spunkmeyer cookie to take home,” Abramovitch says. Though they are full of meat, caviar and truffles, somehow “most people eat them before they get to their car,” he says.