Lance Ramhurst is listed as the executive chef who will run the culinary operation at The MOHI, the boutique hotel going up at 17490 Monterey Road. That hotel says it is "emerging in 2027." Ramhurst isn't waiting on it. He's the chef at MOHI Farm, 90 E. Third St., Unit #50, and he has cooked at both MOHI Food & Wine festivals so far.
So the MOHI is already up and running in downtown Morgan Hill. It's just spread across a restaurant, a ranch on Uvas Road, and a festival that turns three on Sunday, October 18. The hotel will be the last piece to open, not the first.
How the restaurant got there before the hotel
For anyone who has watched the Monterey Road site for years, here's how the MOHI ended up starting at the restaurant.
- 2020: Construction stopped and left a two-story structure unfinished for years. The Morgan Hill Times said the stall came as hospitality lending tightened during the pandemic.
- During the pandemic: Owner Frank Leal turned the site into a temporary restaurant called MOHI Social.
- After that: Leal opened a permanent restaurant, MOHI Farm, at the base of the Sunsweet building on East Third Street.
- September 2023: Hotel construction started again with Gilroy-based Kent Construction. The redesign added a partial fifth floor for 73 rooms in total, plus a spa, meeting space and a market-hall restaurant, with completion expected by December 2025.
- March 2026: The Morgan Hill Times reported more delays. At that point, rooms were expected later in 2026 and the restaurant and amenity spaces in 2027.
- April 2026: The Mercury News reported an early 2027 opening and named the hotel's four food and drink concepts: Youngstock, HOLT by Charlie Palmer, Nashelle and the poolside Solene.
Leal explained the pivot to the Morgan Hill Times in 2023:
"When the pandemic hit, my main focus was on retaining my employees. Launching MOHI Social allowed me to do just that and gave me the time I needed to adjust the hotel design and reposition the project to secure additional investment. I have promised the Morgan Hill community a Boutique Hotel, and I intend to make good on that promise."
That pivot is why the Third Street restaurant exists. It's also why 2027 should be read as the latest target, not a fixed date. The completion date has moved at least twice since 2023.
MOHI Farm is the everyday version
MOHI Farm's own menu describes seasonal, farm-to-table cooking that changes with the harvest. Breakfast toasts, frittatas and warm lavash wraps are among the examples. It opens early enough for a weekday breakfast. Leal's own pages list three different sets of hours, though, so check with the restaurant before you head over.
The hotel plans mentioned so far include a steakhouse, a raw bar, an artisan bakery and a rooftop pool bar. None of that is serving yet. The chef who will oversee it already runs a kitchen on Third Street.
The festival is the hotel's menu preview
The MOHI Food & Wine Festival is the yearly chance to see what this operation can do at full scale. It's presented by Léal Hospitality and Appellation, the company that will operate the hotel. The 2026 tickets are sold under MOHI Farm's name.
2024, the first year. The festival ran Sunday, October 27, at 90 East 3rd Street, with Third Street closed to traffic. Charlie Palmer hosted, and Michael Mina, Tyler Florence and Elizabeth Falkner headlined. Edible Monterey Bay counted more than a dozen tasting stations along three blocks of Third Street. Ramhurst served grilled lion's mane mushroom with smoked ricotta and tomato jam, paired with a 2015 Léal Vineyards estate Meritage. A post-event release reported more than 500 attendees and 15 chefs. More than 30 Live Oak High culinary students took part, proceeds went to Morgan Hill Unified School District nutrition, culinary and hospitality programs, and the program received two donated Big Green Egg grills.
2025, the second year. The festival moved up to October 5. The lineup leaned more local. Nicola Cavicchini of CordeValle, Sal Calisi of Odeum, Ramhurst of MOHI Farm and Michael Jochner of MHUSD cooked alongside guest chefs Bryan Voltaggio, Neal Fraser and Duskie Estes, among others. Ramhurst's dish was smoked beef short rib over pimento-cauliflower grits with a 2009 Leal Godsend Cabernet Sauvignon. Pours also came from Sarah's Vineyard, Alara, Lion Ranch and Harney Lane. The Morgan Hill Times reported that hundreds came and that district culinary students worked the event again.
From one year to the next, Leal's own wines and Ramhurst's cooking stayed at the center while the visiting names changed.
What Sunday, October 18 looks like
The third festival is set for Sunday, October 18, in downtown Morgan Hill. It's 21 and over.
- VIP, noon to 1 p.m., $400: chef meet-and-greets, a book signing with Joe Sasto, Hog Island oysters, Tsar Nicoulai caviar, Point Reyes cheese, Bulleit Bourbon and Don Julio cocktails, a Bulleit spice lab, Champagne and a swag bag.
- General admission, 1 to 4 p.m., $200: chef tastings, wine and local artisans, plus a meet-and-greet with the MOHI Minis.
- Where the money goes: hospitality education programs and culinary scholarships.
As of today, the festival site still says its chef and vintner lineup "will be revealed this August." Joe Sasto is the only chef named on the 2026 ticket page. Harney Lane has confirmed it will pour. The ticket page also offers 20% off at the Hampton Inn for anyone who needs a room that weekend. In year three, a festival named after a hotel is still sending its overnight guests somewhere else.
The rest of the MOHI map is on Uvas Road
The MOHI Minis aren't a Third Street act. They live at MOHI Ranch, Léal's vineyard property at 12775 Uvas Road, which serves wine by the glass or bottle along with seasonal small bites and charcuterie. The Ranch's booking page describes the Minis visit as 45 minutes with a "friendly herd" in the olive grove, 21 and over. It doesn't say what kind of animals they are.
The Ranch holds its own MOHI Ranch Harvest Festival tomorrow, October 11, one week before the downtown event. Ranch tasting hours change from month to month, and the latest schedule posted covers September. Léal's Hollister tasting room at 300 Maranatha Drive keeps regular Thursday through Sunday hours and lists pop-up Saturdays on October 10, 17 and 24.
The same blocks, the rest of the fall
The MOHI festival is one of several events this fall that close or crowd downtown streets.
| Date | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Oct. 10 | Sidewalk Saturdays, next to the Farmers Market | East Third Street |
| Sun., Oct. 18 | MOHI Food & Wine, noon to 4 p.m. | Downtown |
| Sat., Oct. 31 | Downtown Safe Trick or Treat, 5 to 7 p.m. | Monterey Road, closed to cars |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Whiskey Week stroll, 3 to 8 p.m. | Downtown |
| Sat., Nov. 14 | Sidewalk Saturdays, last of the season | East Third Street |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Jingle Market and Merry Market | Third Street and the Community & Cultural Center |
Sidewalk Saturdays runs on the second Saturday of every month from May through November, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Today's listing promises 50-plus vendors and road closures from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Morgan Hill Downtown Association hosts Safe Trick or Treat, which is free for kids under 12, and the second annual Whiskey Week stroll, with tastings, a VIP class, music, cigar rolling and an after-party. The Chamber's Merry Market Holiday Bazaar runs noon to 4 p.m. on November 28 at 17000 Monterey Road, with vendors and Santa. The Jingle Market's own event page wasn't loading when we checked, so confirm details with the organizers.
New green curbs arrive in the middle of it
Parking downtown is about to change. The city is marking 18 spaces on side streets near Monterey Road as 20-minute parking, with green curbs, pavement markings and signs. Some of the spaces are on East Third Street. They're meant for quick errands, pickups and drop-offs, and food deliveries. Installation is set for late October, followed by warnings only in November and December, with citations starting in January and February 2027. The city counts about 2,500 downtown parking spaces, and more than 1,200 of them are free public spaces a short walk from downtown businesses. Lesley Miles, a Granary District co-developer, told the Morgan Hill Times that downtown's two-hour limits have been on the books for more than two decades without being enforced consistently.
If you're heading to the festival on October 18, leave the green curbs for quick stops. Park in one of the longer-term spaces and walk the rest of the way.
Watching the MOHI rise on Monterey Road is part of living downtown, and so is keeping track of what the people behind it are already doing around the corner. If you have questions about Morgan Hill, the downtown calendar, or anything else about where you live, I'd love to talk it through. Melissa Grasso is always happy to help. Let's Connect.
