Originally from Brooklyn, NY, Ted Balestreri moved to the Monterey Peninsula in 1957, and over the next 25 years became a national figure in the restaurant and food service industries. The youngest ever President of the National Restaurant Association, he served in 1984 and is on the Board to this day.
In 1968, Balestreri opened The Sardine Factory Restaurant with his partner Bert Cutino. The restaurant just celebrated its 56th Anniversary, and is the recipient of virtually every major food, wine, and service award imaginable. Most recently, The Sardine Factory has been recognized as one of only sixteen restaurants in North America to be awarded the Inaugural Distinguished Restaurants of North America “Gold” Award of Excellence.
In 1985, Balestreri was appointed as a Commissioner of the California Travel and Tourism Commission and served through 2007 as the longest seated Tourism Commissioner. In February 1995, he was appointed as California delegate to the White House Conference on Travel and Tourism.
As Chairman and CEO of the Cannery Row Company, founded in 1976, Balestreri created a partnership that purchased and redeveloped over 80% of Cannery Row, a renowned tourism area in Monterey, California that includes luxury hotels, restaurants and retail shops, which receives approximately 6 million visitors each year. Cannery Row Company also owns five hotels in Monterey.
His leadership and commitment to tourism have been acknowledged by the Travel Industry Association of America, The California Travel Association, and the California Tourism Hall of Fame. He remains an active member of the World Travel & Tourism Council and served as an appointed delegate to the U.S. Department of Commerce Travel and Tourism Advisory Board.
His awards and achievements are extensive, and include the prestigious IFMA Gold Plate Award and the President’s Award in 2016 from both the National Restaurant Association (NRA) Educational Foundation and the Monterey County Business Council. He was the first recipient of the National Restaurant Association Legend Award in 2016; and in 2019 he was named the National Chair of the NRA Centennial Committee. In 2024, the Penn State Hotel & Restaurant Society and the School of Hospitality Management honored him with a lifetime achievement award. Humanitarian awards include honors from the Boy Scouts of America and the National Ethnic Coalition Organization. He is a member of the Knights of Malta.
Balestreri serves on the Board of the Panetta Institute for Public Policy, the Boys and Girls Club of Monterey County, is Board Emeritus at Robert Louis Stevenson School and Rancho Cielo Youth Campus, is a former trustee of the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, and a member of the CSU Monterey Bay President’s Council. He is a major contributor to scholarship funds through local and national educational foundations.
Ted and his wife Velma have been married for over 50 years and have two sons, Theodore II and Vincent - both actively involved in the company business.
