During a recent trip to Napa Valley, I wanted to take advantage of the amazing bounty and talent in the region. I organized a sit-down, nine-course wine country chef’s dinner for our friends prepared by a local chef.
We were the guests of Cardinale and Lokoya Winery for the weekend, and stayed at their beautiful guest house conveniently located just below the tasting room. I worked with artisan Chef Tiffany Smejkal to create a one-of-a-kind, organic, seed-to-dish menu based on the season’s freshest picks the week of our visit. My husband paired the wines to complement Chef Tiffany’s courses and I had the honor of designing the table. What an unforgettable night!
Jose Tenerio of Lokoya Winery was one of our hosts for the weekend, and Chef Tiffany Smejkal prepared our culinary masterpiece dinner
Couldn’t have picked a better (or more fun!) crew for the weekend
The Table Setting
Since I was unsure of the supplies available at our guest house, I came prepared with some of my own table decor. The finished look was a beautiful blend of pieces from my collection, borrowed items from our guest accommodations, and a few critical pieces that I rented once I was there.
This isn’t the first time I’ve thrown a dinner party on vacation, so I knew I had to be organized. See my post on How to Host in a Rental House.
The guest house decor was mostly neutral, so I thought white and green with pop of yellow would work well
Because I didn’t want to distract from the gorgeous food, I chose white linen napkins to blend in with the decor. Agate napkin rings finished off the earthly, neutral setting to match the color scheme throughout the guest house.
Napkins, napkin rings, and chargers were my own. Yes, I travel with my own table decor. Whatever. It makes me happy.
Since the menu was curated from the local farmer’s market two days before we arrived, I didn’t get the finalized version until the night before. Luckily, my paper genius friend Natalie, of Pretty Paper Place, magically created these coordinating menu cards at the last minute. How cool are they??
Chef Tiffany and I decided that providing just a few culinary terms, rather than listing each dish, would leave some mystery to each course
The Florals
Before we arrived, I contacted a local florist to deliver arrangements for the table, powder room, and for each couple’s bedroom. She took my color scheme and blended her arrangements beautifully with the place setting and the house decor. I love the ceramic vessels she chose to highlight the blooms in season.
Candles from the guest house supply room provided some soft lighting once the sun went down
Never having ordered or worked with this florist before, I was thrilled with how they turned out!
The Food
Hamachi with celery root puree and diced green apples was our first course
So curious about the entire process, I couldn’t stay out of the kitchen
Chef Tiffany even brought her own living herbs and micro greens, still in the gardening containers
Seared black cod with hearts of palm, shaved zucchini and edible flowers. Really??!!
Pouring broth over the hamachi
Shaved aged cheddar over quail egg with tarragon
The Wine
Starting dinner toast with Schramsberg sparkling rosé
A lovely Montrachet to pair with the black cod
One of many cheers this night
Just waiting to be filled
Many thanks to Cardinale and Lokoya for some of the fabulous wine we enjoyed
The Company
It’s so fun to share experiences with good friends who have the same interests. Now that our kids are older, it’s a little easier to get away together!
My husband is amazing at impersonations – pretty sure he was entertaining our crew with one of them here
Until next time, Napa.
[…] in the Bay Area. This sprawling estate was our headquarters for the long weekend where I hosted a nine-course chef’s dinner (click here for the post!) and where we would return after a long, glorious day of wine tasting throughout Napa and Sonoma […]