Tasty. Easy. Healthy.

By Chef Domenica Catelli

I had an amazing evening a few nights ago. I was honored to be the chef at a pop-up dinner at the Hipstamatic offices in San Francisco. For those of you who don’t know, Hipstamatic is an app for the iPhone that allows the most inept picture takers to appear as though they are fantastic photographers. You can see more at hipstamatic.com.

I have been a Hipstamatic devotee since I got my phone. Somehow the planets aligned and I came to know the entrepreneurs responsible for this company. They have been to my restaurant and we have forged a friendship. To my surprise and honor, they created a film for their app called “DC” (Domenica Catelli) film. It is loosely based on the historic restaurant photos from Catelli’s, my restaurant, which my grandparents opened in 1936. They added my very favorite food photographer, David Loftus, to the mix and the new “Foodie Snap Pack” was born.

David’s well known for the photography in celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s cookbooks. So my crew and I trekked to San Francisco to celebrate the launch of this new Loftus lens and the “DC” film. I was blown away by the food shots that David shot with his phone! The DC film somehow brightens up colors to make them look as vibrant or more so than they do in real life.

I made a dinner celebrating the ingredients of Sonoma County, my home. We started with appetizers of wood-grilled Geyserville rabbit crostini (don’t be scared, it is as mild as chicken) and meatball bites with organic tomato sauce before moving on to biodynamic Fuyu persimmons and radicchio salad with candied pecans and shaved Parmesan, local chanterelle mushroom lasagna, grilled Preston lamb with roasted fingerling potatoes and my favorite “Not Your Mama’s Brussels Sprouts” recipe form Mom-a-licious.

We finished the night with a decadent molten chocolate cake and a quince and apple fruit crisp. The food was fantastic and the Sonoma County wines (Trattore, Mercury, and Dancing Lady) all complimented the food and the fabulous company.

There was laughter, creativity, inspiration and so much fun.

Food+Friends+Foodie Pack =a night to remember.

Until next time, stay fresh and delicious!