Geyserville hosts Women Chefs and Winemakers Dinner

Monday night’s Women Chefs and Winemakers dinner was “all about harnessing the power of women to get things done.”

That’s how Pat Callahan of Healthcare Foundation Northern Sonoma County summed up the agency’s major fundraiser, held Nov. 3 at Catelli’s in Geyserville.

Co-owner Domenica Catelli opened her restaurant and kitchen, having long envisioned the idea of bringing women into the spotlight for their culinary efforts. She was a driving force behind the idea, which was introduced to guests at the Foundation’s Wine Women and Shoes Gala in July.

From the start chefs Catelli, Liza Hinman (Spinster Sisters), Dusky Estes (Zazu Kitchen + Farm) and winemakers Melissa Stackhouse (J Vineyards & Winery), Shelly Rafanelli (Rafanelli Winery), Jennifer Higgens (Lambert Bridge Winery) worked as a team to create a locally sourced menu with wine parings.

The hors d’oeuvre menu included carrot harrisa crostini and tombo tuna crudo fish and chips paired with J Vineyards Brut Rose, NV Russian River Valley.

More than 110 people who paid $200 for the tickets sat down to dinner, with the first course from Chef Hinman of cauliflower panna cotta with chicories, persimmon, walnut and pomegranate molasses. It was paired with Lambert Bridge Sauvignon Blanc 2013. Higgens has been a winemaker for 21 years and brought her mom.

Chef Catelli rolled her thin lasagna dough, layered it with Bellwether ricotta and wild mushrooms and finished it with Oz Farms rabbit ragu. It was paired with Rafanelli 2012 Zinfandel. Shelly Rafanelli is the fourth generation in the family winery, which began when her great grandmother convinced her great grandfather start planting grapes. She brought her parents to dinner.

Chef Estes used her own black pigs served with Liberty duck. The hot smoked black pig bacon with brussels sprouts, delicata squash, harrisa vinaigrette and marcona almonds was paired with Lamber Ridge 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County.

Kathleen Stewart from The Downtown Bakery in Healdsburg served MFK Fisher’s gingerbread with poached pears and whipped cream. It was paired with J Vineyards Cuvée 20 NV Sonoma County, chosen by Winemaker Stackhouse.

Contact Geyserville Towns Correspondent Deborah Mitchel Serval at thewinemaven@yahoo.com.