We had dinner with a small group of friends from Neel's work on Saturday night. I love it when work friends become more than that. When the talk about work just... isn't. We've known these folks forever, some since we moved here (so, forever), and one was the young man who was Cal's babysitter throughout his own high school years. Matthew is home from college for the summer, and it's such a delight to spend time with him. He's been to one of Cal's baseball games and has offered to golf or throw the ball with our boy. What hope it gives you to see a boy you knew and liked grow into a fine young man.

Julie, a colleague of Neel's who hails from Australia, made an amazing dinner. She wouldn't let us bring anything but some wine. We started with cheese and tapenade and marinated olives and mushrooms all served with a non alcoholic sangria (so the younger set didn't feel left out) that was absolutely delightful. Dinner began with gazpacho, a mix between white and red, and moved on to marinated grilled vegetables, a spinach salad with dates and prosciutto and lamb stuffed with chorizo sausage. Every mouthful was a dream. Is it any wonder that I tapped her for any interest in a supper club? And for dessert? Make your own sundaes with homemade chocolate and raspberry sauces. Heaven.

Better yet was the company. The rain lashed the windows which were brightened by the occasional burst of lightning. The music played long and low. The conversation wound around and around. From sport to food to school to childhood.

It was just what a dinner party should be. Bring on more.

macarons

This past spring I had the dream job of shooting some food for my dear friend and amazing chef Catherine Gettier of Catherine's Catering. After years of working in restaurants, Catherine is following her heart and has just opened her own catering business.

macarons with raspberry sauce

We decided that since I've been taking some pictures of food and she was trying to launch a web presence, not to mention a business, we'd work together to start to build a portfolio of photos she could use. But let me tell you, making the leap to catering was a brilliant move on her part; the woman is busy. It took us forever to get together to take some photos, and even then we didn't get everything done that we wanted to. It's a process, people.

spring rolls

But this post is not about that process of shooting these photos and building a portfolio for her website. It's about Catherine and her amazing food.

spring rolls

We met years ago. Our kids were in school together for a bit, and Catherine did all the catering for our school functions. Can I say that no one can steam asparagus like this woman? Seriously.

fruit platter

She's a French-trained chef, and all that skill shows not just in how amazing her food tastes, but in the style she brings to everything she does.

sweet potato biscuits with ham

I've had her food at intimate receptions, weddings, cooking classes and large gatherings, and it never fails to please. Oh, the cooking classes were so much fun!

salmon biscuits with dill

We had so much fun while she was here for the photos. Catching up on our kids and our lives. It was an effortless few hours of shooting beautiful food.

I was thrilled for the opportunity to help her start to pull together some images for her website, and I can't wait for us to do more.

madelines

madelines

Her food is a work of art. Who wouldn't want to spend time with it?

Locals? Interested in a phenomenal caterer, who also happens to be a delight to work with? All the details about Catherine's Catering, along with some of my photos, can be found here.

dinner with friends {life}

catherine's catering :: sneak peek {life}