Sweetpea Catering & Private Chef Services

Sweetpea Catering provided private chef services to us at a house in Napa on June 1, 2016 for a group of four couples. We rented the house for several days and wanted to treat ourselves to a great meal, and she (they) did not disappoint! Everything, from the menu, to the preparation, to the timing, to the finished meal, we nothing short of spectacular.
Jeanna’s sous chef Shawna prepared the menu (and most of the food), under the direction of Jeanna in the kitchen, but she certainly can stand on her own two feet! We are from New Orleans, where exceptional food is the norm, but we were blown away.
The arugula /​goat cheese /​summer squash salad was incredible, and three in the group rated it as the best salad they have ever had.
This was followed up by the Wild ramp pesto Asiago gnocchi with crispy prosciutto. Now, typically I don’t like more than two or three modifiers in the name of a dish, because I often cannot detect all of the subtleties of so many flavors, but they all worked so well together that the finished product was exquisite. There were nothing but clean plates on the table after that one.
Next was a brown butter seared black cod with butter-​poached morels, pea shoots and a verdicchio beurre blanc. (If you were paying attention, that is three mentions of «butter» in the dish.) The butter did not overshadow the dish at all and complemented the cod, which was cooked to perfection. Down in Louisiana, we cook fish and shellfish like a religion, so it is a feat to cook fish and shellfish so that they are not overcooked and dry (95% of the shrimp/​fish you eat), but cooked enough as not to be sushi (which I personally don’t mind either.) That being said, the cod was cooked exactly as you would want it… warm throughout, but no hint of dryness. It really was cooked to perfection
The next dish was the sherry-​glazed crispy pork belly with creamed southern corn and asparagus. It was as delicious as you would ever expect crispy pork belly to be, and it is a testament to the rest of the dishes that the crispy pork belly did not overshadow the rest of the dishes. It was incredible, and paired with the fresh sweet corn and fresh asparagus (again, perfectly cooked), it still could not compete with the other dishes. That being said, I would be happy to eat that pork belly five times a week!
The dessert was a grilled stone fruit crisp which featured a trio of plum, peach and nectarine grilled and finished with a sweet balsamic syrup with vanilla ice cream. The dish was original and a nice departure from heavy chocolate and cream desserts. The fruit was fresh and cooked perfectly!
At the end, the kitchen was cleaner than they found it when they arrived, and there was not a grumbling belly in the house! I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the flawless execution of the service as well. Tori took care of us in a way that would rival the best white tablecloth restaurants in New Orleans!
When you go, take a chance and get the farmer’s market menu. You won’t be sure what form it will take, but you can be assured that it will be fantastic. Shawna and Jeanna are a force to be reckoned with. We will be back!

the food that Sweetpea catering served was amazing, wild salmon, awesome appetizer, and the dessert was fantastic. 5 stars for great service, preparation and taste, thank you Jeanna!!!

Jeanna was absolutely wonderful in every way! For our group of 8 women, she created a delicious menu, cooked and presented to perfection. Her meal was most definitely a highlight of our time in Sonoma!

My experience with Jeanna and Sweetpea Catering was flawless. I hosted a girls weekend at my house for 6 girls, and we wanted to do something unique, fun, and hassle-​free. We had spent the day wine tasting, so the idea of going out for dinner sounded like a bit much, and we wanted a comfortable dinner at home without the work of having to cook for ourselves.
From the start of planning our event, Jeanna was communicative, responsive, and helpful over email. She accommodated our various dietary restrictions, and customized the menu to help us get to our desired price point. She was flexible when our headcount changed, and was quick to provide me with a revised price quote.
On the day of the event, Jeanna (the chef) and Nicole (the server) arrived on time, and immediately made themselves comfortable. They put away all the dishes in my kitchen that were clean, and found their way around the kitchen without bothering me with questions so I could enjoy my friends and not have to project manage. I loved how self-​sufficient they were, how I didn’t have to check in on them, and how comfortable it was having them in the house.
We started with a beautiful charcuterie platter, which they served to us in the living room, and they brought us wine, offered us water, etc. When they called us in for dinner, they had beautifully arranged the dining room with the appropriate amount of seats, adjusted the lighting, and made it feel special despite the fact we were in my own home.
The 3-​course menu was the following:
Kabocha Squash & Fennel Soup
Crème Fraiche, Cold Pressed Olive Oil
Pomegranate Seeds
Boeuf Bourguignon
Creamy Polenta, Local Baby Carrots
Citrus Herb Gremolata
Meyer Lemon Pudding Cake
Blackberries, Vanilla Whipped Cream
…and everything was delicious! All my guests were impressed and more than satisfied with the amazing meal. We were served each course with impeccable timing and professionalism, and Jeanna and Nicole were just the right amount of involved and present when we needed them, and invisible when we didn’t. After dinner while we sat chatting, they called me into the kitchen and said they were ready to go, and it was if they had never been there! Everything was cleaned up and left better than when they arrived (because, remember, they even put away my clean dishes!!)
Jeanna and Nicole really focused on showing us a good time and ensuring we didn’t have to lift a finger, which is exactly what we had hoped for. The food was delicious, well portioned, and seasonal. The entire experience was perfect, and my friends and I all agreed it was the highlight of our weekend, and certainly something we would do again.

Ok, Gina is what you dream of when making your plans. Her food is spectacular. Your will love every bite.

I hired (hung out with… cooked with…) Jeanna to put together a 7 course meal for my wife’s 50^th birthday. WOW! The food and event was amazing and all of our 17 guests had a blast. Even through she was not familiar with a «Cronut», she spent time proofing several batches until they were perfect. (sorry you had to eat the test batches along the way.) Pictures speak more then words, so I’ll post some photo’s if I can figure out how.
Jeanna — our board of directors (17 people) are having a meeting at Kenzo Estates and I’ve recommended you to cater the event. Keep the lines clear and wait for our call.
Cheers,
Peter

Jeanna’s food is delicious, the presentation is always exceptional, and her work ethic is second to none. Her bucatini may be the most delicious thing I’ve ever put in my mouth.

Jeanna is wonderful to work with. She takes the time to listen and understand your food needs. The food tastes and looks great. She will deliver to your home or you can pick it up from hers. How much more convenient can it get? I am a Realtor and recommend her to my friends and clients. She tops my recommendation list.
Hengameh

Jeanna and her team were fabulous. The food was amazing — breakfast, lunch and dinner — and she was warm and friendly. She made an already special weekend even more special. I highly recommend her for any event.

Our experience with Sweet Pea was with Jeanna as a personal chef. It was a special birthday celebration for me and the experience exceeded all expectations we had. The menu selection and food was absolutely spectacular, the service was first rate and the social interaction made for an extremely pleasant evening. If we lived in Napa, we would have Jeanna cook for us all the time. If I had to used a single word to describe our experience with Jeanna and Sweet Pea it would be…“WOW”

I echo with empirical knowledge my wife Rhoni’s comments earlier. We have a high end tour company Eclectic Tour (
) and thus provide only the very best of experiences for our clients.
Jeanna is a masterful Chef who provides a high quality and seamless service whose catered offerings pair wonderfully with the wines.
Jeanna is a ‘Can Do’ Gal and it has been and will continue to be a Napa Valley treasure.
Bön Appetite!

I had planned a Sunday lunch with several friends and I wanted to give them a special treat. Sweetpea catering surpassed all my expectations. Jeanna, the personal chef, made AMAZING dishes, she was attentive, professional, friendly and I cannot say enough about her AWESOME service. I am so thankful that she made our afternoon unforgettable. She also came with a server for a fee, which I recommend, the server was just as awesome. Thank you!

I was introduced to Jeanna a few years ago by a friend/​instructor at the CIA. What a find! She is truly passionate and talented in the kitchen. She has catered events for me and never let me down. She is the first person I recommend when someone in the Valley needs a caterer.
Always creative. Always with a smile. Never gone hungry. 5 stars plus more!

We rented a house in Calistoga for our family trip to Napa in May 2014. The owner recommended Sweetpea catering for one of our meals. We as SO glad we used Sweetpea. Jeanna was a pleasure to work with. Professional, fun, and super attentive. One of our party is lactose intolerant and Jeanna made her crab ravioli with cashew milk rather than cream. She had to confirm there was no cream in the dish… it was that good. She easily worked around a dietary restriction with no problem at all. I can’t say enough good things or stop raving about her cooking.

Best chef I’ve worked with in a long time! I have had many events at various wineries over the past few years and SweetPea Catering is the only company I call, now. Jeanna is not only a creative and talented chef that comes up with the most delicious dishes are a perfect accompaniment to my various wines, but she is adept at the business end, keeping it all in my budget and seamlessly on time.

Jeanna and her staff were amazing! I hired them to cater a full weekend of meals for 25 people in early April for my husband’s 40^th birthday celebration in Calistoga. We rented a large home and I didn’t want to have to worry about food or planning snacks. Jeanna crafted a perfect menu for a sit down for our guests arrival night and her staff served all of us food and our wine. She came back the next morning and prepared a breakfast for us before we went out for a day of wine tasting. I also had her make «to go» lunch boxes for us to enjoy at one of the vineyards during our tour. And since we weren’t getting back until early evening and I figured our crew would be too energized/​rowdy to stay seated for a sit down meal Jeanna left behind two of the most amazing lasagnas with sausages on the side with salad and garlic bread. She left detailed instructions for me on how to reheat and everything turned out perfect! It didn’t end there, she came back on Sunday morning and crafted a made to order brunch and left us with marinated chicken and fish with vegetables to grill for later in the evening when we were hanging out by the pool.
Our guests couldn’t stop talking about how delicious everything was after each meal and the guys would joke, asking when Jeanna would be back for the next meal! She and her workers were a joy to have around. They chatted with us while they were cooking and cleaned up after each meal better than what it looked like when they arrived.
As most hosts know, it can be overwhelming to host that many people. I can’t say enough about how easy she made my life that weekend, I actually got to enjoy the weekend too! I spoke to Jeanna generically about what we were looking for and after receiving her ideas for the menu I think we only changed one item! She listened and was spot on in her suggestions. She also did a great job cooking for the couple of vegetarians we had with us, as they had plenty of items to eat and all items were seamlessly incorporated into each meal so they didn’t feel like they were eating something other than or less than what we were all eating.
I wished she lived closer to me! I would hire her for any event I was hosting! Can’t go wrong.

My wife had some pretty swanky friends coming to Napa and wanted to do something special for them. We’ve been everywhere with them and heard through a friend about Chef Jeanna. Holy. Cow.
Best. Dinner. Ever.
Jeanna, who is charming and hilarious, helped us pick an entire menu for our friends, including one of her homemade pastas, roasted beet & peach salad, and chocolate budino (?). I can’t stress enough how delicious everything was. She prepared everything right in our kitchen. We wrote down the recipes for everything! And the wines she recommended fit perfectly.
Honestly, I almost hate to write her such a rave review and let the cat out of the bag, but she’s just too good not to recommend. Enjoy. You’re welcome.