‘Magical’ dinner party experience highlights Central Valley farms and vendors
What started as a series of cooking classes led by two Central Valley friends has turned into a regular and sought after experience.
Talia Sanguinetti owns LADS Home Ranch in Linden alongside her husband, and Heather Crooker runs the Ripon Farmers Market. Together, they created The Dinner Party Experience.
Over a cup of tea in December 2024, Sanguinetti, Crooker and the then-owner of Austin’s Coffee Crafters came up with the idea to collaborate for a four-part community dinner/ cooking class using ingredients sourced from the Ripon Farmers Market. They put four dates on the calendar for 2025: April, June, September and November.
“The first one was amazing, but after the second one it was like, ‘Woah this is kind of like a moving situation. This is really cool,’” Sanguinetti said. “By the third class we (said), ‘We can’t stop doing this.’”
The Dinner Party Experience was thus established and held its first event in December.
How does The Dinner Party Experience work?
When you sign up for The Dinner Party Experience, you don’t know what meal you will be making. What you can be sure of, though, is that the majority of the ingredients will be sourced locally.
Each class, Sanguinetti and Crooker highlight around seven to 12 local vendors. Some of the vendors at previous events include LADS Home Ranch, E & H Farms in Oakdale, Dustys Bees in Sonora, Christine’s Garden in Modesto, Lucky You Orchards in Ripon, Sciabica’s California Olive Oil in Modesto and Oakdale Cheese & Specialties.
When you enter the venue, you find your name card at a table which is equipped with a portable burner and the ingredients you will need to cook your meal.
“We start guiding them through the recipes and telling them all about the farms that these (ingredients) come from and their stories and their background,” Sanguinetti said. “People are learning so much. Then by the end of the night, they’ve met new friends.”
After you prepare the first recipe, the table is cleared. Then, you can visit the “shopping station” where you will find ingredients for the second recipe.
The table is cleared again after the second recipe is prepared. While the meal is cooking, you choose your dishes as well as make a floral arrangement.
“You set up (your table) all cute and then we bring out all the food,” Crooker said. “That’s when it’s a big dinner party.”
After dinner, a dessert is served in partnership with a local baker or vendor.
You get to take home the recipe card as well as a shopping list that tells you where to find the ingredients you used.
How to attend The Dinner Experience
The Dinner Party Experience is held at different venues throughout the year. The first event of 2026 will be at Refuge Coffee in Oakdale.
Tickets go on sale 30 days before each event. While the Oakdale event sold out within 1.5 hours of tickets going live, tickets for the next event — at Culture Coffee in Modesto on Valentine’s Day — will be available Jan. 14.
Without revealing the recipes, Crooker said the Valentine’s Day menu will be “elevated” and a coffee flight will be included in the $100 ticket price.
Around 30 tickets are sold for each event.
“People are coming and they’re not realizing it, but it takes a little bit of vulnerability for them to show up because they don’t really know what they’re doing,” Sanguinetti said. “I think that’s where it gets a little bit magical because people’s guards are down.”
The Dinner Party Experience prices range from $75 to $100, with the majority of events being $75, Crooker said. Dates and locations for the remainder of the year are:
Culture Coffee (2801 McHenry Ave, Suite A, Modesto) - Saturday, Feb. 14; 6 to 9 p.m.
Revive Coffee (81 S. Washington St., Sonora) - Friday, March 13; 6 to 9 p.m.
The Vine House (222 W. River Road, Suite B, Ripon) - Monday, June 8; 6 to 9 p.m.
Revive Coffee (81 S. Washington St., Sonora) - Friday, July 24; 6 to 9 p.m.
Culture Coffee (2801 McHenry Ave, Suite A, Modesto) - Saturday, Aug. 29; 6 to 9 p.m.
Bakeshop (940 11th St., Modesto) - Saturday, Sept. 19; 6 to 9 p.m.
Matkat Café (154 S. Yosemite Ave., Oakdale) - Thursday, Oct. 15; 6 to 9 p.m.
Lumberyard Cellars (1455 1st St., Suite 4, Escalon) - Wednesday, Nov. 11; 6 to 9 p.m.
Refuge Coffee (113 N. Third Ave., Oakdale) - Friday, Dec. 4; 6 to 9 p.m.
Follow The Dinner Party Experience on Instagram to be notified of ticket drops and visit the dinnerpartyexperience.com or listen to “The After Party with Talia and Heather” podcast for more information.
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