I've been cooking for and hosting private dinner parties for almost 20 years. I absolutely love doing it! All the prepping, the details, the excitement of having friends around, the joy of seeing everyone having a good time, all this fills my heart!

Hosting my first pop-up dinner, between friends and strangers was just beyond! I certainly felt more pressure and responsibility: I've never been so on time with the food and so organised with the mise en place and the plating! So on time and organised that 30 minutes before the starting I was sitting on the stairway to the house, waiting anxiously for the first guest to arrive, almost as if Santa was coming with presents, while having tiny sips of the night's welcome drink, a Kombucha Bellini.

Bella Vita was the theme for the night. A name borrowed from a surf documentary set in Italy, this dinner was all about Italian food classics: Bellinis, pizza, raviolis, lasagna and of course gelato - all raw, all plant-based!

I'm looking forward to the next one and I hope to see you there!