As most of you already know, I work closely with a good friend and colleague of mine, Sommelier Anani Lawson. Anani is an amazing professional, visionary and entrepreneur. Anani has made a name for himself as a Sommelier at The French Laundry, and at Per Se in New York.
In the spring of 2010, Anani and I wanted to create a piece of film that truly reflected the passion and efforts we put into our collaborative events. There is such a special and unique energy around the events we host that it is extremely challenging to capture the essence with photographs and words.
When we interviewed Jessica Ringor of LoveSpun Films to handle the piece for us, we knew it was a perfect match. Not only was her personality exciting, but her energy was amazing! And she is a foodie. Right from the start we all meshed really well. I realized by her examples of work that this was the person to do our film.
The Crew, after a long day of filming. Anani and I thought we knew what we wanted. However, after months of planning and organizing, our first shoots did not yield the results we desired. But as I have learned, from failure comes success. It was at this point that I realized Jessica's true potential. Something clicked, and she called me with a complete storyboard and an enthusiasm that was paramount!
From this point, we trusted Jessica's vision to create the artistic piece we wanted and to tell the story from start to finish. We were lucky enough to have Jessica recrute Yelena Johnson of The Stylish Soiree. Yelena is one of the most respected event planners in Southern California, and she was now handling all the set design and staging of our shots. Score!
Through a client of ours, we were able to secure an amazing home in Napa to shoot the film.
Clients home in Napa. We shot for two solid days; it was a lot of hard work, and they had multiple cameras rolling at all times!
Finished fish course held by Scott Fenner
Wines donated by sponsors.
Basket of goodies, including Bouchon breads
Shooting the return from the farmers market.To tell the whole story, she needed to follow both Anani and I to all places throughout the planning and execution of this event. So we spent time at the most amazing St. Helena farmers market and followed Anani to various stops along the way to bring this story full circle.
The Chef and his crew in the kitchen. 
"Action!"Without giving away too many details, the film is going to be amazing. It does indeed tell the story and capture the magical essence of what we provide for our clients.
Thanks to Jessica for her amazing vision, creativity and professionalism. But most importantly, for her passion for this project!
Many thanks to Yelena as well; her vision and knowledge in handling the set design was amazing. The results far exceeded anything I had expected and it was an honor to work with you!
And lastly, a thanks to Terry Daffin of Terry Daffin Photography for capturing the behind the scenes photographs of the staff and of the food. We acquired some amazing images from you! A talented and amazing photographer!
Film Release Date: March 2011
Watch for the full blog on the film upon its release!
Chef Pajo Bruich
The Private Table
Pajo's Boutique Catering
