Our friend Sheila, and several of her friends from the USA, are turning 50 this year, and they decided to celebrate together in the Tuscany area in Italy. They rented a villa and invited several of their friends for a feast.

The closest city to the villa is Lucca (which is close to Pisa). The villa is nicely located in the hills and is well equipped:



They even had their own lemon trees:



The party-goers were able to walk on the grounds .....



The fun started when the chef-for-hire arrived with her assistant. Most people gathered in the kitchen to see her prepare and cook a feast.



The chef's name is Emiliana Lucchesi (link) and is well known in Italy and the USA. She runs a cooking school in Tuscany, and write reviews on Italian restaurants in New York, and she's recognized as a top wine expert.



She had an assistant who helped her prepare the many dishes that would be served during the evening.



Over a period of three hours she kept piling up the courses, one after the other.



The starters were plenty, in total about 7 dishes, ranging from meat to vegetable dishes, all tasting scrumptious.



These were particularly jummy...



She made 2 main courses, the last one included pork (and chicken).



Scott even had to go into the garden to cut the fresh herbs



Since the weather had turned into a nice warm evening, the table was set outside



The three birthday girls were all pretty, made up and ready to party...



The table was set really nicely, ready for the meal



Everyone was even given a mask



So the birthday girls posed with their masks



The starters were served in the living room, where we could all talk to each other.



After the starters, we adjourned to the dining table, and all put on the masks, giving a Venice style ambience.



Afterwards, the main courses were served by the chef and her assistant.



Lots of good Italian wine, each course had its own.



and even more lots of great food. And that ends a great multiple birthday party in Tuscany, Italy.