CookFest 2009 in Silicon Valley

Fast-paced action and friends took center stage at CookFest 2009 hosted by Wellsphere Co-Founder Ron Gutman and Miri Gutman.

Digerati descended on the Gutman home to celebrate Wellsphere’s recent acquisition by Virginia-based HealthCentral with a homey homestyle digerati hoedown.

The Zen of Process

It wasn’t a slick East coast styled cocktail party and sitdown dinner (although there were many friendly ex-New Yorkers there).

Instead the day began with a communal trip to Whole Foods led by Ron and Miri. Next engineers and product designers alike pitched in to chop vegetables and talk about their startups.

Eight hours later, those less keen on work were welcome to reap the California-style collaborative culinary rewards when over a dozen dishes were ready in the evening. The day ended with a critical mass of CookFest revelers packing the Gutman household.

CHECK OUT THE PHOTOS BELOW:

Ron Gutman – Master of Butternut Mashups also made Hummus with ingredients flown in from Israel

Heather Richman was also celebrating the launch of her successful startup Greenlight Strategies. But she’s mom to baby digerati Sam on the weekends.

Adam Hopkins, Elevation Partners and daughter arrived early before the crowd to check out the strawberries

Creativity ruled the night. Drue told Randi Zuckerberg about the Kataoka Samurai sword.
Here’s a photo of the impromptu knife dance choreographed by Drue and Randi. The Takeaway?
Women in Silicon Valley are SHARP!!

Drue with Dr. Zakia Rahman and Spencer Rhodes, COO Tradewinds Investment Management. Zakia told me we briefly crossed paths at the Barack Obama event at the home of Sara & Sohaib Abbasi. Small world!

Before and After!!! Order vs. Chaos and Mayhem. Dishes stacked to the ceiling.

A Valley Zen evening

Collecting ingredients, cooking, sharing, collaborating, consuming, exchanging ingredients and ideas. Quintessentially Silicon Valley. Two things I liked:

1) SLOW FOOD & FAST TALK –Along the lines of the SLOW FOOD movement, it was great that the food took a day to prepare. It was the opposite of catered food, fast food etc. Although fast conversations ensued! Too many of us don’t have the time to stop and do this.

2) THE COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE of WIKI-COOKING –There was no set menu. But any invitee was welcome to come in and change any recipe, add or subtract WIKI STYLE!!!

ValleyZen readers —What do you think about CookFest? Have you ever thrown a wiki-style cooking party?