Chefs to impress

With the holiday season coming up, you might be looking to wow out-of-town guests. I asked Paul Somerhausen, who organizes the dinner group Sacramento Epicureans (for more info, contact paul@sacramento-epicureans.com), about his favorite chefs in the Sacramento area:

1. “For a fancy dinner I would either want Patrick Mulvaney (Mulvaney’s Building & Loan) or Matt Woolston (The Supper Club) as my chefs. Between their strong, quirky personalities, their wine knowledge and their amazing culinary talent, it would be guaranteed to be a very memorable meal.”

2. “For a casual dinner, the family that runs Bamiyan Afghan Restaurant in Citrus Heights. I never knew much about Afghan cooking, but now I am in love with the fusion of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Indian culinary styles that come together so delicately and produce such great flavors.”

3. “For a catered event, I would say Diedra Stanton that works for Edible Events. She consistently has wowed me with her creative cooking skills. Her specialty in my opinion is her cedar plank salmon and her soy and ginger marinated steaks. She also makes a mean banana bread.”