Pink Tomato Kitchen: The Secret Sauce to Entertaining

Kate Campbell's new cookbook PinkTomatoKitchen forms a calendar of moments meant to be shared

By Sophie Jetzer

Kate Campbell has always been driven by two things: finding excuses to get people together in real life and feeding the people she loves. As the creator behind Pink Tomato Kitchen and a mother of three, she’s made it her mission to create those “pull up a chair and stay awhile” moments that turn neighbors into friends and friends into family. Her gatherings aren’t about fuss or formality—they’re about delicious food, good company, and the kind of connection that only happens when people are actually sitting around a table together.

Her new book, PinkTomatoKitchen: The Secret Sauce to Entertaining, is a year of dinner parties designed to be shared. Each month offers its own menu: one cocktail and three shareable recipes designed to spark a gathering. Inspired by life in the Santa Ynez Valley, the recipes reflect a fresh, bright, produce-forward approach that feels like California cuisine at its finest. Every chapter has its own personality, a small story, and the sense that a good party is often just a well-curated menu away.

Readers can cook each menu as a complete celebration and host a full year of parties, or they can treat the dishes as building blocks and mix and match across chapters. A cocktail borrowed from spring can pair beautifully with a winter pasta; a summer salad can brighten a fall dinner. The recipes stand alone, but together they form a calendar of moments meant to be shared.

Kate’s guiding idea—spread joy, feed the people you love—threads through every page. Her signature pantry Pomodoro and her summer angel hair tomato basil pasta sit alongside playful dishes like lamb lollipops with mint chimichurri and zesty hand-folded duck and pork wontons, which are surprisingly simple and packed with flavor. And she shakes a mean cocktail too—from a bright, citrus-kissed spritz to an amped-up espresso martini that tends to disappear the moment it hits the table. 

Local life is a constant source of inspiration. The Campbell household leans on favorites like Solvang Bakery, Finley Farm Stand, and El Rancho Market, and that love for seasonal, local ingredients shapes the menus throughout the book.

PinkTomatoKitchen: The Secret Sauce to Entertaining is available at Plenty Boutique, El Rancho Market, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon. Follow @PinkTomatoKitchen on Instagram and TikTok to keep up with the latest recipes, gatherings, and happenings.