Not long ago (don't want to say how many years) I was on my way home from a golf tournament in Ventura, Calif/, when my wife, Yvonne, called to say some friends from central California where in town and would stop by around 6 p.m.

She needed a few things from the store and wanted me to pick them up while she straightened up the house. So when I pulled off of the freeway in Burbank I stopped at the store and made sure I had everything on her list and then some.

When I arrived at the house I quickly entered and began emptying the grocery bags. My wife came into the kitchen and told me our pop up canopy had collapsed in the back yard. I looked at her in disbelief, why are we worried about something in the backyard when friends were due to arrive at any moment? Like a dutiful husband, however, I walked into the backyard to see what needed to be done and ran smack into a surprise celebration (including a band, The Others) for my 50th birthday.

Several months ago my wife was busy planning our daughter's August wedding shower, to be held in our backyard. We had the gardener spruce up the greenery, purchased new patio furniture, rented tables and chairs for the guests, and ordered food from a local restaurant.

My wife was not aware of the behind the scenes planning her cousin Beatriz Roum and I were secretly involved in. After speaking with my daughter (and getting her approval) we had decided to combine the wedding shower with my wife's 50th birthday celebration.

On the day of the shower, husbands and boyfriends dropped off the female guests while they parked one block away and circled back to my mother-in-law's house (next door to ours) to hide out. Around 5 p.m. the male guests entered our backyard and surprised my wife. The combined wedding shower/birthday party was a success.

So it was around the end of October that Peggy Cook asked if we would be willing to host a surprise 40th birthday party for her husband Dave (that would be Guitar Dave, who we call Gator Dave).

Being the sneaky people we are we immediately agreed to be part of planning committee. For several weeks, Peggy, Yvonne, Lisa Cheyno (friend of the Cook's), and I met in our dining room as we filled in the details for a culinary competition a la "Throw Down." We decided the item to be cooked would be a pasta sauce. The ingredients for the sauce would be presented on the night of the competition. Assisting behind the scenes with the official party invitation was Liz Costella.

Our backyard was transformed into a competition kitchen with two worktables, two tabletop stoves, a sous chef for Chef Dave and one for Chef Yvonne (his challenger). On Saturday, December 16, forty guests and a bartender arrived at our home and hid in the family room as we waited for the guest of honor. Dave was under the impression he was coming over to our house for a birthday dinner and to assist my daughter with her Mac (some kind of slow speed issue). As he and Peggy walked through the front door we turned them toward the family room and the waiting guests. Just like you see on TV, everyone shouted "Surprise!" when Dave came into view. We knew he was truly surprised when his eyes filled with tears of joy. As he scanned the room his eyes showed shock each time he recognized a friend or co-worker in the room.

In short order an announcement was made informing Chef Dave that he would be pairing up with sous chef Lisa to face the team of Chef Yvonne and sous chef Cassie Colón, in a classic throw down. The two teams were escorted to the kitchen arena (our backyard), given the rules of the 45 minutes competition, and handed their ingredients. Soon the smells of garlic, onions, sausage, and other ingredients filled the patio area. At various intervals the chefs were informed of how much time had past and how much was left. There was also commentary about different items they added to the sauces, tidbits about the two teams, and an occasional food quiz.

At the end of the 45 minutes cooking period the teams presented the final plates to the three-judge panel (including Executive Chef Amanda from Studio City). The guests hovered around the judge's tables in an attempt to find out which dish they preferred. Finally, after ten minutes of eating and scoring, the judges' verdict was read. Chef Dave's cuisine was declared supreme by three points.

The evening was a huge success with Dave being caught by complete surprise and everyone enjoying the culinary competition. During the party guests had an opportunity to get better acquainted while playing "How Well Do You Know Dave? " Participants received a card with several questions, about someone attending the party and how they knew Dave. The object was to find the person (based on limited information) and fill in the blanks on the card. The winner, Amy, correctly identified over ten guests.

Have you ever been surprised by family or friends? Or were you the person pulling together a surprise party for someone? If you were part of an interesting surprise party, why not write about it on valleynews.com?