A rentable castle in Agoura Hills has inspired a cookbook featuring luxury Italian dishes. “Cooking at the Castle: Seasonal Dinners” is a recipe book authored by Lobo Castle Productions’ Denise Donlon and Wil Wardle. The recipes are drawn from courses served at Lobo Castle, a 5,200-square-foot structure, with an 800-square-foot tower, surrounded by fairy tale greenery and a terraced garden in the Conejo Valley. “I love to do the dinner parties — that was the idea behind the book, was to do some of our dinner party recipes and put them out there,” said Donlon. “It’s seasonal — they’re not all Italian (cuisine), but it’s probably more Italian than not. As a whole, I like to cook all kinds of food, nationalities, but I am Italian so that’s kind of the main theme in this first cookbook.” Donlon has owned and lived in the castle since 2008, along with her husband. The couple transformed an existing wood-sided ranch house into a castle with the help of architect friend John Mulcahy, Donlon said. Donlon and business partner Wardle started their production company in 2011. Catering and event services at the castle have been featured on CBS Bachelorette, MTV Cribs, Travel Channel, Food Network, WEtv’s David Tatura’s Celebrity Celebrations and Syfy’s Big Fat Greek Wedding. In the book, dinners are divided up based on the season, with five courses and drinks to complement each meal.
