Dinner served with a side of murder

Published 1:30 am Friday, March 20, 2026

Somewhere between the clink of glasses and the murmur of suspicion, a body lies cold in the back, hidden in a vegetable cooler. On Whidbey Island, dinner is about to come with a side of murder.

Whidbey residents are invited to solve the crime at the first murder mystery dinner at the Whidbey Golf Club on March 28.

But this is no ordinary dinner party. World-renowned Chef Lorenzo Ritelli was discovered stabbed in the back inside the vegetable cooler at his restaurant “Enzo’s.” There are eight suspects, an evidence board and many investigators determined to solve the murder. Guests will compete to solve clues to find the murdered chef and win tickets to Whidbey Playhouse performance of women playing “Hamlet” or “Little Shop of Horrors” and bragging rights, of course.

Jackee Stadler is the evening’s detective and the mastermind behind the club’s first murder mystery night. A social member with experience in orchestrating these whodunits, Stadler has a “real knack” for it, said Diana Amirehteshami, the the golf club board of trustees secretary and event committee chair.

Guests are encouraged not just to attend, but to fully commit to the Italian murder plot. The attire is “Italian themed with a touch of intrigue,” Amirehteshami said.

“Whether you’re a glamorous guest, a charming regular or someone who looks like they might know a guy, all the better you look, the harder it is to tell if you’re guilty,” she said.

Of course, no Italian mystery would be complete without an indulgent feast. Chef Gordon Stewart, of Gordon’s Fusion Cuisine in Coupeville fame, will prepare an Italian buffet complete with a Caesar salad, house-made beef bolognese ricotta and spinach lasagna, char-broiled vegetables with orzo pasta and pan-seared chicken mushroom marsala. For dessert, guests will be served tiramisu and spumoni.

“We are very blessed to have him,” Amirehteshami said. “He has turned out some fabulous meals for us.”

And then there are the drinks, each one as suspiciously named as the guests themselves, from “The Poisoned Olive Martini,” which is made of a vodka or gin, dry vermouth olive brine and skewered olives, to “The Last Sip,” made of gin, elderflower liqueur, lemon juice, and topped with champagne.

“I’m excited to see how people figure it out,” Amirehteshami said, who herself is eager to play.

The event is open to anyone over the age of 13. Tickets are $45 per person, with RSVPs closing March 25.

Beneath the laughter, the candle flames flickering against red-and-white checkered tablecloths and wax dripping slowly down the necks of wine bottles like time running out, one question lingers.

“If Chef Lorenzo Ritelli’s killer isn’t discovered,” Amirehteshami said, “someone at this restaurant is getting away with murder and still ordering dessert.”