Emerald Bay Photo News and Updates

I don't even think I need to elaborate past the headline ...





More options on how to delight your palate in the Home Cookbook section of Bend Living, out on newsstands now.

Labels: chocolate, food, food photography, photography

In the world of magazine publishing, working a few months ahead of the print deadline is nothing unusual. So the results of the assignment that took me to San Francisco last July only just hit the newsstand last month.

You can check out the article "Sushi Quest in the City by the Bay" in the March/April issue of Bend Living Magazine - or, given their rather meager selection of images from that assignment, take a minute and indulge in a sort of "extended version" of the adventure...

Truth be told - at first, the idea of a quest to find the best sushi in a city, awash with some of the freshest seafood on the coast and a selection of great restaurants featuring it, seemed rather intimidating. For me personally however - as a sushi aficionado - the promise of spending 3 days reveling in raw fish approached a small slice of heaven.

Oh how very, very, wrong I would be.

Between some rigorous net research, recommendations from friends and my editor, writer Vi Ho and I settled on three restaurants to check out: Blowfish, Sudachi, and Kyoya. With swing in the step, elated tastebuds, camera gear and notepad ready in hand, we arrived at the first place, Blowfish.

Now - to make raw fish look attractive and appetizing, you sometimes really have to work hard. That goes for both the chef and the photographer. Blowfish however really had the presentation down, which made things decidedly easier for me:





Maybe it was the combination of dishes, maybe it was the sashimi - my small intestines didn't really care to make that distinction. They only knew that a short while later, they were very, very unhappy. And not being able to ignore them, so was I. Because in effect it prevented me from being able to enjoy the sushi - and any other solid food, for that matter - served up to me in the following two days.

Talk about being in a depression situation. Here I am - in one of the world's greatest seafood cities, a veritable plethora of choices tantalizing me at every turn, and kind chefs and restaurant managers serving up a seemingly endless procession of (free) dishes. And just the mere thought of tasting a piece of fish making my stomach squeamish.

Mostly I felt bad for the restaurants - they worked so hard to accommodate us and make a good impression. So I tried to be a trooper, indulged in the offered miso soup and edamame, smiled and nodded, and instead of salivating over the offerings, focused on making their food look good.

Sudachi's miso was indeed memorable - but (I was told) even more so were their unusual combinations of sashimi and exotic oils and condiments:





Kyoya shone with their exquisite presentation skills, but Vi proclaimed that their Shrimp Tempura roll was quite other-wordly too. How I wished I could have tasted it ...





After all was said and done, we returned to Bend - satisfied with our quest, and loaded with great story material. Even my intestines had arrived at a place of peace again. Alas, I'm still waiting for that subtle sushi craving to return.

Labels: food, food photography, photography, sushi

Life is challenging without sugar.

Trust me. I know.
I'm going through withdrawals as we speak.

Such is the sacrifice you make when doing a little Spring cleaning on the ole carcass. But hey. I know, it's temporary only. Luscious chocolate cakes, covered with thick shiny coats of couverture and adorned with ripe sweet raspberries loom in the not-too-distant future...

In the meantime, I have to satisfy my cravings by chewing on a low-fat cheese stick - while convincing my discriminating taste buds that it's really a Snickers.

For the rest of you, there is this:



Yepp, it's a berry cobbler with home-made whipping creme - photographed on a recent shoot for Bend Living magazine's "Home Cookbook" section. For the recipe, check the May/June issue.

Labels: food, food photography, photography

Fresh herbs and vegetables are oftentimes what truly makes or breaks a dish. Choice tomatoes, tender basil, aromatic thyme, earthy sage - they all are essential ingredients in many fine recipes.

For a chef to grow his own garden is practical, omits a trip to the store, guarantees freshness and quality, and can ultimately save the restaurant or catering company quite a bit of money.

If you're lucky enough (like my client Chef Adair in Sonoma County, CA) to live in a climate where a garden can be kept year-round, the question doesn't become whether to grow something, but rather what to grow.

Maybe some lovely thyme ...



... for delicious roasted potatoe wedges?



Or how about some tender chives ...



... for a melt-in-your-mouth lobster sandwich?



Ahh. Yes. The choices...

Labels: food, food photography

Rolling right along with my recent food photography obsession ...

crostini [kroh-STEE-nee] 1. Meaning "little toasts" in Italian, crostini are small, thin slices of toasted bread, which are usually brushed with olive oil. 2. The word also describes canapes consisting of small slices of toast with a savory topping such as cheese, shrimp, pate or anchovies. 3. Sometimes crostini refers to the equivalent of a crouton used for soups or salads.

In this case however, the crostini has been topped with a delectable homemade spread of kalamata olive and sundried tomato, adorned with a dollop of Creme Fraiche and a tiny taste of fresh thyme. Courtesy again of Chef Adair.

Labels: food, food photography

One of the finest, most highly-priced ingredients in cooking: the Black Truffle.



A member of the fungi family, the truffle reveals its subtle nutty flavor best when thinly sliced. On a recent photo shoot for Chef Adair, I had the pleasure of shooting the fabulous truffle and letting a piece melt on my tongue.

Yum.

More information about the truffle and its legendary qualities right here on Wikipedia.

Labels: food, food photography

Sighted at the BendFilm 2007 Sunriver Realty party:



A chocolate-covered strawberry, dusted with edible gold ... how novel!

More goodies from Cafe 3456...

Labels: BendFilm, food, food photography

Freshly back from my trip to chocolate-infused Switzerland, I got the opportunity to shoot some really yummy sweet treats during an event at Balay in downtown Bend.



They were tiny delicate cups of chocolate, filled with silky mousse. And lush, juicy strawberries, dipped in dark chocolate and decorated to look like tuxedos. And did I mention the heart-shaped truffles?



And yes - after I shot them, I ate them (thank you to Sweet Tooth for letting me take some home too. They didn't last very long ...).

Being Swiss, I'm very picky about my chocolate. But this stuff rocked. And it reminded me of why I love to shoot food. Because I get to eat it afterwards.

Labels: chocolate, food, food photography, photography