Bringing in the New Year
January 4, 2012
I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the start of 2012 than with great food, friends and skiing. I’ve been pretty bummed because a photographer’s worst nightmare came true when my card with all of the Christmas holiday food shoots was damaged, and even after attempting recovery at New York’s top repair services, there was no such luck. But that just gives me an excuse to revisit some of the locations, like Elderberry Pond Restaurant, to enjoy yet another great meal. Well, enough of the disappointments, it’s time I look forward in the New Year and share with you some amazing meals from this past weekend spent at Killington. We were lucky enough to have a friend/personal chef join us for the 3 days and prepare all the meals– I should add for 16 people– with more enthusiasm than anyone I’ve seen. Here’s the menu we had, and check out the highlights below:
Taco Night–Pulled Chipotle Chix, Ground beef , Soft and hard shells, Assorted toppings, Black beans, Rice and Corn
Steak and Scrimps’ Night–Filet wrapped in applewood smoked bacon, Grilled Ribeye with fried onion strings, Marinated grilled scrimps’, Roasted Garlic Parm potatoes, Broccoli, Dilaurios butter rolls
That NYE staple known as Champagne
Filet wrapped in applewood smoked bacon
Sunday's pre-pasta meat and cheese plate
Lobster Bisque
Lobster Bisque
Baklavah
Killington
A skier's breakfast
Bacon, Egg & Cheese sandwiches
Berries & Yogurt
Homemade croutons
Pasta & Cheese
Loster Bisque
Shrimp & Broccoli
A Year in Review
November 18, 2011
A Camera in the Kitchen turns 1 tomorrow! I cannot thank you all enough for your support and enthusiasm you’ve expressed to me. It’s been such an amazing year capturing and sharing the art of dining. I’ve dug through my archives to compile some of my favorites that I think best reflects this. From tasting California’s fresh fruit while dancing at the Coachella Music Festival, to chowing down on a burger in Montana after a day of snowshoeing in the Beartooth Mountains, or grilling Wahoo from Aruba’s local fish market in celebration of a friend’s birthday. It has been such a learning experience for me, and I only hope to bring more exciting things to the site in the year to come.
Above all, I’ve learned a meal is more than just satisfying your hunger, it’s about the experience, the culture, and most importantly the people you are surrounded by. Whether grabbing take out for an evening home with the roommates, or sitting at a cafe in Reykjavik with new friends, I always make the most of the moment, and the meal, and that’s what I aim to capture here. I hope my photos inspire you to take time in your own life to appreciate the moments shared over that dish. You may get too full for that last bite of pasta, but you can never be too full of great memories.
Some of the dinner parties we've hosted-- big and small
Travels to Iceland, Montana, California, Miami, Beacon and Newport
Travels continued through New Jersey, Montana, Iceland and Brooklyn
I Heart NY
November 11, 2011
This morning was one of those, “I love NY” moments while I was walking to work. The sun was out, the fall colors at their peak, and I just finished shooting last night’s dinner. Part II of my autumn pasta is finally here. I tossed together the pasta with olive oil, some seasonal herbs and goat cheese, adding in arugula, almonds, raisins, apple chardonnay chicken sausage and topped it with asiago cheese.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Fresh arugula
Salted almonds
Pasta with Apple Chardonnay Chicken Sausage and Arugula
Salted almonds and raisins
A Taste of Luxury in Southern Iceland
September 20, 2011
Hotel Ranga, one of the world’s top destinations for viewing the Aurora Borealis and Southern Iceland’s only 4 star resort, has everything you could possibly want for a relaxing stay in the countryside, not to mention an outstanding dining room and extremely friendly service from everyone. The hotel’s rustic luxury accomodations sit on wide open land overlooking the East Ranga River. Their chef prepared his modern Nordic cuisine with local ingredients of only the freshest quality, and brought out a beautiful array of dishes. Although the weather conditions weren’t conducive to check out the Northern Lights, on the positive side, it’s just one more reason for me to start planning my return trip.
East Ranga River at the hotel
Dining room at Hotel Ranga
Smoked Puffin served with beerbread crumble and "cumberland" sauce
Hotel Ranga's Wine bar
Icelandic Cod served on a bed of nuts and local barley with whitewine sauce
Local wild salmon with sweet potato and white chocolate puree, lobster foam and local strawberries
Local wild salmon with sweet potato and white chocolate puree, lobster foam and local strawberries
The hotel's porch
The best chocolate cake dessert
Icelandic Mountain lamb and lobster combo with potato terrine and blueberry demiglaze
Icelandic mountain lamb and lobster combo with potato terrine and blueberry demiglaze
International Suites
Dinner with Friends
September 1, 2011
My friend, Leslie, and partner in crime for dinner parties, recently took up a holistic health practice. With training from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, she’s ready to roll and the girl to call if you’re looking for a health coach. You can check out more of what she does at her website. Lucky for me, I got a preview of some of her meal plans last night. We had a great dinner with a few friends to catch up before we part ways with our holiday weekend travel plans. For apps we had curried lentil and pea dip, pita chips with sweet curry seasoning and spicy corn avocado salsa. As if we weren’t full enough from that, for dinner she brought out turkey meatballs, sprouted quinoa with golden raisins, sliced almonds and citrus vinaigrette, a spiced carrot, ginger and tofu soup, and a spinach salad with pineapple dressing and whole wheat croutons. Last but not least, prune and oat cookies for dessert. Of course the lovely floral arrangements for the table were created by Jess, using only the best farm fresh flowers from the Union Square flower market.
Sprouted quinoa
Pita chips with curried lentil and pea dip
Spiced soup and turkey meatballs
Turkey meatballs and quinoa
Jessica's floral arrangement
Soup with sage and corn avocado salsa
Pita chips and flowers
Love, Weddings and Food
August 26, 2011
Earlier this summer I photographed a friend’s wedding at her family farm in Upstate New York. Going along with the whole rustic outdoor theme, she styled the decor and menu accordingly. Catered by L.M. Townsend based out of Cooperstown, the buffet style dining featured make your own salads and edible bowls. The presentation was lovely, and one of my favorite ideas– taking extra martini glasses, and transitioning them into the perfect dish to eat your side of potatoes in style.
Buffet dinner
Salad
Cheese at cocktail hour
Bread bowls and potatoes
Do or Dine
August 18, 2011
Saturday afternoon I biked to Brooklyn to visit a friend who recently moved to Bed Sty– not exactly a neighborhood I’m most familiar with, nor do I usually think of when I want to go out for a great meal, but hidden behind the doors of what appears to be an old, run-down Indian fast food joint, is actually a recently opened restaurant, Do or Dine. With dishes like deep fried deviled eggs or the controversial foie gras doughnut, it’s worth the trek out for an evening. The owners and wait staff have fun with the place, giving off personable charm to their customers. It’s BYOB, so drinks won’t drain your wallet, and the back patio is a great place to spend an evening.
Lamb Breast, with cumin and lime
Octopus tacos topped with nori strips
Prawns with cherry tomatoes in clam broth
Deep fried deviled eggs with bacon and culantro
Smoked salmon spread
Foie Gras Doughnut
The Lot at the Highline
July 29, 2011
New Yorkers love their food trucks, and what could be better than a selection of the best all in one locale? Last night I met a few friends underneath the bridges of the High Line park for food and drinks. Changing daily, there’s a taste to satisfy everyone from Red Hook’s Lobster Truck to Rickshaw Dumpling, Korilla BBQ and Eddie’s Pizza. They’ve also got a pop-up bar serving local wines and seasonal beers from Brooklyn Brewery. It’s like a summer-long fair or a cafeteria for adults, so be sure to stop by before the cold weather comes!
Lobster Roll from the Red Hook Lobster Pound Truck
Rickshaw Dumpling Truck
Eddie's Pizza Truck
High Line Park
The Lot on tap
Family Homestyle Cooking
July 14, 2011
Sometimes the best meals are the ones shared within the home. In between our daily Montana excursions we relaxed at my aunt and uncles, cooking in the heart of the country. We had steak nights, pierogi nights and sometimes just leftover nights. My favorite though, was when my father prepped his classic Greek-American grilled vegetables and chicken spiedies. For the veggies, he threw together a marinade with extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, fresh garlic, thyme and oregano, and let tomatoes, yellow squash, green zucchini, fresh mushrooms, red sweet peppers and large vadalia onions set over night before tossing on the grill. When finished, topping with feta cheese adds just the right extra flavor. As for the chicken, he let it set in a similar marinade of olive oil, crushed garlic and plenty of dried oregano, put on skewers and grilled to perfection.
Prepping the marinade
Fresh thyme
Prepping the marinade and table
Grilled vegetables ready to go
Grilled chicken spiedies
More of the veggies
Some of my aunt's rustic decor
Fresh lemonade on the porch
A grilled steak kind of night
Kitchen condiments
Cooking up Grandmother's pierogies recipe
Paws Up
July 9, 2011
One doesn’t often combine the words luxury and camping into one sentence, but that’s exactly what you get from Paws Up, a ranch resort about 30 miles outside Missoula. Stopping through for an evening, I was treated with impeccable service from the strawberry lemonade upon arrival through my next morning’s breakfast wrap with fresh produce. These chefs have the fine rustic cuisine down to perfection as they prepared some of their specialty dishes including Elk Loin and Quail Breast.
Aside from the dining, the resort offers anything you could possibly imagine to make your Montana holiday fulfilling. Due to my time constraints, I didn’t participate in their endless list of activities, but I certainly wouldn’t hesitate venturing back for another visit. Who could complain about waking up in an outdoor luxury tent, followed by a hot air balloon ride at sunrise and an afternoon horseback riding in the mountains? And of course you can’t forget ending your evening with their infamous rustic ranch cuisine.
Seared Quail Breast, Huckleberry Bread Pudding, Roasted Baby Turnip, Sautéed Spinach, Pan Jus
The dining room at Pomp
Pan Seared Ono, Cauliflower Salad, Fava Leaves, Baby Squash, Mint Oil
The terrace at Pomp
Iron Seared Elk Loin, Fregola-Mushroom Stew, Baby Fennel, Asparagus, Black Currant Puree
Outdoor dining and camp fire pit
Moulard Duck Breast, Potato Croquette, Orange Braised Fennel, Asparagus
Huckletini; 44 North Huckleberry Vodka, Huckleberry Syrup, Turbinado Sugar Rim
Homemade infused liquors
Village Entrance
Morning Hot Air Balloon Ride
Montana Breakfast Wrap, Scrambled Eggs, Yukon Gold Potatoes, Bacon, Peperzella Cheese
Sunrise Scrambler, Ham, Scrambled Eggs, Crisp Potato Croquette, Brewer's Grain Toast
Breakfast at Tank & Trough
a camera in the kitchen 