but it's moved on to the other page now. Click the link for a track back to that entry.http://www.finerkitchens.com/swap/forum1/60843_Hey_Angthis_is_what_it_was_like_to_eat_with_Tony
AngAK...I posted some photos from the Tony Bourdain dinner at that previous thread
- Thread starter traca
- Start date
cynupstateny
Well-known member
Can you give us any background on the pics? The prosciutto, tomato and gruyere quiche makes
me want to fly out there. Ditto on the pannini. Are these photos from your work or pleasure. Beautiful pics!
me want to fly out there. Ditto on the pannini. Are these photos from your work or pleasure. Beautiful pics!
The story (long...)
Okay, first things first. The quiche & pannini are from a favorite spot in Seattle called Volunteer Park Cafe. Clik on the link to view a slideshow of photos from there.
And the photos? Well, basically, I've turned into a big ole food geek! I take photos of places I've been, things I liked, and save them. While working in a professional kitchen is not economically feasable for me(cooks in this area make about $10 an hour), I'm always trying to improve my knowlege and skills. So instead, I've befriended several chefs and try to learn all I can from them. I've got a blog too and occasionally I'll post about things there.
For about 18 months, I also worked in food PR. I was a publicist for a chef who owned a restaurant in town that Food & Wine dubbed one of the best restaurants in the world. (It's called Union.)
For a very brief time, I also worked with another chef, and under him, I pitched the show to Tony Bourdain's people. Dumb luck follows the fools...and somehow it all came together. I took a few photos of my own at the dinner, but not many. (I didn't want to get in the way of the camera crew.) Those photos that I linked to, were actually taken by one of Tony's crew.
Here's a link to the tale about how the dinner all came together:
http://seattletallpoppy.blogspot.com/2007_01_01_archive.html
It was a very surreal experience working with both chefs and the experiences that came out of it. I ended up doing promotions work for Ruth Reichl, Michele Richard ("Happy in the Kitchen"), Laura Werlin, prominent wine makers, and bounced around ideas with folks from the Food Network, supplied content to Food & Wine & Bon Appetite, etc. In fact, I remember standing at the grocery store, looking at the magazines at the checkout counter. And in one month, I had some kind of involvement with content in each one of the national food magazines. It was so surreal.
I quit working as a publicist this past May, but I've still got one foot in the door. I'm doing a bit of work with a James Beard Award-Winning author who has a new book coming out this fall. Also, my friend Shauna from the blog Gluten-Free Girl has her new book coming out this fall and I've been working with her a bit too.
At the end of the day, I'm still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up...and while I had some crazy "new kid on the block" success in the food biz, I'm not sure that's the direction I want to go. So I'm taking a giant stride back and trying to get some perspective.
My friend Lisa teases me. She'll often say, "Go figure. You start out trying to learn how to cook, and you end up working with one of the top chefs in the city..." LOL!
Funny thing is, under chef's helm, I learned how to appreciate good food, but I rarely had any time to cook myself. Still, I'm grateful I got a chance to eat at his place...sometimes four times a week. But that was often eating and being on "show"...talking shop with industry or media folk. Working with Ethan, I definitely learned benchmarks for great food. And since his menu is all about seasonal and working with the finest ingredients...his menu changed every day. So I got a LOT of exposure to great food.
Now that I'm not working with him, I totally went into ethnic food overload. I craved Vietnamese, Thai, Indian, etc. In a way, I went back to the things I loved...ethnic places, Volunteer Park Cafe, and I came back to the swap. smileys/smile.gif
Now? Well, I've got this crazy notion in my head that I want to travel around the world...for a year. I'm knee-deep in researching food and cultures from around the world, and trying to narrow down where I want to go. At this point, the list changes every day. But I'm working on improving my photography skills, and I'm taking many more pictures these days to get some practice. (I'll be purchasing a new camera before too long...)
Whew! Very long winded story there. I hadn't really put that all in writing before, so it feels a bit cathartic, somehow. smileys/smile.gif
So name dropper? The crazy thing is...that was my life. I've got some inside reality about what their life is really like, and in many ways, it's no fun. Balancing your passion and free-lancing with fluxuating income streams is tough. It's hard to be creative when you're worried about paying your mortgage, you know? Or will this book sell enough to get me through the year? Or a non-stop crazy travel schedule. And they're always being on show in the public eye. Oh God. And coaching a chefs about working with the media...when all they want to do is be in the kitchen? Um...let's just say...it's not easy.
It was a great experience...and I learned by drinking out of the fire hose, for sure. We'll see what else my future holds...
Okay, first things first. The quiche & pannini are from a favorite spot in Seattle called Volunteer Park Cafe. Clik on the link to view a slideshow of photos from there.
And the photos? Well, basically, I've turned into a big ole food geek! I take photos of places I've been, things I liked, and save them. While working in a professional kitchen is not economically feasable for me(cooks in this area make about $10 an hour), I'm always trying to improve my knowlege and skills. So instead, I've befriended several chefs and try to learn all I can from them. I've got a blog too and occasionally I'll post about things there.
For about 18 months, I also worked in food PR. I was a publicist for a chef who owned a restaurant in town that Food & Wine dubbed one of the best restaurants in the world. (It's called Union.)
For a very brief time, I also worked with another chef, and under him, I pitched the show to Tony Bourdain's people. Dumb luck follows the fools...and somehow it all came together. I took a few photos of my own at the dinner, but not many. (I didn't want to get in the way of the camera crew.) Those photos that I linked to, were actually taken by one of Tony's crew.
Here's a link to the tale about how the dinner all came together:
http://seattletallpoppy.blogspot.com/2007_01_01_archive.html
It was a very surreal experience working with both chefs and the experiences that came out of it. I ended up doing promotions work for Ruth Reichl, Michele Richard ("Happy in the Kitchen"), Laura Werlin, prominent wine makers, and bounced around ideas with folks from the Food Network, supplied content to Food & Wine & Bon Appetite, etc. In fact, I remember standing at the grocery store, looking at the magazines at the checkout counter. And in one month, I had some kind of involvement with content in each one of the national food magazines. It was so surreal.
I quit working as a publicist this past May, but I've still got one foot in the door. I'm doing a bit of work with a James Beard Award-Winning author who has a new book coming out this fall. Also, my friend Shauna from the blog Gluten-Free Girl has her new book coming out this fall and I've been working with her a bit too.
At the end of the day, I'm still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up...and while I had some crazy "new kid on the block" success in the food biz, I'm not sure that's the direction I want to go. So I'm taking a giant stride back and trying to get some perspective.
My friend Lisa teases me. She'll often say, "Go figure. You start out trying to learn how to cook, and you end up working with one of the top chefs in the city..." LOL!
Funny thing is, under chef's helm, I learned how to appreciate good food, but I rarely had any time to cook myself. Still, I'm grateful I got a chance to eat at his place...sometimes four times a week. But that was often eating and being on "show"...talking shop with industry or media folk. Working with Ethan, I definitely learned benchmarks for great food. And since his menu is all about seasonal and working with the finest ingredients...his menu changed every day. So I got a LOT of exposure to great food.
Now that I'm not working with him, I totally went into ethnic food overload. I craved Vietnamese, Thai, Indian, etc. In a way, I went back to the things I loved...ethnic places, Volunteer Park Cafe, and I came back to the swap. smileys/smile.gif
Now? Well, I've got this crazy notion in my head that I want to travel around the world...for a year. I'm knee-deep in researching food and cultures from around the world, and trying to narrow down where I want to go. At this point, the list changes every day. But I'm working on improving my photography skills, and I'm taking many more pictures these days to get some practice. (I'll be purchasing a new camera before too long...)
Whew! Very long winded story there. I hadn't really put that all in writing before, so it feels a bit cathartic, somehow. smileys/smile.gif
So name dropper? The crazy thing is...that was my life. I've got some inside reality about what their life is really like, and in many ways, it's no fun. Balancing your passion and free-lancing with fluxuating income streams is tough. It's hard to be creative when you're worried about paying your mortgage, you know? Or will this book sell enough to get me through the year? Or a non-stop crazy travel schedule. And they're always being on show in the public eye. Oh God. And coaching a chefs about working with the media...when all they want to do is be in the kitchen? Um...let's just say...it's not easy.
It was a great experience...and I learned by drinking out of the fire hose, for sure. We'll see what else my future holds...
cynupstateny
Well-known member
Your photos are great! Sent you a pm, too.
cynupstateny
Well-known member
I'll pm you back when I can find 10 min together to think about it! Thanks for yours!