Micro Vegetables

Micro vegetables are grown with extreme care and attention. They are usually grown from normal vegetable seeds, but are meticulously harvested after only a couple weeks as opposed to the months required to grow their, full grown, counterparts. Micro vegetables are becoming the newest craze among chefs because of their delicate stature and are perfect for use as an interesting garnish for many dish ideas.

Micro Carrots

Micro Parsnips

Micro Beets

Micro Red Onions

Micro Scallions

Micro Celery

Buzz Buttons

Micro Radish

Micro Fennel

Micro Turnip

Micro Rhubarb

Micro Yellow Squash

Crystallized Edible Flowers

Micro Vegetables

Pig Out 2.0

Pig Out 2.0, the brainchild of Bobby Navarro (100eats.com) and the non-profit organization, Inspire Artistic Minds, showcased a talented collection chefs and bartenders from the hottest restaurants in Orange County. Located at the California Scenario (Noguchi Gardens) in Costa Mesa, this event, dedicated to all things pig, ignited these amazing chefs to flex their culinary muscles and show off their skills, creativity, and modern techniques. While the participating mixologists served up creative, fresh, envelope pushing libations. The end result was an inspired array of "pork-centric" dishes that highlight the very best of Orange County gastronomy.

Participating restaurants included:

Broadway by Amar Santana

The Cannery

Haven Collective

The Playground

Juliette's Kitchen and Bar

"A" Restaurant

The Attic

Hopscotch

Pizzeria Mozza

The Cheese Shop

Arc Restaurant

Little Sparrow

Melissa's Produce

Blind Pig

320 Main

www.100eats.com

 

Caffe Caldo

Today I had an amazing shoot for Caffe Caldo in Huntington Beach located on the corner of Beach and Atlanta. This cozy cafe is known for their superiorly brewed coffee and espresso and now they have the food to match. Full of robust flavors and "family style" portions, Caffe Caldo's cuisine is true to traditional Italian cooking. From the simplistic, yet fresh and flavorful, caprese bruschetta to the complex rich flavors of the minestrone soup, all these dishes bring about a delightful nostalgia of my favorite childhood Italian restaurants.

www.caffecaldoespresso.com

Watermelon Canape

Another refreshing watermelon idea. The ultra sweet and juicy ruby watermelon complimented by the tartness of kiwi and the slight bitter of arugula, all brought together with the creamy subtleness of ricotta salata cheese. A delightful appetizer for any summer event.

This is a recipe I developed for a recent food styling client that distributes melons and tomatoes to national retail stores. I shot this sample recipe outside on my patio for the natural diffused light. I tried to capture the vibrant colors of the watermelon and kiwi and create an atmosphere by placing a half watermelon in the background