MattBites

Artists I Love: Jenifer Altman

While I tend to wear my emotions on my sleeve and fall in love with art, fragrance, flavors, trinkets, images and ephemera about three-thousand times a day, it's rare that someone comes along and seeps deep inside my brain and makes me love something inside-out. If I'm making no sense to you whatsoever that's ok, it's a hard thing for me to explain myself. Enter Jenifer Altman. We met a few weeks ago via email and chatted about photography, but since we met I've been following her series of polaroid images as well as her lovely blog Nectar & Light. 

It's hard to describe what I love about her work and it's much easier for me to explain how it makes me feel. Have you ever fallen asleep on a couch next to a sunny window during the late afternoon, only to wake up 30 minutes later slightly hazy, fully relaxed, the sensation of the warm sun enveloping you like a fuzzy blanket? This is the closest I can come to describing how I feel when I view Jen's work. It's still, it's quiet, it's soft, with a peace and warmth that can only come from circumstance and not deliberate planning. In a word it's magical, and artistically her vision inspires me to no end. Her use of polaroids convey something that couldn't quite be achieved any other way, and her sense of tone and color create that dreamlike state that seems to be unmatched anywhere. Jen was gracious enough to join me for a little q&a about her new blog and her photography.

How long have you been taking pictures? What is your background?

After my first attempt at college after high school, I dropped out and decided to join the Navy – basically to see the world.  I was one of the lucky ones as the ship I was assigned to was getting ready to change homeports from Norfolk, Virginia to La Maddalena, Italy {on the island of Sardinia}.  I was also lucky enough to have a job that afforded me a lot of opportunity to travel.  During this time I met my husband and we followed the tour in Italy with one in England.  I think it was during this time that I truly feel in love with the idea of photography – but I was not really shooting a lot – and I do regret that – I have so many stamps in my passport and so few photographs of that time.  We were getting ready to head back to Italy when we learned we were expecting our first daughter – we decided to move back to the states at that point.  Subsequently I returned to school to study Interior Design.  One of my selected electives was Photography – that really introduced me to the bones of it.  But truly the love affair has only become heated in the last year.  Working with a professional photographer – who has become one of my dearest friends – was a reawakening.  She taught me about lighting and equipment – everything that she knew was at my disposal and it continues to be such an amazing experience.

What is your philosophy about food?

Food is love.  It is simple as that.  My philosophy is that we must eat to survive – so why not make it the most insanely divine experience everyday.  I love to cook – I do so with a rather adventuresome spirit – I have this inability to follow any recipe whatsoever – except when baking of course but I have been known to take a detour there as well.  And we really make an effort to eat as naturally, organically and locally as possible.  I still get the occasional craving for some sort of unmentionable drive-thru fare – but for the most part we are very careful what we put into our bodies.  I think a lot of new parents go through this – as they are beginning to feed their children they are much more cautious about reading labels and ensuring they can pronounce all of the ingredients; you then begin to think, “Why am I not eating this way as well?” – and then it simply becomes a family affair.  And I tend to go for the real stuff – butter, cream – you will not find any diet anything in my house – we are simply mindful of our intake {most of the time!} – but life is too short for margarine.

What are your guilty pleasures?

I have too many!  Have I mentioned how much I love life?  I just don’t believe in depriving yourself – that is not to say I believe in excess either.  I just think everyone needs to find that happy little place in the middle.  I do have a seemingly never ending addiction for vintage cameras; I have learned to appreciate what a difference 600-thread count sheets make and I always end my day with a hot soak and a single, beautiful little scoop of chocolate ice cream.

Artistically speaking, what inspires you? Who are your influences?

My mother is a painter so I grew up with a very strong understanding and deep appreciation of art.  Travel and my rotating obsession with certain places and times of history have been strong influences as well.  But being apart of the online design/art community for the last two years has opened my eyes to so much more than I could have imagined.  And while I find the simple, naturally lit tabletop photography of Jennifer Causey to be inspiring, I also love the sharp contrast and Dutch influences of photographers like Ditte Isager and Gentl & Hyers.  I just try to soak as much in as possible – from all sources.  But I am also inspired by this almost underground movement of “everyday” photography – capturing those seemingly inconsequential moments and finding something deeper and something strikingly beautiful.

You capture a very dreamlike essence of light. It touches every single image of yours that I've seen and I'm blown away. What is it about the light that moves you?

As you know light is obviously a major player in photography and is probably the next most important element outside of composition.  My friend Amy taught me so much about light and how to make it work for you as opposed to against you.  But the greatest thing she has done for me is influencing me to shoot film.  Polaroid in particular captures light and transforms it into a milky dream of warmth and beauty.  It is so hard to really put into words – but I aim for that effect in my Polaroid work – I actually make a point of shooting into the light just to see what happens.  In most cases – the photograph becomes a dreamy landscape – a blanket against the chill.  I also think light has a spiritual effect – something out of our grasp – yet comforting and all consuming.  Light comes from within – within us – within the earth – it is so powerful.

What's it like being a Mom?

I never thought I would be the type of person to stand atop a mountain and proclaim that motherhood is the best thing that ever happened to me – alas, here I am.  I have three beautiful daughters and everyday I look at them and know that life is good, that all is right in the world, that they are beauty divine.  It has changed how I look at everything – I am so protective of them – but love that they each show an independent streak.   

Describe a dream day of yours.

I am living it.

Can we please work on something one day, together? Please?

Name the date sweetness!

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Jenifer's other non-polaroid work is just as inspiring to me. To view much more of this talented woman's work make sure to check out her sites:

Nectar & Light
Jenifer Altman Photography

Thank you for indulging me, Jenifer!

Is This Thing On?

I had a great time chatting with Greg Washington of Inquiringmind Magazine for their second edition of the online magazine Focus. Have you seen it? Damn, it's sharp sharp sharp and I'm honored to have been included in it this month. It was nice to have some questions that made me think and took me way back to my childhood and it was really refreshing to leave the tech specs alone for a bit.

Tell your friends! It's a great thing these guys are doing and their design skills make me drool. Oh, and try not to scare yourself with the big picture of my dorky face that flashes on the screen. In fact, you may want to get some paper and a piece of tape and cover that part of your monitor. I promise no one will look at you strange if you explain what you're doing. Yikes.
 

Egg Nog and Sun Screen

Armed with a pocketful of outdated 120 film and a Mamiya 645 I hit the streets of my sleepy beach town this past Saturday morning to re-familiarize myself with film. Film! I have an assignment next month––my first international collaboration––and since I'm headed somewhere beachy and warm I decided to use Long Beach as a stand-in. Hey, my street doubles for the Miami neighborhood on the TV show "Dexter", it might be a decent stand-in of the Caribbean for me.

Ok, it wasn't really. Not at all. But it was worth a shot.

As I walked around the beach, watching the joggers, bikers and volleyball games in action, it made me realize that while I'm filled with the Christmas spirit and visions of sugar plum fairies dance in my head, it can be a bit difficult to truly embrace the season when it's sunny and warm with cool ocean breezes caressing your skin. But no matter where I am and where I celebrate, I'm blessed and happy to be alive and thankful for a season that truly brings people together.

Sometimes there's really not much more you can ask for.

Chatting With Amelia Saltsman

It's not often that I fall in love with a cookbook. When I do, it usually shares time between the kitchen and my library, shuttling back and forth as I use it. However, it's rare when a book stays with me in my bag, going between the market, my home and my office. That's what's happening with Amelia Saltsman's book The Santa Monica Farmers' Market Cookbook: Seasonal Foods, Simple Recipes and Stories from the Market and Farm.

I've mentioned and plugged this book before, and with good reason. Part cookbook, part educational lesson, Alice Waters calls Amelia's book "an amazing resource to have with you, a complete season-by-season handbook to guide you through the bounty of the market." I couldn't have said it better myself. Not only does it focus on seasonal recipes that are right up my alley (simple, ingredient-focused dishes that highlight seasonality and flavor), it also shares insights about farmers' markets and what it takes for the farmer to bring you his fruits and vegetables directly. But perhaps the most valuable for me is its ability to be a guidebook, taking me throughout the market and giving me ideas, tips and background about the foods I buy when I visit the Santa Monica Farmers' Market. Or any farmers' market, for that matter.

Since the book's release we've become friends and, if you'll allow me to borrow a corny phrase, to know her is to love her. Her passion beams through and her enthusiasm is infectious. She gets me excited about food! I recently sat down with Amelia to ask her a few questions about her book before joining her on a quick tour of the Santa Monica Farmers' Market.

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Q. Your book has really affected me in so many ways. It's given me kitchen tips, educated me about so many fruits and vegetables, but also drawn me in about the farmers you write about. Not to mention I carry my book with me to the farmers market weekly. Can you explain why you wrote this book?

A. It's simple -- when you've got a story you've got to tell it. You see it, you're excited about what you've learned, who you've met, what it's done for you as a consumer, how it's changed your life as a cook, and how you think that life could be easier for others. I wanted to let people know that in our harried culture that the best tasting food is right here. No compromise, no sacrifice. It's the ultimate fast food! Well, not for the farmer, though -- they do all the work and we reap all the benefits!

Q. How long did it take to complete the book?

A. It was in the making for years and years. Years of development, a year of writing and a year of production.

Q. How has your experience as a shopper at the Santa Monica Farmers' Market changed your outlook on food?

A.  I get my culinary inspiration from the  Santa Monica Farmers' Market. If I can't get to the Farmers' Market I'm in disarray! But it's not just about inspiration -- it's about education and safety, too. I find that when I'm at the Farmers' Market and I know the grower I feel very confident about the food. I don't worry about all the things we've been worrying about and reading in the news lately. The person growing the food is growing it for his or her own family directly. Once you're feeding your family your own food you become more responsible. When you look the buyer in the eye you have to be honest and responsible. It makes you do the right thing.

Q. Why Farmers' Markets?

A: I always knew from an early age that I could learn a lot about a place by going to the farmers' market. I could see the people, meet the people, see what they value, what they can grow and experience a little bit of daily life. In fact If I'm in a town or traveling I'd choose a farmers' market over a museum if I only had one day to visit.

I really believe that the Santa Monica Farmers' Market tells us about a place even if the farmers end up coming from 100 or 200 miles away. It tells us a lot about the culture. It also tells us that people are really hungry for a connection and community.

And by the way, that connection is just as important to the farmers as it is to us. It's very core.

Q: You always make it a point to mention flavor --- I love that!  Why is this? And would you consider it one of the most important qualities in selecting food?

A: If I had to use one word to describe the book, it's flavor. If you use flavor as your primary marker you'll find it's a great cue as to how food was grown.

You don't get great flavor by accident; you have to grow varieties that are designed to taste good. Then you must grow them well, you have to care for them and you must tend to them. For example, I talk about Mike Cirone of Cirone Farms in my book.The reason his apricots and apples are so packed with flavor is because he dry farms, leaving an intensified flavor in the fruit -- it's not all water.  It's the same with a big giant strawberry packed full of water versus a small berry loaded with real flavor. Flavor means someone cared enough to leave it on the vine or in the field until fully ripened. This is another reason to shop farmers' markets -- if you're buying your produce from a supermarket it must travel and be stored for quite some time before it gets to you and there's no way it can be picked ripe. That means it cannot have much flavor.

Harold McGee recently wrote about fully ripe, sustainably grown fruits and vegetables and discovered that they are indeed more flavorful. I say yay yay yay! We're beginning to discover that if we depend on chemicals we don't flourish. Not just in food but in life. So you can see why flavor is IT for me.

It's the simplest, happiest, most visible and tangible clue for quality, sustainability, and seasonality.

Q: Ok, so many of my readers may not live in Southern California. Is your book only about shopping at the Santa Monica Farmers' Market?

(Matt says: I cannot do justice to Amelia's animated response with flailing arms when she answers this question!)

A: So what? Really! So what? The big message here is to shop locally, support your local ecosystem, and see what's in season in your neighborhood. It's not a religion! You don't have to be in Santa Monica, you can do this anywhere you live! Even if we bought some portion of seasonal and local goods, even just 20%, we'd make a huge difference in the issues we're having.

My intention was to tell the story of these farmers and these crops as a specific metaphor for a bigger picture. It was about making it about real characters that come to life. My hope was that someone reading this book who shops at a farmers' market in Austin might think about the life that their local farmer was living and the struggles they encountered to get that local produce to market. It's my hope that people everywhere will think more about flavor, where their food comes from and to cook in a simple, ingredient driven way.

There were choices I needed to make when I was writing this book. My way of narrowing my scope was to think of foods and dishes that showcased how much can come from the farmers' market. You don't need a big pantry to do this. That's why there's the barest whisper of chocolate in the book.

Q: What is your idea of comfort food?

A: I would say that my favorite, most comforting meals would be after a trip to the market. Simple roasted vegetables, everything fresh, lots of savory flavors. Something so simply roasted with a little olive oil, sprinkled with some crunchy sea salt. I think that the dinners that are the most satisfying to me are the ones where I look at the plate and see that everything came from the farmers' market. The chicken, the vegetables, the fruit. It's just so simple.

Q: What types of food did you grow up eating? And could you share some of your family food background?

A: Sort of an interesting story! My parents came to this country just before I was born. Both my grandmothers were amazing cooks and bakers, but that didn't help because my mother was here and the family was in Israel. But I had a very eclectic childhood. One one hand I had a lot of fresh salads and vegetables as my mother was busy experimenting with new techniques but she also made family recipes that were quite different than what the rest of the country was eating, you know, white bread and steak sort of thing.

But the other thing I remember growing up was that we used to be able to go to the corner grocery store and buy local produce.

Q: You gave a presentation last week with the Culinary Historians of Southern California where you showed images of Los Angeles at the beginning of the century. The variety of fruits and vegetables that were grown 80 years ago smack dab in the middle of town was unbelievable - not to mention the fact that people paid attention to who was growing their food and where it was from. You even showed us a menu from 1906 that listed the food's origin with the farm it came from right underneath the menu item. Now we're seeing a return to those interests. Care to weigh in on why this is happening? Is it just history repeating itself?

A: In my research for this book I discovered that in everything there is a season. There's nothing new under the sun and while we may think we discover new things and it's never been done before that's simply not the case.

I discovered that we were cooking like the way we are today at the turn of the century. When the rest of the country was using pork, we were using olive oil. It's what we had in abundance and our diets adapted to the ingredients we were finding locally. The similarities are more striking today than the differences.

As far as why we moved away from this, I think it was due to several influence. Once we had the railroads and refrigerated cars and California became the main supplier to the supermarket chains across the country there was a a shift of focus. The agriculture industry needed to pay attention to how they supplied food to the masses. Produce was picked green and held, people moved out to the suburbs and further away, there was a curiosity and desire for what was new and shiny. New and improved was how we shopped; people didn't want to be in a dirty place with cut leaves on the floor, it had to be spotless. These are not necessarily new things post World War II, they all started with the Industrial Age, it's always been a movement. A perfect example was frozen foods. Who didn't think it was a bold, wonderful new concept? It was all about convenience.

Q: Apart from the touchy-feely loving-mother-earth sensations I get from shopping my farmers' market, there really is a true importance than runs deep about supporting the farmers. I appreciate you and your book for really explaining it to me.

A. Remember, it takes time to build a market. The Santa Monica Farmers' Market is 26 years strong, but it didn't start anything like it is today. You didn't get all this variety, but you did get the fresher, better-tasting versions of what you found in the supermarkets. The farmers were growing for the packing houses, but then realized they could pick up and head to the market with the standard offerings. And back then it was potatoes, grapes, your everyday fruits and vegetables. But the market changed and developed by communication, learning, and time. Farmers learned what customers wanted, customers learned what grew best from farmers. Farmers would dare to grow a row or two of this or that and find there was a market for it. I think that as I've been talking to people across the country this is one of the biggest messages I need to convey: it takes time and patience to grow a great farmers' market. It takes time to educate the manager, the farmer and the customer about what the real values are.

Thank you Amelia!

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Amelia will be making a few appearances over the next week and I encourage you to visit and say hello. Especially in Austin. And have a Shiner for me, won't ya?

HOLIDAY ENTERTAINING IDEAS FROM THE FARMERS’ MARKET WITH AMELIA SALTSMAN
Cooking Demo & Book Signing
Thursday, October 25, 2007
7:00 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Santa Monica Public Library
601 Santa Monica Blvd
Santa Monica, CA
(310) 458-8600

AUSTIN FARMERS’ MARKET
Cooking Demo & Book Signing
Saturday, October 27, 2007
9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
4th & Guadalupe
Austin, TX
(512) 236-0074

FINO RESTAURANT, PATIO & BAR
Harvest Dinner and Book Signing with Boggy Creek Farm
Monday, October 29, 2007   
7:00 p.m.
2905 San Gabriel St.
Austin, TX
For reservations: (512) 474-2905

Interview with Three Layer Cake

There are some sites out there that leave me gasping in shame about my lil ole page (which I thank you for visiting, by the way, and I mean that). Three Layer Cake is one of them. Run by Kristina G., this site describes itself as "Perspectives on what we eat, what we see, and what goes on around us in everyday life." 3LC gives my brain a work out solely based on the information it provides. It's thorough, resourceful, and makes mine feel like it was drawn by a second grader. Not that there's anything wrong with second grade illustrations, I'm just sayin'.

I had the most amazing chat with Kristina recently and left wishing I was her neighbor. Probably because I'd get to live in Rome if that was the case. Ok, not really, I'd live anywhere if it meant having a woman like her in my life. Halfway through our phone interview I really thought about turning the tables and interviewing her. She's one of the most fascinating people I've had the pleasure of chatting with.

Anyway, if you care to read me ramble on about nonsense then you can read the interview I did with her. And even if you've heard me blab on and on too much already you can skip my interview and check out the list of others she's featured. It's quite literally an amazing resource and I'm thrilled and honored to be included.

You can visit Three Layer Cake here. My interview is here. 

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!

Book Tour: The Amateur Gourmet

I've always been an early adopter and I was thrilled to be asked to participate in Adam Roberts' Virtual Book Tour. Today The Amateur Gourmet is stopping by this lil old blog to answer a few questions, but damn it if that Ruhlman fella got to the good questions before I did! But never worry, Adam was gracious enough to sit down and humor me with my list of questions that I was hoping wouldn't be too off the wall.

So have you read The Amateur Gourmet: How to Shop, Chop, and Table Hot like a Pro? If you haven't, you really should. Out for just a short time it's already seeing its share of wonderful praise--as it should! it's an entertaining and personal collection of culinary endeavors that kept me chuckling and laughing the entire time. And then it made me hungry. And then a bit nervous. And then I laughed again. But if there's one thing I can take away from Adam and this book it's that life is simply too short to not grab it by the basters and get in the kitchen and try. It's refreshing, spirited and truly a breath of fresh air.

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Q: Adam, a big giant congrats on your book. It's such a great read and thoroughly entertaining. How's the reception been so far?

Thanks, Matt! The reception's been really positive. I'm getting e-mails every day from enthusiastic readers. Plus the mainstream food press has been really supportive: lots of the writers I admire (Michael Ruhlman, Ed Levine, the Lee Brothers) have been really kind to the book. I'm really excited by the reception.

Q: I appreciated the explanation you've given on Michael Ruhlman's  site on the difference between your book and your blog. As you mentioned, good writing is good writing, no matter the format. What were the biggest similarities in writing AG: How to Shop and AG: The blog?  And what were the biggest differences?

Writing the book was like writing the blog in the sense that I kept my "voice"--I wanted to sound like me, not a high-and-mighty food writer preaching from a mountaintop. So in that sense, it was similar. In every other sense it was different: different in how I approached the material, in how I chose the material, in how I worked with the material once it was done. Everything that went into the book had to fit an overall scheme--it couldn't just be a random tidbit that had no place in the larger story. And story was the driving force behind the book: I wanted to tell a good story. The book allowed me to do that--it had a very clear beginning, middle and end. A blog is infinite, so writing on a blog is like shooting messages into outer space. They get read on their way out of the atmosphere, but then they just float along. It's a very different thing.

Q: Which 4 historical figures, past or present, would you invite  over for a dinner party? It's a cheesy question I realize but I had  to ask.

I love this question. I choose:

1. Barbara Walters
2. Joy Behar
3. Whoopi Goldberg
4. Sherri Shephard

Just kidding. In all seriousness:

1. Martin Short
2. Vladimir Nabokov
3. Julia Child
4. Bob Dylan

Wow, what a weird table. But there's a comedian, a writer, a cook and a musician: my kind of crowd.

Q: Heidi, Shauna, Clotilde, You, I see a trend here. What advice can you give bloggers interested in getting book deals and writing  books? And when is  your next book due? C'mon, you can tell us.

What's miraculous about blogging is that anyone, even you reading this, can--at any moment--hop on to Typepad or blogger.com and create a blog. You can do it in a matter of minutes. And everything after that is up to you. It's a real meritocracy: if you create something worthwhile, people will come to it. That's what happened to me. So you've gotta get your voice out there, you've gotta create a brand, you've gotta be persistent, you've gotta be passionate, and you've gotta be unique. It helps to have a hook, but it's not required. What is required is a level of commitment that most people don't have. I'd say the large majority of people who start blogs update their blogs every few days or so and then they fizzle out. You can't fizzle out, you've gotta keep going, and not only that, you've gotta keep coming up with new ideas, new posts, new stories to tell and new ways of telling them. On my blog I'm constantly experimenting with the form: videos, songs, comic books--you name it, I've tried it. Pour yourself into this and the rewards will come. I promise.

No next book in the works yet, but as soon as it happens you'll be the first to know!

Q: Ok, so I've read that you haven't accepted that many freebies in  the Amateur Gourmet's career, but being called "World Class Mooch" was a bit much and not fair. Had that been me I would have had my feelings hurt beyond repair and climbed into a hole for about a year. You seem to have handled it just fine. Did it bother you or does it just come with the territory of putting yourself out there and being in the media spotlight?

Yes and yes. It bothered me, but it comes with the territory. That's the scariest thing about this--putting yourself out there, you're opening yourself up to scrutiny. You've gotta have a thick skin and even then, it can be tough. My boyfriend Craig always tells me to "rise above the fray." And he's right: I can't take it personally if people attack me somewhere. Not only that, it makes me look bad to engage them so I have to force myself to let it go and to move on. It's tough, but I do it.

Q: Being the quintessential Mama's Boy (and I only use that term about myself in the most complimentary way), I'd be interested to know what your parents think of your success and the book. It seems a completely different path than law school...

It's so outside the scope of what they know that I may as well have built a ship out of paperclips and sailed around the world. But to say they're incredibly proud would be a huge understatement. My mom bought out all the copies in the Boca Raton Barnes & Noble and gave them away to the woman who does her hair, the woman who does her nails, the bank teller, the toll booth operator... ok not the last two, but I wouldn't be surprised.

Q: What's your idea of comfort food?

Pasta. I love love love to make pasta. It's satisfying, flavorful, versatile---there's so much you can do with it. Oooh, I want some pasta right now.

Q: What's on the horizon for The Amateur Gourmet?

Good question! I have lots of ideas in the works. I'm working on a novel, another food book idea, and some new concepts for the website. You'll just have to wait and see.

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Adam, a million thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. Visit Amazon.com to get your book if you haven't already!

Interview with Pouké

By now you know my blog is photo-centric, and I hope that's ok with you. Rather than focus on restaurant reviews I like to use this space to talk to the people behind the scenes of food photography – stylists, photographers, prop stylists, editors, you name it. This latest installation is my interview with my friend Pouké, who gives me happy little feelings and puts a smile on my face whenever I think of her.

In the world of advertising and editorial food photography there is food styling and then there is food styling. There's the act of preparing food for the camera and getting through your shot - and no matter how experienced you are it always requires talent, patience and true grit. Very few stylists take it to a whole other level entirely, and that's where people like my friends William Smith and Pouké enter the picture.

I hate to make myself appear so jaded sometimes, but in all honestly it takes a certain talent to make me stop and catch my breath. I've reviewed hundreds of portfolios, met with numerous photographers and stylists over the years and can count on one hand those who have made me stop in my tracks and make my little heart flutter. I know it sounds silly, but true grace and talent knows no bounds, be it in a painting, a sculpture, musical composition or with food on a printed page.

What can I say about Pouké? Nothing I say could ever do her work justice. I've spent years with a beat up and tattered folder with clippings and tear sheets of her work (she doesn't know this!) and always scour the miniscule type of book introductions and magazine pages looking for that familiar name when I see work that can only be hers. And how do I know? It's a sense, a feeling I get by viewing her work. She has a magical way with food and I have a hard time defining it. It's as if she makes ingredients dance, the individual components look happy to be on the plate with the other pieces of food, for lack of better phrasing. It's harmony, it's freshness, it's joy, and it's as if a soft hand gently caressed the entire plate. Are you still with me here?

Over the past year Pouke and I have gotten to know each other and I shouldn't say I am surprised to find her as magical and lovely as the work she does. Some of you may know her styling work and I am sure many of you know her through her blog, Atelier Pouké. In her blog she takes us with her on her travels, shares beautiful bursts of daily life and literally makes me swoon with the way she sees the world. Does it surprise me that this same beautiful woman translates her love of life to the plate? Absolutely not.

I sat down to ask Pouke about her work and philosphy.

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Matt: I'm going to do my best to remain level headed and not continuously pour out adoration for you because I could do that for years when looking at your work. How long have you been food styling, and how did you begin your career?

Pouké: Fifteen years ago, in the Sunday Chronicle Food section, I discovered the work of the food stylist, Erez, who would invariably shock me by his creativity, sense of composition and obstreperous eye. Every week, he would please my craving for beauty, art and food. I discovered that, through food, you could convey a vision of style, color, and texture. His fearlessness to try anything emboldened me.

I pursued Erez and started assisting him in his work. I learned some valuable tricks of the trade, but mostly to trust my eye and heart. Erez went back to Israel, and gave me his blessings to hit the streets as a food stylist on my own.

Matt: Do you prefer advertising or editorial work?

Pouké: It is like asking me if I like Paris or Berkeley. Well, both wildly, but for different reasons.

For me, at the beginning, I felt that my impulsive and intuitive nature coupled with my little experience served me well in the editorial world...books, magazines and more books. It was great, and validating. I was making collaborative art. What fun it was…and still is!

Then, the world of advertising started catching up with the more creative style of the editorial world, which gave me a bridge into that side of the business. Early on, I had created a free form, Asian-influenced salad for a poster, which was hung in William Sonoma store windows.  One of my earliest advertising clients noticed the poster and hired me. So it was a creative idea that led me into advertising. 

Eventually, I learned to really appreciate the quest for perfection that is often required for advertising jobs.  It draws on all my experience, all the tricks I’ve learned, and the techniques I’ve mastered.  In the end, there is a wonderful satisfaction to achieving absolute perfection. Yes, I love my job!

Matt: What is your philosophy on food?

Pouké:   Food is love. Food is creativity. Food is pleasure.

Love of good ingredients, that are made by farmers and artisans with a passion for the earth and its bounty.  Love which is put into the folding of such ingredients to produce healthy,fresh, pure, seasonal, decadent meals and then offered to the ones you love.

Love that we tasted through the dishes fed to us as children and that, during our whole life, we try to recapture.

Food is creativity in the way you chose to make your food: colors and composition for the eyes, exotic spices and textures for the mouth. Letting go of rules and come up with new pairings: How about a strawberry and parsley salad?

Food then always becomes pleasure in its anticipation and comfort. And what pleasure! It is the most social, intimate and joyful aspect of life.

Matt: What do you find most challenging to work with? What brings you the most pleasure?

Pouké:  What is amazing is, after all these years, I still find challenges in most shoots. I think sometimes that I have seen and cooked everything, but then invariably something new will come up like: transforming crumbled tofu into a moist, appetizing scrambled egg looking dish, or making fake but realistic pools of melted snow and ice around a soft drink can. Pleasure is when I am asked to come up with something beautiful. When food can become art, everything flows from there.

Matt: You live in the Bay Area, one of the most beautiful and delicious places in the US. Do you have any favorite markets or restaurants that you visit regularly?

Pouké: I visit the Berkeley Farmer’s market at least once a week. It is Berkeley, so it is quirky, lively and a feast for the eyes, mind and belly. You will encounter the raw food dishes table, then come upon the wonderful sounds of 60’s soul performed by a medley of musicians, then the massage table between baby lettuces (called gems!) and strawberries (blood red to the core), young and old meeting and chatting like in a village, even prams from the local daycare, snaking their way through the crowd and stalls and carrying, like a mini omnibus, at least 8 wide-eyed toddlers.

 

For work, I depend practically exclusively on the Berkeley Bowl -- a privately owned supermarket with the biggest and most varied produce area. You want fresh baby corn on the cob, watermelons in November, Persian cucumbers, ramps, dragon fruits, Seville oranges, you name it…you will most likely find it there. The crowd is diverse and fun to watch as you wait in long lines at the cashier.

 

Now for restaurants, my favorite over and over is Cesar, the first ‘tapas’ bar to open here. It is crowded; it is loud. The décor is modern with a mosaic blue bar. The drinks are tasty and the food is traditional in the sense that the ingredients are top notch and they are prepared simply with a nod to lustiness and abandon (plenty of garlic, peppers, mayonnaise, herbs, sugar, cream). Just give me a glass of chilled Bandol rosé, a ramequin of their divine salt cod and potatoes cazuela with tall croutons and aioli and a pyramid of their paper thin garlic and rosemary fries and I am very happy indeed.

 

Second best is the Cheese board pizza  place for lunch. For $2.25 a slice, you get the best pizza ever (sourdough crust, different toppings each day), a seat at a communal table, a drop-in live jazz duo or trio, sometimes with a singer, and the best people watching this side of St Germain des Près. Since there is always a long line making their way to the counter, you can have a glass of wine and (why not ) a side of roasted garlic (resting in a big bowl on the counter)!

Matt: How did growing up in France shape your perspective on food and culture? And what do you miss the most?

Pouké: Somehow, even in their obsession with food, the French manage not to be neurotic about it. It is a much anticipated pleasure that you give yourself without guilt. The French accept good food as an inalienable right, partake of it in moderation, and value quality over quantity. They also accept the fleeting nature of pleasure and know when to let go. This is all part of an unspoken culture that you assimilate growing up there.   

The French have built an identity and pride in their amazing variety of resources and dishes, their wine growing history, and their amazingly refined gastronomy. By the way, most of the time, the French eat very simply. Haute cuisine is reserved only for special occasions.  When, as a child, you grow up flambé-ing crepes for your family, you know that food is special and fun!

But, it is still amazing how much time French people devote to food. At any given meal, discussions would start about what the next meal would be or memories of past gastronomic successes, or stories about how to get the right food and how to best prepare it. It is an all-consuming topic!

Growing up, you quickly learn to appreciate simple pleasures, like the butter drenched pain au chocolat on the way home from school (not too difficult), or the single scoop of ice cream from the little shop that was open during the warm months and made its own ice cream with seasonal ingredients. But it is also, a communal pleasure, a ritual, a celebration of friendship and family. Time is set aside. Shops close, offices too. It’s time to eat. And well.

What I miss: the beautiful displays of produce, the window decorations in the bakery, the rituals of packaging pastries, the care and artistry that goes not only in the taste but in the presentation. And… the choice in chocolate bars!

Matt: Your writing is just as luscious as your food. What inspired you to blog?

Pouké: It was like writing letters to my far away friends. It was to give me a voice that I didn’t have, working in a visual world. It was a way to connect with the past, and be myself, discovering the important or the sad, the funny or the crazy.

Matt: Pouké, thank you so much for sharing your world with me. You've managed to enlighten and also make me hungry for a seat at Cesar right now - and it's 8:24 in the morning as I'm writing this! One last question: What's in your tool kit that you could not live without?

Pouké: Knife, paint brush and an earl grey tea bag….

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To see more of Pouké's magical artistry with food, visit her website at Pouke.com and don't forget to read her personal site at Atelier Pouké. The images used in this post are copyright the respective owners and have only been posted on Mattbites.com for interview purposes and can be removed if requested. Just trying to do the right thing, folks!