Just wanted to post a little holiday teaser table setting to inspire us for our holiday gatherings and get togethers. Happy Holidays!
table design: kelly oshiro (sbchic.com)
photography: yours truly!
So, as most of you know, I am a event & wedding photographer by day and a food blogger by night. Actually, reverse that. I shoot almost all my events in the evening and blog during the day! I’m inclined to feature some of my wedding work since it is chock full of table decoration ideas and FOOD! This weddings was at the unimaginably beautiful Ojai Valley Inn & Spa and my couple was beyond delightful to work with. No bridezilla’s here! The event was designed and planned by Claudia Hoste and can I just say that I’m in LOVE with what she did. With shades of blush, pink and cream, this weddings design was romantic, dreamy and delightful. When I saw the set up I had to literally pick my jaw up from the ground because it was so breathtakinly beautiful. And to top it off, the purple wisteria that only blooms for literally a WEEK a year was in full force. I loved this wedding and hope you do to. Have napkin on hand because you may need to mop up some drool after viewing…
The view from on high
Fancy shmancy silver wedding shoes 😉
To die for champagne wedding dress!
The wedding ceremony took place in the gorgeous Hacienda Courtyard at the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa. I love the oak tree!
Wedding ceremony aisle flowers. I love how romantic and drapey they are….
Congrats to the Bride & Groom!
Purple wisteria in full bloom over the reception
Crystal chandelier hanging over the wedding tables
The Bride & Groom’s special chair covers. Love!
I’m obsessed with this birdcage centerpiece.
This cake was not only beautiful but delicious! It had this super interesting tangelo filling and was oh so scrumptious…
Gotta love the menu of course….
Old books tied with twine were used to create levels on the tables and add a nostalgic element.
Hanging wisteria. Ah…so romantic…sigh
Wild arugula salad with beets and shaved parmesan
Cast iron chicken with citrus sauce
Market vegetables
Cheers to the happy couple and thanks for having me be apart of your spectacular day. 😉
Sometimes there is nothing better then a steamy cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows. But homemade marshmallows and Jessica Foster Confections hot chocolate really takes this over the top. Styled by Kelly Oshiro of Santa Barbara Chic, this photo shoot was a MAJOR high. (sugar high that is… 😉
Jessica Foster Confection chocolates are so to die for and I had the pleasure of eating AND photographing them. Styled by the fabulous Kelly Oshiro for SB Chic this set up was such a fun party (I mean photo shoot). Deliciousness squared…. 😉
My friend Kelly Oshiro came up with this fabulous concoction and asked me to photograph it for her website, Santa Barbara Chic. So if you have extra eggnog your trying to figure out what to do with it, try this eggnog float. I promise it won’t disappoint!
Here’s to “scoop”-
– Two scoops of ice cream
– Pour the eggnog over the ice cream
– Toast some sliced almonds and sprinkle on top.
To toast the almonds: 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until you can smell the almonds, watch them closely, they’ll burn if you’re not paying attention.
I had the pleasure of photographing the amazing work of Kelly O’Shiro from sbchic.com. Her table design was so fabulous to shoot and thanks to Town & Country for the rentals!
The amazing Kelly Oshiro of sbchic.com styled this spectacular Thanksgiving table and I had the privilege of photographing it. All the rentals came from Town and Country here in Santa Barbara. I’m excited to use the persimmons from this shoot to make persimmons cookies… Hope you all have a fun and festive Thanksgiving. Happy Holidays!
I love doing food shoots. The amazing Duo Catering created this DELICIOUS duck breast with panisse crouton, bloomsdale spinach and blood orange and sage demi glace. And of course it was styled by the incredible Kelly Oshiro of sbchic.com. One of the perks of shooting food is you get to EAT once you are done! Its awesome…. Enjoy!
Let’s get started:
Ingredients:
6 7-8 oz Duck Breasts (source from a reliable butcher or specialty market)
*****
2 cups Panisse (Garbanzo Flour) – Polenta is a good substitute
6 cups water or chicken stock
2 Tbl of chopped shallots
1 tsp of picked thyme leaves
*****
6-8 cups washed spinach (roughly 2 bunches)
2 cloves garlic (sliced)
Zest and juice of 1 small lemon
2 Tbl Olive Oil
2 tsp of Butter
*****
1 cup Veal or Duck Demiglace (homemade or sourced through a specialty grocer)
2 Tbl diced shallots
1 clove sliced garlic
6-8 Sage Leaves
½ cup of Blood Orange Juice (Pomegranate Juice would also work well)
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Serves 6.
Procedure for Panisse:
Preparing the duck:
Preparing the Duck Sauce:
Cooking the Panisse:
Wilting the spinach:
To Complete:
This post is a yet another lovely shoot styled by Kelly Oshiro of sbchic.com and created by the amazing chef’s over at Duo Catering. I was the humble photographer merely capturing the brilliance of these great artists. The original post can be found HERE.
Today we’re continuing our food series with Duo Events and this time they’re putting a spin on a classic summertime treat, watermelon. For this recipe you will need:
-1 Small Watermelon
-6-8 Black Finger Limes (Caviar Limes) – available at specialty groceries and area farmers markets
-1 Bunch Thai Basil (can substitute lemon basil, opal basil or Italian basil)
-2 Tablespoons good quality extra virgin olive oil
-1 Tablespoons, Flaked Sea Salt (we use Maldon Sea Salt)
To begin, Start by removing the watermelon rind and reserve for another use (makes great pickles!):
Enjoy as an hors d’oeuvre on a hot afternoon or serve as a first course for a summer dinner.