Check out what we’ve been up too lately! We have a new category on the web site , smartly entitled “New Work“, with some of our, well.. new work! We’ll be adding to it regularly so check back often!

And as always … Thanks to Lisa Carney for working her magic!

And Finally….. Last but certainly not least, in the parade that has been the Cart for a Cause Cookbook, we come to our final shoot. It was Michael Fiorelli at mar’sel located at Terranea Resort in Palos Verdes. We were able to schedule this shoot for the hours before they opened, so we had the place to ourselves, which was really great. We were able to take our time and try out several different options till we found just what we were looking for. Michael prepared a lovely plate of Eggplant Cakes for us to photograph and we were able to wander the grounds to find the right exterior shot as well. Being right on the ocean, we had a perfect level of cloud cover that made shooting with the natural light just right. For Michael’s portrait we moved into the rich (although wonderfully dark) bar area, so we had to create a bit of lighting magic of our own.

This has been a really spectacular project to work on and I can’t say it enough, all for a great cause! We truly hope you will contribute to the efforts of St Vincent Meals on Wheels by picking up one (or more!) of the cookbooks to enjoy some great recipes from some of Los Angeles’ Top Chefs!

You can view the segment here along with the accompanying article.

Warm Regards!

As we near the end of “sharing” this REALLY FUN project with you we feature Comme Ca and Chef David Myers and his amazing Vanilla Hazelnut Pancakes with Toasted Pistachios, Fresh Berries, and Whipped Cream. If you have not been to Comme Ca and had these, you must put it on your to-do list! Also think about heading over after work some evening and enjoying a cocktail at the bar… they do a spectacular job.

We only had about 5 minutes with David to shoot his portrait, but it is among my favorites. Pressure has a way of encouraging results!

Her’s was one of the few dishes we didn’t get a chance to sample, and just thinking about it now makes my mouth water. I am looking forward to getting over to Akasha to order this tempting French Toast (It Smelled AMAZING!)

So we are coming down to the wire. Only a few more chefs to share with you (after today… 4 to be exact). The Cart for a Cause Cookbook is out, available, and shipping! Reviews are really positive and we are thrilled with the outcome. Now you just need to get one for your kitchen and maybe a few as gifts!

Our next featured chef saved the day. When we had a chef pull a no-show, Robert Sarstedt didn’t just step in and offer to help out, he did it with about 2 hours notice! He and everyone at Craig’s were great, fun to be around, and like family, just kept saying “Eat.. Eat!” … And so we did. I had a chance to sample the Ribs on the Cart for a Cause a week earlier and BOY were they good!

Seriously… Go get one of these cookbooks. Recipes from L.A.’s Top Chefs and ALL the proceeds go to St Vincent Meals on Wheels, it’s a great gift that gives back!!

Well we just wrapped on a couple of weeks of shooting for UnitedHealthcare.

Whew!

We shot over 14,000 images at 3 locations with over 50 talent and 1 irresistible dog. We are still combing through all of the images and prepping them for delivery, but had to share at least one frame from this whirlwind of a shoot.

As usual the crew was amazing and the whole project was just plain fun. How lucky are we to be able to do this for a living?! As we start to really dig into the imagery over the coming weeks we’ll share more with you, as well as some “behind the scenes” footage, though that might take a little longer to compile/edit/post.

Meantime “Thanks!” to the wonderful folks at UnitedHealthcare who are always SUCH A PLEASURE to work with, and to everyone who made up the incredible crew on this project!

Well it is official! The Cart for a Cause Cookbook is out! We spent 3 days on press checks to make sure it was “just so”. And now it is available in all its glory. We’ve been sharing images from the project over the past few months and we’ll continue to do so until we’ve featured each and every restaurant and chef that participated in this great project. Meantime if you want the REAL benefits of this project, hop over to Amazon.com and buy your own copy so that you can have all of the amazing recipes contained in this unique collection, AND feel good that you have played your part in contributing to the Meals on Wheels Program. All the proceeds from the sales of this cookbook go to providing meals to those in need.

This has been an incredibly fun project to work on and we met some amazing people – and ate some amazing food!

Don’t forget to also support the Cart for a Cause by seeking them out on Tuesdays in the Los Angeles area and having a great lunch at a great price that again supports the Meals on Wheels Program.

Thanks to everyone who helped out with the creation of this wonderful book!

More images to come!

In the meantime let’s talk about something close to my heart.. Italian Food!  We visited Whist at the Viceroy in Santa Monica to photograph Chef Tony DiSalvo and his DiSalvo Family Meatball Recipe. Amazing. That’s it. That’s all I have to say.

At any rate, we had a fun day (as you can see by the photos) and would welcome the opportunity to go back any time and feed off of their wonderful energy!

Thanks Team F+S!!

What we can share this week is another series from the book. This is from The Foundry on Melrose and Chef Eric Greenspan with some Albacore Tuna Tartare.

One destination while shooting the CFAC Cookbook was the Four Seasons in Los Angeles, where Executive Chef Ashley James creates all kinds of amazing meals for both the hotel and restaurant. His contribution to the cookbook is a sinfully delicious POM Velvet Cupcake with POM Cream Cheese Frosting…..YUM!

Once again, another great experience! Chef Ashley was so accommodating and enthusiastic. He walked us through the entire site himself. The hotel and restaurant had many visual opportunities but we felt most at home in the very traditional library. Once we settled in to the location the shoot was a breeze.  Great natural light… a little fill and Presto! We’re hoping that we get many more opportunities to collaborate with him!