Intimate with The Chef
Meeting The Chef
Monday November 30, 2009
It’s not everyday when you get a chance to photograph someone who’s been deemed, the best Chef in America. So when a dear foodie friend of mine asked me if I wanted to—only if I wanted to—photograph him, I naturally jumped at the chance to do so.
When we first introduced ourselves to him, he shook our hands and greeted us with a warm welcome. He was inviting, easy to talk to, and very at ease in front of the camera, which made it really easy and fun to shoot him. With minimal intervention on my part, he knew how to pose, and was even able to laugh on the spot.
After the shoot, I sat down with him and the interviewer, and marveled at the thoughts of a culinary master.
Thomas Keller, the multi-award winning chef, and the only American chef to hold multiple Michelin star restaurants, was soft-spoken, modest, and down-to-earth. Genuine to his words, you can really tell that he is passionate about what he does. Merely sitting at the table as an observer was good enough for me, as I was able to soak in his words and hear his thoughts and opinions on various topics.
He noted that his reasoning for not liking culinary trends, is merely for the fact that trends are finite. As he so eloquently put it, who would want to base their cuisines on something that will eventually be passé? There should be no reason why asparagus (as an example) be the food trend of the season; if asparagus is a great ingredient, you should use it whenever you like and not be shunned on when it’s no longer trendy. A simple statement that holds so much truths to it, yet we all fall into these trends, even outside of the culinary world.
I think he was a little surprised that I, as the photographer, decided to stay for the interview. But I stayed, I listened, and I soaked in his soft-spoken words. It was nice to know that he remembered my name after the interview. He treated me with respect, and didn’t at all seem hurried, as other notables so often seem. We shook hands and parted, as he continued on his busy book-tour schedule.
Perhaps one day I will get the fortune to experience fine dining at his famed French Laundry in California.
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Uploaded on Dec 1, 2009
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Inside the Royal
The crowd left the theatre after the screening, leaving an empty theatre behind.
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Uploaded on Nov 17, 2009
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The yellow screen
A yellow light hummed and shone on the screen at the front, inside the Royal movie theatre.
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Uploaded on Nov 17, 2009
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Chocolate Banana Cake
Chocolate Banana Cake
From joyofbaking.com
This is a pretty simple, yet very satisfying cake to make. It's perfect for when you have several ripe bananas sitting on your counter and you have no idea what to do with them all.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups - 2 cups granulated white sugar (adjust to your sweet preference)
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cups cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 medium sized, 3 small sized bananas)
1 cup warm water
1/2 cup milk
1/2 oil (canola, corn, safflower, etc.)
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Recipe
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit. In a bowl, mash the bananas. Small bits left behind are OK as they add texture to the final cake.
2. In a large bowl, combine the mashed bananas with all wet ingredients, and set aside.
3. In another large bowl, whisk all dry ingredients together.
4. Grease (spray or butter) a 9" x 13" pan. Set aside.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and mix well.
6. Pour the batter in the pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean (about 35-50min, depending on strength of oven).
7. Remove from oven and cool completely.
The original recipe called for a chocolate ganache spread on top, but I chose to go without it, as the cake itself is sweet enough.
The final cake should look a little something like this.
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Uploaded on Nov 8, 2009
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Chocolate Banana Cake
A light and fluffy alternative to a brownie, this chocolate banana cake is a great recipe to use up those ripe bananas sitting on your counter.
It's so light that you can't stop from eating them!
Full recipe available here.
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Uploaded on Nov 8, 2009
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