SOL Cocina in OC Magazine March 2010 | Editorial Food Photography

Shooting editorial food photography is one of my favorite type of work assignments.  There’s flexibility to be creative, to work with the chefs in creating something colorful for print and there’s just an overall casual feeling about these types of photo shoots.  I’ve been working with Orange Coast Magazine for about 18 months consecutively and it’s always a treat to see the newest restaurant openings, meet the wonderful people who work there and if I’m lucky, taste some of their amazing food as well.  I am truly appreciative to Orange Coast Magazine and the folks there who provide me all these wonderful opportunities to continue honing my craft in addition to constantly trying to meet certain standards in print photography.

In the latest March 2010 issue, I shot the Main Course article in the Dining section which covers the restaurant, SOL Cocina, in Newport Beach.  Chef Deborah Schneider not only puts out amazing food but is so very kind to work with as well.   The location sits right on the Balboa Bay with windows flanking the entire side of the restaurant that opens out into the marina.  The food and the view combined with a very friendly staff and cool decor makes this a very nice place to drop in for a meal with friends.  If you’ve never been, you should definitely check this place out – I just love their cozy firepit and insets in the wall that houses all those candles!

Chinese New Year Edibles Part 1 | Food Photography

Sure, Valentine’s Day is nearly upon us but you won’t see any red hearts or pink cookies in my kitchen….oh noooooo….this year Vday coincides with Chinese New Year on the Lunar Calendar and that my friends, take precedence above all else.  Every year during Chinese New Year (which will be acronym-ed into “CNY” from hereon), my family makes some amazing food items for sale.  It stems way way back when we owned a bakery (yes the type that made light fluffy cakes with fresh strawberries and whipped cream) and Chinese customers would beg us to make some CNY favorites such as the brown sugar rice pudding, coconut rice pudding, water chestnut pudding and the savory daikon/turnip pudding and taro pudding.  Most of you may have tried the daikon pudding at dim sum where the ladies would fry up little squares right in their cart.  Unfortunately the ones at dim sum are usually without any real ingredients inside and you’re probably just eating a lot of flour.  So I think this is why true foodies really love our stuff – it’s full of real ingredients you can taste and see!  Even after our doors closed for over 15 years now, we still have customers calling.

One of the most popular and well received items is the double koi fish coconut milk pudding.  It’s so beautiful that it would be a shame to not shoot some photos of it.  My stylist was so awesome to pick up this amazing water-like platter to complement the fish.  I still can’t get over how striking it is……some customers even comment that it seems “cruel” to cut into it.  Haha.  The amazing thing is that no two fish have the same pattern and you never know which one you’ll end up with.  I still can’t get over how talented my mom is for making all these things.

The daikon pudding aka “law-baak-gao” is a favorite for many.  After it’s pan fried, the outside has a crunchy layer while the inside is soft and savory with turnip.  You’ll also expect to find some dried shrimp, chinese sausage, chinese bacon, shiitake mushrooms etc inside.  I love to eat mine with a mixture of chili sauce, oyster sauce and hoisin sauce.  Will showcase more CNY goodies again soon – gotta get back to cooking now.

Gung Hay Fat Choi!

Food Prepared by: My mom!

Food Styling: Peilin Chen Breller

SideDoor, Corona Del Mar | Orange County Food Photography

Happy New Year and welcome to my first post of 2010 (not to mention the first real post on my newly revised blog).  If there’s any resolutions I should make this year, it will be to keep this blog updated regularly since I failed miserably last year.  With that said, thanks for dropping into my Style Shoot Eat blog where I’ll be sharing projects I’ve been working on, places I’ve been to, places I’ve eaten at and whatever else that drives me creatively.  I’m really looking forward to being more in touch with you by sharing about my life both professionally and personally.

One of the best part of doing what I do is seeing how my images are used in the final layout.  After the shoot ends and images are submitted to clients, there’s usually a big of lag time until I see the fruits of my labor but it’s always worth it!  There’s just something about seeing your work in print, on a website, on packaging that just makes you feel like a proud parent.  Haha.

I was really ecstatic to have an opportunity to work with the folks at Lawry’s for their new restaurant SideDoor – an authentic English Gastropub located in Corona Del Mar, California.  SideDoor combines the incredible quality of food you’d come to expect with the Lawry’s name in addition to the wide array of libations all housed in a very quaint English-style pub atmosphere.  It’s casual, cozy and quaint and feels like a place you can really put your feet up at while getting tasty (and affordable) food.  Ok, I’m starting to sound like I’m writing a review now…

Instead of posting the images from my shoot here, it’s best to view the images in the final element – the SideDoor website!  I think the mood of the images combined with the colors of the website, really makes the images shine.  The shoot covered not only food photography but also lifestyle photography for the restaurant that included models, make up artist, staging etc.  Contrary to popular belief, I do actually shoot things that move and breathe.  :p  It’s a completely different challenge but at the same time, a treat to actually be able to interact with your subject.  The hard part of shooting people is trying not to laugh when everyone else around you gets a case of the giggles.  Can we say, camera shake?!

One of my absolute favorite images from the shoot was of the charcuterie chef working.  I am in love with her natural beauty combined with the interior decorations/props of the charcuterie station.  It  just gives off such an amazing “Old World” feeling.  LOVE LOVE LOVE!  I hope those of you who are in the Southern California area, especially if you reside in Orange County, will have an opportunity to visit this place.  It’s located inside the Four Crowns restaurant but as the name states, you enter this completely different world through the….SideDoor.  Just look for the red key hanging outside.

P.S. A few images on the site are images by the client.

P.P.S. Please bear with me as I’m still tweaking things around on this site.  Thank ya!

Food Styling & Make Up Artist: Peilin Chen Breller