a while back i had just purchased a cheap ticket on virgin to los angeles… i had kind of a light week food styling and thought it’d be good to see some dear friends. well, within the half hour, i got a call for a project i could not pass up. i was asked if i would style the food for an entire spread in an upcoming nm book. well without hesitation i said yes, called my la friends and let them know the trip was postponed and then allowed the anxiety to kick in. you see, the book is kind of an institution. not just in dallas but nationally. it is beautiful, with this thick heavy stock, great photography and features the latest & greatest neiman marcus goodies. food isn’t in it so much… but for this particular spread it would be needed.

one of the final images from my spread for neiman marcus, the book, april 2012

it was my first time for a lot of things, shooting on location (in an unfamiliar kitchen), tons of food to prep and cook (with no assistant) & again, all for a very prestigious client. but, as you may recall from this post I am saying YES to everything in 2012 and even though it was a little daunting, i didn’t let it show and just “yessed” my way through it all.

a close up of our hero shot

anytime i get to do a cheese tray i am stoked... and not just because of the left overs ;)

you'd be surprised of all the different colors "tea" can be and how to find the perfect one for various lighting situations

i was pleased to use my mother's famous lemon pie recipe for this pic - although i added the blueberries and zest on top for texture and color

for some reason the food shot i was most nervous about and also most pleased with...

overall my favorite shot from the spread... i love the stairs in the mirror and the subtle touches throughout the bar

at the end of the two day shoot we were beat and the homeowners were ready to have their home back to normal. on the last shot, the hero shot at the top (with the al fresco theme and the lights strung above), we were losing light and we literally had all hands on deck trying to get the food out for the shot. it was very guerrilla food styling for a brief moment with pa’s bringing me dishes to fill and me jumping in to tweak this and that while the photographer grabbed the perfect shot… but that’s what it’s all about. the adrenaline, the camaraderie, the sense of accomplishment when you are done and then the thrill of seeing the printed version. at the end of the shoot, the photographer joked, “well you passed…” and i replied, “i knew you were testing me!”.

and one more final image from my food styling spread, for neiman marcus, the book, april 2012

i shan’t even begin to apologize for my posting delay. believe me, i am more regretful about it than anyone else will ever be. what i will do is start posting about what’s been going on behind the scenes of plb.

our band, the polyphonic spree, has been busy in 2012, much busier than we have been in some time. it’s been quite exciting! but it’s also been a bit of an adjustment. computer access is available, but not widely so, beyond our smart phones. therefore, blogging has been a bit of a hurdle. on top of the fact that there is no privacy, no place to write, and no time to really gather your thoughts.

when you’re on the road, each day brings a new city, a new venue, and an innate overall newness that really prohibits any downtime. it’s great but different, and as i’m writing this i think one upcoming blog post should be a day in the life of touring.

and how about this… another blog post will document the food and cuisine of the south when our band cut through oklahoma to atlanta, then back through down to new orleans and austin.

and another will feature food experiences of our most recent tour up the beautiful west coast. all i can say is oysters galore. btw, i think i might have a problem there… but that’s a whole other story.

on top of touring, this year has brought an abundance of wonderful food styling experiences, which i am humbled to have been a part of. my dear friend manny rodriguez’s food blog, gastrofotonomia.com, was chosen as a finalist in savuer magazine’s best food blogs of 2012. the result has yet to be released… but i’m confident he’s already won. i love his blog, what it’s about, and am so fortunate to have styled several of the stories.

and then there’s frank. my underground restaurant that i have started with ben starr. it’s been a kernal of an ideal for so long, and i’m beyond stoked that it is finally a beautiful reality.

so there you have it. a brief recap of what’s been going on and a little carrot of what’s to come!

challah french toast with port infused pears and fresh raspberries

paste magazine recently reached out to musicians to find out some of their favorite recipes. super excited to be included but also being on tour, i was extra stoked that i had a tried-and-true french toast recipe in the bag. it also helped that my dear & talented friend kevin dotolo had provided me with such great images after a wonderful brunch i prepared for him and some of my dearest friends a few months back.

brunch is one of those meals that i just adore… it usually lasts a while (well, with my group of friends it does) and allows people to chill and catch up at the same time. the dishes can be done a bit ahead of time so when you’re guests arrive you can spend more time with them. sauté the pears with brown butter and then reduce with a cup of tawny port. set aside, covered, and then drizzle atop the french toast when it’s time to eat, so it’s nice & warm.

finally, right before serving, add some fresh (seasonal) fruit and a dusting of powdered sugar. pop the champagne, pour the mimosas and partake in time with those that matter most.

and after that… check out the link below to see some other great musicians and like-minded culinary minds.

http://bit.ly/yHA8MQ

is a new day at perfect last bite. for so long i have been juggling what the perfect last bite is… versus what it used to be. and it’s this contemplation that has really held me back as far as what i want each post to be and mean.

i thought every post had to have this… story. this beginning, middle and end. but what i’ve realized is that, although that is great sometimes, it can also be quite limiting. and this is why:  when you are in the thick of it, living life hard, with passion and taking chances that sometimes don’t have an obvious outcome you can’t really weigh in on what the middle and end are going to be.

what i am committed to is the now… the journey. i’m unlocking this self-induced writers block and am ready to share the search for the perfect last bite… wherever that might be found. for the perfect last bite is not only about food, it’s also about art, music and love. i suppose in it’s most simplistic terms it’s about living ones life to the fullest and never giving up on the search for finding something special and yummy and memorable.

til next time…

holy smokes, january flew by! it’s been a little crazy & i’ve just been trying to hold on tight and enjoy the ride. i’ve kept true to my 2012 resolution of saying yes and it’s been quite rewarding.

the beginning of the month was filled with some awesome & sometimes challenging food styling jobs. at one point, at the end of a long day, my awesome photographer said, “you passed!”. and i thought, damn that was kind of a test, wasn’t it?!

food styling... behind the scenes

i was also fortunate to be apart of a truly unique collaboration with some of my favorite people in the business. it was a medley of creativity as we all played our different roles: cooking, styling & shooting. at the end, we sat down together, broke bread and just enjoyed the mood we had worked so hard to create. looking forward to sharing with you, but it’s so amazing it deserves it’s own post.

since then i’ve shifted gears a bit and embraced the contagious spirit that happens when the polyphonic spree unite. we have been busy rehearsing and just embarked on our first US tour in several years. we’ve got a new look, new songs, and a sense of purpose that sometimes only arises when you take a break. like one of my dear friends recently said, sometimes you must take a break from running and just walk.

so here we are, on the 2^nd day of tour, amidst the rural beauty of oklahoma, after a long walk. we have stretched, laced up, and are ready… to… go!

some of the polyphonic spree ladies with our new trademarked look

stay tuned as our exciting adventure will be stopping in your neck of the woods soon. oh, and if you have any suggestions for some yummy food, let me know… so far string cheese has been the highlight of my everlasting search for the perfect last bite. :)

geez… is it a new year already? let’s do a recap… what was last year’s post?? okay, so that’s good, those are all pretty fine resolutions. but what about the future… what do we here at plb want out of 2012?

my first food styling test with manny rodriguez & kristen butler for gastrofotonomia.com

well for sure we are going to blog more. i know, you’ve heard that before. but in my defense i have started this whole food styling career that has kept me wonderfully busy. i’ve also been planning the beginning stages of an underground restaurant concept with someone you may know (and definitely love) from the show. more on that to come… ;).

with 2 GREAT culinary minds from my run on masterchef

but mostly i’m going to keep saying yes, which feels odd to say as i’ve always considered myself to be positive, but this past year i started saying yes even more and it’s been pretty great. there have been several times when my initial instinct was to say no, or i started to come up with an excuse of why i shouldn’t or couldn’t, but then, i just stopped myself… and said yes. what’s really the worst that can happen? i go on a reality television show and risk being humiliated in front of millions? oh, wait, i’ve already done that! and even though that experience was out of my control and a little crazy, it allowed me to gain a bit of a foothold in the food world, show people that i’m serious and make some wonderful culinary friends for life… something i wouldn’t trade for anything in the world.

so say yes in 2012… what do you have to lose? life is short, fleeting and so truly necessary to live to the fullest. happy new year,