9/365 The Glenrothes one of my favourites
One of my favourite Whisky’s
The Glenrothes is an award winning Speyside Single Malt of exceptional quality. Hidden from the main street in the town of Rothes, the distillery lies at the foot of the Mannoch Hills besides the Rothes burn.
The water They use in the process of making Glenrothes comes from 2 natural springs, the Ardcanny and the Brauchhill, just a couple of miles upstream.
Vintage 1998 has won two awards in 2010:
- San Francisco World Spirits Competition: Silver
- International Spirits Challenge: Silver
As written on Glenrothes website:
This expression is the next Core Vintage to follow the Vintages 1991 and 1994. It is the first of the vintages expressly laid down at origin to be bottled as Glenrothes on maturity . As a result it is anticipated that The Glenrothes 1998 Vintage will have greater longevity than some of the earlier vintages. It is also the first bottling to carry the label signature of Gordon Motion, who has taken over as ‘Malt Master’ with the recent retirement of John Ramsay. The comparatively youthful 1998 Glenrothes boasts a nose of spicy vanilla, golden syrup and lemongrass. The palate is gentle and quite sweet, with vanilla custard and cinnamon notes.
Oh and no I did not buy this bottle, I can’t afford it, but am glad I can taste it once in a while!
Strobist info:
1 x 430 EX II flagged and fired at an angle into background
3 reflector panels to provide a bit to little fill.
Had I taken my tripod with me I would have tried different lighting and use a slow shutter with cable release, so remember always carry that damn heavy thing with you, you need it!
8/365 day off
day 8 and am almost going under from stress at work and the stress of the 365 itself…..so here is a day off/rescue shot form a shoot a few days ago.
my 365, my rules…….live with it! tomorrow better i wish!
strobist setup:
2 bare skip lights, left and right zoomed in to 105 mm
1 keylight in umbrella up right
1 gridded spot behind
1 reflector below
7/365 Craving Food Porn
Food Porn totally misunderstood by this Chef!
Food porn is a provocative term variously applied to a spectacular visual presentation of cooking or eating in advertisements, infomercials, cooking shows or other visual media,foods boasting a high fat and calorie content, exotic dishes that arouse a desire to eat or the glorification of food as a substitute for sex.
"Food porn" specifically refers to food photography and styling that presents food glamorously or provocatively, as in glamour photography or pornographic photography. as if the Chef didn’t know!!
6/365 Constructing Food
about a year or two ago I did some sort of studio or special set up almost every day after work…..now with 365 I wonder how I did that then, I am only 6 days into it and already feeling my back and the pressure of coming with new ideas and set ups daily. anyway not gonna let down, will continue!
1 soft box left, 1 umbrella for soft fill right from front, 1 reflector right, 1 gridded spot for spaghetti in bucket but this didnt work out as expected at all! then again thats why i do this, to learn more!
I really should have done this outdoors on a dirt road or something like that, but its freezing cold, and well ok this are all excuses i know, but staying at home there is no good background, cabinets, tables and chairs etc, so I chose to bring out the black b/g…….to much black and to little interesting things going on then…..ah, lesson learned next time roll up the sleeves and go down the road!
Ok so here goes for Breakfast, oh and please dont lick your screen!
Pancakes, who doesn’t love them, especially for breakfast, have a look at these images:
the below setup shows clearly what goes into a shot like this, white seamless paper as a background, a 3 light set up, 1 firing into background, 1 into a softbox and another aimed at a golden reflector to reflect to the pancakes, and give them a nice warm glow from the other side……aluminium reflector etc for fil
Champagne, Bubbly, or Sparkling Wine
In fact this is not Champagne at all, its not even from France, leave alone the Champagne region. The more so it means its cheap and thus it means I can afford to waste three bottles to practice on! 3 Bottles 24 glasses, a glass plate, flash in zip lock bag, softboxes and no fooking foam boards to be found in the estate I live in………damn for that, I mean foam boards who doesnt use them?
oh and forgot to say am getting tipsy on some reasonably good plonk for the dollar right now!
In the Jungle the Mighty Jungle the Lion sleeps tonight,……….ok too much champagne……..now need to rest!
Ciao and sleep well
Class Act, all about Christa.
Class Act!
A friend of mine, Christa asked me to shoot her some new images for her business website. She teaches Etiquette to businesses and private people and does so very good, she was also involved with the HITDC in Hong Kong during its initial years.
Here a few sample shots from that day.
Make up by Waltraud Bryan.
Food Photo Festival…..here we come?
Annette Abstoss send this to me from Spain…..now I am thinking of trying to go for a week break away, followed maybe by a stop over back home….who shows me the money? I so wish to go to this……a week of Tarragona, doing what I like etc …..will set up a piggy bank tomorrow!
Perhaps see you there?
Ciao
– FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE –
Announcing the first international FOODPHOTO FESTIVAL, Tarragona
The best Food Photographers from all over the world will meet in Tarragona for exhibitions, workshops and networking.
The best Food Photographers from all over the world will meet for the very first time in a branch meeting with food stylists, editors, agents, advertising agencies, and art directors. Networking will be made possible in a relaxed atmosphere of the “Tinglado 4”, workshops in the “Refugio 2” and photography exhibitions will be spread over patios and unique exhibition spaces in the center and harbour of Tarragona in the beginning of October. The evening movie screenings and the award ceremony of the “FoodPhoto of the year” will take place in the open-air location of the “Camp de Mart”.
In short:
20 Exhibitions of worldwide known Food Photographers
4 days of networking of the professionals
4 days of workshops
4 evenings of movie screenings
Award ceremony
Educational Week
Tarragona, Spain – 17 May 2010
During the last decade, Spain has become a trailblazer in the world of haute cuisine. It has experienced an explosion of successes with its celebrated chefs, acclaimed restaurants and culinary innovations. Is it any wonder that the first international food photography exhibit – the FOODPHOTO Festival – will be held in Tarragona, Spain this coming October 2010?
These unique photography exhibitions, free and open to the public, will take place over a period of three weeks, in locations throughout Tarragona. In addition, there will be a four-day Professional Conference, culminating in the awarding of FoodPhoto of the Year.
Why a FoodPhoto Festival?
“If you can shoot food, you can shoot anything.” (shutterbug.com). Professionals consider food photography one of the most difficult specialties to master. The field generates more publications, greater sales and a larger audience then any other discipline. Yet in spite of this, names of the photographers remain mostly unknown. Jamie Oliver’s cookbooks are sold throughout the world, in many languages. But who shoots his pictures? The FoodPhoto festival will help bring these people into the forefront!
Who will participate in the FoodPhoto Festival?
Professional photographers and food stylists, of course, will be in attendance. But there will also be agents, editors, publishers, advertising agencies, art directors and professionals from the vast gastronomic sector. These people will be coming together to combine their skills, display their work and most of all – to share their passion with others.
HYPERLINK “http://www.foodphotofestival.org/index.php/exhibitions.html”Exhibition Dates: From 30 September – 17 October 2010
HYPERLINK “http://www.foodphotofestival.org/index.php/exhibitions.html”http://www.foodphotofestival.org/index.php/exhibitions.html
The FoodPhoto Festival will run from 30 September to 17 October. Venues will be scattered throughout Tarragona – from its exquisite city center to its beautiful harbor. The final selection of exhibitors will be released in June.
Professional Week: HYPERLINK “http://www.foodphotofestival.org/index.php/professional_week.html”30 September – 3 October 2010
During the FoodPhoto Festival’s Professional Week, food photography professionals from all over the world will join together. These four days will provide a rare opportunity for people to meet others in their field; facilitate an interchange of experiences; discuss trends; discover new products and find partners for the realization of new projects. Specialized workshops will be organized.
The Networking Center will be open and accessible to accredited visitors.
On the evenings of Thursday, September 30 – Saturday, October 2, movie screenings will be shown, highlighting the work of the photographers who are nominated for the FoodPhoto Festival awards.
FoodPhoto of the Year
An international jury will meet in Tarragona and select the FoodPhoto of the Year. The award ceremony, the culmination of this exciting show, will take place on Saturday night, October 2.
Educational Week: 4 October – 8 October
From 4 – 8 October, guided tours and special workshops directed towards those studying in the field will be organized.
Location: Tarragona, Spain
This glorious city – with its Roman and Medieval ruins, historical city center, gorgeous beaches and magnificent harbor – will provide a perfect setting for the first annual FoodPhoto Festival. The city is proud to be the host for the festival and looks forward to welcoming visitors from all over the world.
About the Organizers:
The organizers are photographer Gunter Beer and Events Organizer Manon Straver. Combined, they have several decades of experience in their respective fields. They have assembled a talented team of experts to produce this festival. They are very pleased to count with the collaboration of the Tarragona counsel of Tourism to realize the festival.
For more information:
FoodPhoto Festival organization:
Manon Straver (+34 651513300)
Gunter Beer (+34 607228294)
HYPERLINK “mailto:OCT2010@foodphotofestival.org”OCT2010@foodphotofestival.org
HYPERLINK “http://www.foodphotofestival.org/”www.foodphotofestival.org
Food Poisoning, probably not caused by your last meal!
Being in Hong Kong, the city of panic, Doctors tell their clients often that they suffer from food poisoning, and whilst that may be the case (how can you tell just from listening to a set of symptoms) it is most likely not caused by your last meal which is so often misunderstood. So here for those who are unsure a list of causes and incubation periods for a disease to develop. Think of this next time you tell your Chef he has poisoned you.
If you suffer with food poisoning it could have come from something you ate several hours ago or even many days ago SO not necessarily your last meal.
Which Bacteria are Responsible for Food-borne Illness?
Some bacteria cause more serious illness than others, but only a few are responsible for the majority of cases. Below is information regarding nine prominent bacteria.
Campylobacter jejuni
Found: intestinal tracts of animals and birds, raw milk, untreated water, and sewage sludge.
Transmission: contaminated water, raw milk, and raw or under-cooked meat, poultry, or shellfish.
Symptoms: fever, headache, and muscle pain followed by diarrhea (sometimes bloody), abdominal pain and nausea that appear 2 to 5 days after eating; may last 7 to 10 days.
Clostridium botulinum
Found: widely distributed in nature: in soil and water, on plants, and in intestinal tracts of animals and fish. Grows only in little or no oxygen.
Transmission: bacteria produce a toxin that causes illness. Improperly canned foods, garlic in oil, and vacuum-packaged and tightly wrapped food.
Symptoms: toxin affects the nervous system. Symptoms usually appear within 18 to 36 hours, but can sometimes appear within as few as 4 hours or as many as 8 days after eating; double vision, droopy eyelids, trouble speaking and swallowing, and difficulty breathing. Fatal in 3 to 10 days if not treated.
Clostridium perfringens
Found: soil, dust, sewage, and intestinal tracts of animals and humans. Grows only in little or no oxygen.
Transmission: called “the cafeteria germ” because many outbreaks result from food left for long periods in steam tables or at room temperature. Bacteria destroyed by cooking, but some toxin-producing spores may survive.
Symptoms: diarrhea and gas pains may appear 8 to 24 hours after eating; usually last about 1 day, but less severe symptoms may persist for 1 to 2 weeks.
Escherichia coli O157:H7
Found: intestinal tracts of some mammals, raw milk, unchlorinated water; one of several strains of E. coli that can cause human illness.
Transmission: contaminated water, raw milk, raw or rare ground beef, unpasteurized apple juice or cider, uncooked fruits and vegetables; person-to-person.
Symptoms: diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea, and malaise; can begin 2 to 5 days after food is eaten, lasting about 8 days. Some, especially the very young, have developed Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS) that causes acute kidney failure. A similar illness, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), may occur in older adults.
Salmonella (over 1600 types)
Found: intestinal tract and feces of animals; Salmonella enteritidis in raw eggs.
Transmission: raw or undercooked eggs, poultry, and meat; raw milk and dairy products; seafood.
Symptoms: stomach pain, diarrhea, nausea, chills, fever, and headache usually appear 6 to 48 hours after eating; may last 1 to 2 days.
Streptococcus A
Found: noses, throats, pus, sputum, blood, and stools of humans.
Transmission: people-to-food from poor hygiene, ill food handlers, or improper food handling; outbreaks from raw milk, ice cream, eggs, lobster, salads, custard, and pudding allowed to stand at room temperature for several hours between preparation and eating.
Symptoms: sore throat, painful swallowing, tonsillitis, high fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, malaise; occurs 1 to 3 days after eating, lasting a few days to about a week.
Listeria monocytogenes
Found: intestinal tracts of humans and animals, milk, soil, leaf vegetables, and processed foods; can grow slowly at refrigerator temperatures.
Transmission: soft cheese, raw milk, improperly processed ice cream, raw leafy vegetables, meat, and poultry. Illness caused by bacteria that do not produce toxin.
Symptoms: fever, chills, headache, backache, sometimes abdominal pain and diarrhea; 12 hours to 3 weeks after ingestion; may later develop more serious illness (meningitis or spontaneous abortion in pregnant women); sometimes just fatigue.
Shigella (over 30 types)
Found: human intestinal tract; rarely found in other animals.
Transmission: person-to-person by fecal-oral route; fecal contamination of food and water. Most outbreaks result from food, especially salads, prepared and handled by workers using poor personal hygiene.
Symptoms: disease referred to as “shigellosis” or bacillary dysentery. Diarrhea containing blood and mucus, fever, abdominal cramps, chills, vomiting; 12 to 50 hours from ingestion of bacteria; can last a few days to 2 weeks. Sometimes, no symptoms seen.
Staphylococcus aureus
Found: on humans (skin, infected cuts, pimples, noses, and throats).
Transmission: people-to-food through improper handling. Multiply rapidly at room temperature to produce a toxin that causes illness.
Symptoms: severe nausea, abdominal cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea occur 1 to 6 hours after eating; recovery within 2 to 3 days—longer if severe dehydration occurs.
Home grown produce — a search for how to in Hong Kong
In a way I am very lucky to have at the club where I work at my disposal a lot of space and green area! especially in Hong Kong one of the most expensive places to buy land in the world. So it comes as no surprise that we want to start growing some of our own produce, after all all it takes is a little bit of tender loving care.
Yeah right! change that into a lot of tender loving care, because I may have a gardener who can help me at a later stage, the seeding etc I have to do all myself, also the first out planting and organizing a Bird Free cage, plus getting the knowledge of the plants, how to care for them, which ones to stake, which ones need pesticide and which ones don’t need.
Me tending to baby crop
I have now growing 6 pots with Cherry Tomato Plants, 3 Pots with Bell Peppers, 6 pots with Local Chillies, a few pots with Sage, 25 pots with Rosemary, 10 pots with Big Local Tomatoes, and just started seeding 4 days ago another 15 varieties of Heirloom Tomatoes (think: Brandywine, Purple Cherokee, Green Zebra, Kumato etc) as well as 12 varieties of chili’s, (think annaheim, chipotle, Jalapeno, scoth Bonnet, Habanero etc.)
I think with this selection, plus a bunch of herbs seeds, Eggplants and Zucchini Seeds on the way I am going to quickly run out of space…..unless of course I make a mess of everything and screw up most seedlings, or get trouble with bugs, I am after all NOT a farmer, or not yet I should perhaps say.
Tomatoes, how to care for them? they need to be pruned, they need to be staked and tied to the stakes, they need to be topped, if any of these are left out you will most likely end up with nothing, oh and apparently Chili’s should not be grown near tomatoes…..as you see there is lots to learn for me!
Very hard to see in the image above is the rosemary bed in place, under a staircase to avoid direct sunlight all day, at the far end of it i pushed some passion fruit seeds into the ground, and i hope to cover the entire staircase with passion fruits once they come to fruition.
100's of seeds
In fact this whole seedling care takes me every day 10 minutes for watering , and once they need to be replanted I may loose an afternoon to it, so its not all that demanding, I do however try with these tiny plants to make sure they stay away form any rain, as rain in Hong Kong are huge drops, unlike in Europe for example, rain here would make minced meat from any seedling in no time, also too much sunshine, not that we can complain about that at the time, as we haven’t seen the sun much, but its best to keep them out of direct sunlight to avoid them drying out way too rapid.
If anyone has a desire to send me some seeds, pls do so, as long as it can be grown in a pot I will grow it!
Also a thing I didn’t know about Tomato Plants, is that when you replant them, you bury the first set of leaves under teh ground as this will sprout new roots and create a stronger plant with more yield, so as I am doing everything in pots, I thought to solve this the smart way, my pots are only filled for 3/4 with soil when i planted the tiny plants from the seed trays, once the second set of leaves emerges and the distance is big enough I add soil to cover the 1st set of leaves…:) thought this is a more handy way then instead to disturb the root system by transplanting them again.
Does anyone know of a good seed or plant shop for vegetables and herbs and fruits in Hong Kong, if so please let me know then as many things are hard to get here and I ended trying for the third day in a row to order some stuff online but for some weird reason it wont accept my credit card each time around.
The seeding area is right next to my office so I can better care for the plants, once they move to the main garden and into their bird protection cage I shall post an update on how everything is going on and what my (sadly expected losses) of learning are.
If you are a home grower as well, pls let me know, I would love to get in touch!
Beer….you think easy huh?
Ok so I have this sample image I am trying to kind of copy…….but man do I hit my head hard against this rock! I think I have to re-do my shoot, rely more on edituing and shoot 3 individual shots with each glass, then combine all 3 into one image in post……because like this it just look slike shit!
BeerBeer
Beer
Street Level Photography
Today I went out of the comfort zone and went outdoors at night time for some people photography! I started from work and just wandered a bit aimlessly and with some luck came along great areas to take pictures, a nice market, very moody with all its lights etc, and the end of Temple Street with its male only area, I especially like however the typical old style street food, you sit on simple plastic chairs, get food and beverage deliciously cooked and served in dishes which have been washed in tubs without any running water, simply bliss!
Anyway I hope you enjoy the images, and it made me want to go back one of these days just with my wife to enjoy a bit of old style Hong Kong Street Food.
Food and Beverage Photography for beginners
Food and Beverage Photography for beginners
When and where
Monday, April 19th , 14:00 until 19:00 2010, Location ABC Boat Club
Registration form here:
http://www.hongkong-chefs.com/Marcoimages/Registrationform.doc
Complete document download:
Click to access foodphotography2.pdf
For more info:
Call Marco on 51915292
For who is this course
For anyone who wants to get to know the basics of food photography & food lighting
Cost
HK$ 1200 per person, this includes Coffee, tea, some light snacks and all class materials.
Duration:
45 minutes theory, 1 hour practice with daylight, 1 hour practice with flashes, 1 hour editing, plus reviewing afterwards of the images taken. +- 5 hours.
Course Requirement:
you should have a basic knowledge of your camera, aperture and shutter speed. A sturdy tripod is absolute necessary! A digital SLR with a wide angle, normal, and short telephoto and/or macro lens. We will start shooting daylight, and later on with flashes which I will provide. PLEASE make sure your batteries are fully charged and your memory card is empty.
Course Outline:
Understanding light
With food photography, light is the most important aspect. No matter how good your dish, if it is not lighted properly, it won’t look good! We will be discussing Quality (hard or soft) , Quantity (controlling light) , and Direction (modifiers) of light and go through some simple samples of how all three of these relate in creating food pictures. In this part we will also go through the available light modifiers on hand and what they do. Reflectors, diffusers, Umbrellas, Soft boxes, snoots etc.
Camera, Lenses, Directions
When shooting food you want to show it from its best side, you want to show its form, you want to show its texture, you want to show its glisteningly fresh. In order to do this, few points are important, the angle of shooting, the lens selection, aperture setting and even focus point all interact with the subject to show its characteristics.
Subject qualities
Reflective, translucent, flat, textured, are a few words that describe the visual qualities of a subject. Each of these qualities presents a unique challenge to the photographer. We will discuss how to match the lighting to your subject to show off its properties as well as what to do when there are multiple properties in a scene.
Bringing it all together
combining everything we have covered in the first three lessons to create compelling food images, using daylight at first and later eliminating daylight and lighting by flash instead.
Lesson 2: Styling, lighting and Photographing using daylight
GROUP 1: Shoot, light and style a salad with a drink, 2nd shot assorted fruits
GROUP 2: Shoot, light and style a picture of stacked Green and Red Apple and Orange Slices, 2nd shot a Curry and Indian Spices
GROUP 3: Shoot, light and style a picture of 3 mini cakes, 2nd shot a tower of Dried pasta with props
Feel free to use any of the props provided, reflector cards, black cards, etc.
Lesson 3: Using Flash Photography
As a group, we style, light and take an attractive Image of some Indian dishes, A Hamburger and a Bottle and Glass of Beer (3 images) using different backgrounds and props.
Lesson 4
Editing some samples of the images taken on the day using Aperture, Light room and Photoshop
Recap on the projector
Review of the images taken on the day, comments and ideas sharing.
Food and Beverage Photography for beginners
Food and Beverage Photography for beginners
Or download the full PDF here http://www.hongkong-chefs.com/images/foodphotography.pdf
When and where
Monday, March 1st, 2010, Location TBC
For who is this course
For anyone who wants to get to know the basics of food photography & food lighting
Cost
HK$ 1200 per person with 6 pax per class, this includes Coffee, tea, some light snacks and all materials and food to shoot images of.
Duration:
45 minutes theory, 1 hour practice with daylight, 1 hour practice with flashes, 1 hour editing, plus reviewing afterwards of the images taken. +- 5 hours.
Course Requirement:
you should have a basic knowledge of your camera, aperture and shutter speed. A tripod is absolute necessary (Brick)! A digital SLR with a wide angle, normal, and short telephoto and/or macro lens. We will start shooting daylight, and later on with flashes which I will provide.
Course Outline:
Understanding light
With food photography, light is the most important aspect. No matter how good your dish, if it is not lighted properly, it won’t look good! We will be discussing Quality (hard or soft) , Quantity (controlling light) , and Direction (modifiers) of light and go through some simple samples of how all three of these relate in creating food pictures. In this part we will also go through the available light modifiers on hand and what they do. Reflectors, diffusers, Umbrellas, Soft boxes, snoots etc.
Camera, Lenses, Directions
When shooting food you want to show it from its best side, you want to show its form, you want to show its texture, you want to show its glisteningly fresh. In order to do this, few points are important, the angle of shooting, the lens selection, aperture setting and even focus point all interact with the subject to show its characteristics.
Subject qualities
Reflective, translucent, flat, textured, are a few words that describe the visual qualities of a subject. Each of these qualities presents a unique challenge to the photographer. We will discuss how to match the lighting to your subject to show off its properties as well as what to do when there are multiple properties in a scene.
Bringing it all together
combining everything we have covered in the first three lessons to create compelling food images, using daylight at first and later eliminating daylight and lighting by flash instead.
Lesson 2: Styling, lighting and Photographing using daylight
GROUP 1: Shoot, light and style a salad with a drink, 2nd shot assorted fruits
GROUP 2: Shoot, light and style a picture of stacked Green and Red Apple and Orange Slices, 2nd shot a Curry and Indian Spices
GROUP 3: Shoot, light and style a picture of 3 mini cakes, 2nd shot a tower of Dried pasta with props
Feel free to use any of the props provided, reflector cards, black cards, etc.
Lesson 3: Using Flash Photography
As a group, we style, light and take an attractive Image of some Indian dishes, A Hamburger and a Bottle and Glass of Beer (3 images) using different backgrounds and props.
Lesson 4
Editing some samples of the images taken on the day using Aperture, Light room and Photoshop
Recap on the projector
Review of the images taken on the day, comments and ideas sharing.
Send me an email if you wish to join!
I am back! Yoohoo!
Hi, after a long absence I am back, had lots of things to do, things to work on and learn on/from, and now hope to be back with some more photography and other news.
Just shot some Pani Puri or also called Golguppa I believe, made by my Indian Chef and used a very very old stained wooden banquet table to style it on, the table was earmarked for disposal, but I am gonna hide it somewhere for use as a photo prop.
Pani Puri
Also I am just back as you can see from a short weekend trip with my Son Alex to Taipei, a little Father and Son bonding was indeed necessary and since we have the same hobby it was excellent, off course with location we were lucky as hell as our hotel was located in the middle of Photography Street, thus on both sides one shop after the other with nothing than camera porn, strobist dreams, tripod heaven etc etc. was hard to control ourselves, but in the end we managed! Here some shots from BEFORE I finally got a good tripod!
Alex getting a Juice
Tempel
Fun with my Son
Mak kam Kui and his delicious Potato Dishes
Chef Mak Kam Kui
Mak's Potato dish with Parma Ham
Mak's Beef Tenderloin
Potato Sausage by Andreas Muller
Andreas Muller's Biography
Andreas Muller's Potato Sausage for the Potato Seminar
USA Potato Seminar
Last week we, the HK Chefs Association (www.hongkong-chefs.com ) and the US Potato Board had organized a seminar about US potatoes, with 10 Invited HK Chefs, 10 from Malaysia and 10 from Singapore. Additionall at the HKCA we had about 12 Chefs put together recipes, pictures and demonstrations put together to give at the seminar. it was a 2 day event which was a great event I have to say it was interactive, hands on and educational. Demo’s were given, recipes supplied and then the same dishes had to be re-cooked by team participants!
a fun few days it was, here are the images and some of the innovative recipes!
Mr. Potato Head Dim Sum
Potato Quiche as Appetizer
Yellow Potato and Tuna Salad
Potato Salad
Potato Dumplings (Dessert)
Potatoes used
Chinese Baked Potatoes with Mickey Mouse Logo
Sweet Potato Brulee
Tuna and Steamed Potato
Gnocchi
Roesti
Aberdeen Seafood Market (Hong Kong)
Aberdeen Seafood Market (Hong Kong)
Officially you have to apply for a permit to shoot here and that will cost you HK$ 4500 for ½ a day…..how tourist and people friendly Hong Kong is you cant believe, just like around my home my children are not allowed to play ball, bike, fly kite, fish etc etc. Admittedly its a wholesale trade only market and I can imagine why they want to keep people of property, or you’d end up with everyone going there to try and buy direct etc.
Anyhow so I knew if I wanted to smuggle myself in I had to somewhat blend in, erh you may wonder how a fat bald white guy blends in to this market, not easy I tell you!
Most important thing, just dont use flash, so at 5 am with virtually no light, only the lightbulbs, you have to resort to high ISO.
Most guys were good sports here, just a few grumpy old farts who tried to shoo me away.
Its a colorful market, Asia’s fish and seafood is a lot more interesting to look at then say European fare, as its tropical and colorful.
Wikipedia has an article about Aberdeen here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aberdeen_(Hong_Kong) but it toitally fails to even mention the Seafood market which I think is absurd
8th Estate Winery event with the HK Chefs Association
Or also a white balance nightmare! Last night we had our wine tasting event in Hong Kong’s only winery, The 8th Estate Winery Limited, I have to say the wines were great, better then what most expected of it. We had some great snacks sponsored by Gastro Primo Limited, and off course great company with so many industry professionals.
8th Estate Winery really does make their wines in Hong Kong, it imports for this the grapes flash frozen, to process them in Hong Kong for their wine production. As you can see from the images later, the winery is also very suitable for functions, wine tastings and the likes and the setting for Hong Kong is unique, a huge balcony is attached of which I dont have any images but its sure a great place to hold a cocktail party with nice wrought Iron furniture, big candles and wine barrels as tables!
Source: Mydigitalfc.com
Gary Ling
Hong Kong
It’s got no vineyards of its own, but a new winery hopes its ‘Made In Hong Kong’ label will make a mark on the growing Asian wine market.
The 8th Estate Winery has produced Hong Kong’s first wine, using grapes that are shipped frozen from other countries. The thawing, fermentation, aging and blending of the grapes takes place at the winery housed in a high-rise warehouse, which has just released its first batch of reds, whites and ice wines.
“There is an initial novelty value, a little bit of a shock seeing a bottle which says ‘Product of Hong Kong’ because there has never been a wine bottle that has said that before,” winery director Lysanne Tusar said. “We always label where our grapes came from and we are quite proud to say where the varieties are sourced,” she added.
The winery’s whites range from Sauvignon Blancs to Chardonnays. The reds include Merlots and Cabernet Sauvignons. Tusar said all their grapes for 2007 came from Washington state in the United States. For 2008, the grapes were from Italy. The 8th Estate has so far produced 100,000 bottles, of which 60,000 have been sold. The rest are being aged.
Since the wines are only distributed to local restaurants and hotels, the winery uses no sulfates or preservatives, which Tusar says gives the wine a distinctive flavor. Some fans agree. “I think it’s quite good. Maybe the texture of red wines from France would be more complicated,” Charmane Lee, who attended a recent tasting of The 8th Estate wines.
Wine consumption in China, and many countries in Asia not traditionally associated with drinking it, is growing fast, driven by the growing ranks of affluent, young and often Westernised professionals.
The winery says it has tweaked its wines in order to match the Chinese palate and compliment Chinese cuisine.
Last year, Hong Kong scrapped taxes on wines in a bid to position itself as Asia’s wine hub. Wine imports have since grown 83 per cent year on year to HK$3 billion ($387.1 million), the city has signed wine pacts with countries including Spain and Hungary, and a slew of rare and fine wine auctions have been held. While wine auctions by international houses such as Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Bonhams this year haven’t matched pre-crisis levels, recent results have been surprisingly robust. Two Hong Kong sales this year by leading U.S. wine merchant Acker Merrall & Condit uncorked $9.3 million in sales. Tusar said Hong Kong’s ambitions, part of the city’s efforts to maintain its economy, were among the reasons The 8th Estate set up shop there in 2007. “It was obvious that Hong Kong was positioning itself to be a global leader in the wine market,” she said. “The government is behind the wine industry. It’s relatively easy to set up business here, the demographic and the population here love wine. It’s becoming a daily beverage.”
The wine industry estimates that total spending on table wine in Asian economies, excluding Japan, is around $7 billion, which accounts for about 7 percent of the global market. The forecast for growth in Asia is 10-20 percent a year in the next five years, with China, Singapore, Korea and Taiwan leading the way. —Reuters
An initiative that teaches underprivileged children culinary skills is hoping to instil lifelong healthy eating habits
Last week I had the privilige to shoot a session with Richard Ekkebus and Sam Mason at LMO Hotel, well the next day he asked me if I could come back again as he had a bunch of kids coming in through cooking for life, as I remembered this organization I said yes right away! Below an introduction of what Cooking for Life is and a link to their website. If you want to be a part of this, please contact Philippe Bru!
Chefs Wanted to support: Cooking For Life
The goal of CFL is to better the life of underprivileged children through education in cookery. I was introduced to this great initiative by my good friend & colleague: Jaako of Finds, who had been actively, supported this for a while. He had send a mail to all chefs in HK & asked them kindly to participate, the sad thing was that only one kitchen team from that mail got involved: The Landmark Mandarin Oriental!!
I was in particularly touched by this mission & collectively with the Landmark mandarin oriental we decided to make a difference for some under privileged children in order to teach them how to cook a well balanced & nutritional meal. In the months of June, July & August; Amber had organized cooking lessons for groups of 15 underprivileged children aged 10 to 18
Over this period of time my team has become very passionate & proud about this cause. It has proven to be a great way to showcase this amazing profession to youngsters out of the tougher unprivileged HK neighbourhood’s. To kids who will decide their career path soon!!! The course is health conscience driven, we talk about nutrition: healthy foods in a simple manner. Obesity is also in Hong Kong considerably on the rise! If one TV chef named Jamie Oliver can make a difference in the UK: improving food standards served at school canteens what about a collective step by HK Chefs in one of the most exciting food cities in the world: Hong Kong…………..
Through this writing & through the images by Marco Veringa I hope to convince more chefs to make the step to become actively involved in CFL & yes we are all busy & yes this cost money & time. But lets be fair; how much time ones a month 2 hours, the money: we talking about to let 15 kids make a vegetable soup a cereal bar a nutritious salad?? If that would cost HK$1000. it would have been much. We are talking about peanuts here. All Chefs in HK should take a collective step to contribute!! Not only to make the headlines but to be good citizens to be part of the future of HK & why not sparkle some, wanting to become tomorrow’s finest HK chefs…..
Richard Ekkbus
Hotels & restaurants currently involved supporting this great cause:
Landmark Mandarin Oriental “Amber” Restaurant
Are you interested to make a difference???? Please go to their website for more information, www.cookingforlife.org.hk.
Philippe Bru is also attempting to help less fortunate children. Two years ago, he founded Cooking for Life, which aims to teach underprivileged children cooking techniques at world-class restaurants. “This idea started out to promote personal health and healthy eating habits,” says Bru, a wine dealer.
“We had Football for Life to foster team spirit while encouraging physical activity, but often it was only the boys who joined. I asked the charities I was working with what girls were interested in and, overwhelmingly, they said cooking.
“The concept is pretty simple. Hotels and restaurants host 15 children every Saturday from 3pm to 5pm. The kitchen determines the theme of each session and teaches the children basic dishes to cook,” says Bru.
In the first year, 1,500 children from 10 charities were hosted in 15 top hotels and five restaurants.
“The children may be underprivileged, but they are eager to learn, well behaved and very hands on,” says Bru. “We take the children out of their own districts and bring them to top restaurants they would normally not have the opportunity to explore.
“Martin Yan, from Yan Can Cook, is our ambassador and, together, we are launching this funding campaign to create a community cooking centre. There is a lack of knowledge about cooking and the current state of Hong Kong’s salty and greasy diet is a health issue.
“Instead of moving from hotel to restaurant, Cooking for Life will have a home base with the ability to provide services not only to underprivileged children, but also adults and families. This would allow the corporate world and major chefs to participate and get on cable television.”
The success of this campaign can be attributed to the passion Bru inspires in his volunteers.
“They [volunteers] are amazing,” he says. “I have received about 300 e-mails from volunteers from different parts of the world. Many give their time to chase restaurants to donate their facilities. We are here to remind the industry that although there is a financial crisis, these kids deserve better. It’s our job to convince each person in the industry that they can help.”
“What we do is about being disciplined, it’s about working together and it’s about life in general. We help children come out of their district to cook food, but if they are keen to work in the industry then we can help them as well. A lot of hotels are eager to hire and exposure through Cooking for Life can help them.
“In this fast-food world, if you can show children healthy cooking and get them to know how much it costs to buy vegetables, to wash them properly and cook them well, it would be great. If one or two become chefs, then our job is done.
Jamming with Sam Mason
Richard Ekkebus and his team of Chefs at the Mandarin Oriental’s Restaurant Amber, a 2 Michelin Star establishment of outstanding standards. Richard invited me to come and do a Photo-shoot “in the heat of the night”. I can tell you thats a big challenge, no one can stop for 5 seconds as orders need to be fired, so there is no being nice to the photographer. Lucky I know the workings of a professional kitchen well enough so I know a bit where to be at what times.
So I ended up with a neat set of action shots where all the Chefs were really great sports, plus some studio shots of the individual dishes.
If you havent given yourself the Gourmet treatment lately, you should come here once and try his amazing food. I was also lucky to meet there Guest Pastry Chef Sam Mason, a little more about him can be read on this blog here: http://www.chow.com/stories/10796
I will let the pictures and Richard Ekkebus speak for them-self now.
Jamming with Sam Mason in Amber By Richard Ekkebus
There is something about cooking, something in kitchens that I only found when playing Rugby when I was younger: a form camaraderie, the willingness to achieve something in a team, to exchange knowledge, passion in order to evolve & to become a better team player & technician. I for that reason love to invite talented chefs, some former colleagues, Former chefs of mine & other friends I know or some I do not know but admire. We have had many talented chefs in Amber over the past few years of existence: Nicolas Lebec, Robert Kranenborg, Hans Snijders, Gilles Marchal, Jean Francois Piege, Jonnie Boer, Thierry Marx, Didier Elena, Christian Le Squer just to name a few & last week Sam Mason. All these great chefs came to Amber & shared their techniques unconditionally. Who said chefs have secrets, in my opinion there is nothing as inspiring as sharing your views, your concepts & your ideas with your counterparts, it will push you even further & make you dig even deeper to do it better & different that anyone else. It is an amazing opportunity for my team to see that I am not the only nut case pushing to become better tomorrow than we where today….
I have been a fan over the past 5 years of wd~50 in NYC for many years, a fan of their boundless creativity. Wd~50 opened at 50 Clinton Street, between Rivington and Stanton, on Manhattan’s Lower East Side in NYC. The dream team for many years of their young existence was Wylie Dufresne Chef Owner, Eben Freeman behind the bar as the gifted Mixologist & Sam Mason in Pastry
We have been working over the past year extensively with Eben, he has been involved with great events in our MO bar & Amber Restaurant, always driven by booze, great booze. Eben has been elementary to evolve & perfect the technique of our Amber & MOBar Mixologist team.
Sam is today considered one of the most creative chefs working in America. As the former pastry chef at wd-50, Sam Mason made a name for himself creating unlikely dishes such as cocoa caviar and miso ice cream. When he decided to open his own restaurant, the tattooed 33-year-old did so in unusually brash fashion, detailing the stops and starts of the process (Construction delay! Liquor license application red tape!) By the time it opened in SoHo in September 2007, Tailor was one of the most hyped restaurants to hit New York that year. Its savory and sweet dishes like chocolate-miso-glazed cod, sesame ice cream paired with ancho chile caramel and peanut “soil,” and Bazooka bubblegum–flavored cocktails sparked polarizing reactions. Food sites like Eater and Mouthfuls attracted comments ranging from “Sam Mason is my f…… hero” to “What is this Fear Factor?” Sam & Eben became both even more intriguing & clear the boys where ready to push the envelope even further.
During our highly successful All Star Mixologist Diner in Amber in June where Eben along with Jim Meehan & Linden Pride created Cocktails along with a 8 course menu by myself, the idea came up to bring Sam Mason in Hong Kong to do a one off exclusive diner event in Amber. Sam & Eben had closed the shop in August: so August was the month to go for.
For this event we prepared an exciting eight-course tasting menu. In order to make the event more challenging for us and more exciting for our guests, we took a novel approach: half of the menu will be cooked by Amber’s culinary team, the other half by Sam. Amber’s team cooked four savoury dishes with fruits while Sam prepared four desserts with vegetables.
After having created quite a storm with our previous Mixologist Cocktail Pairing Dinner, and due to popular demand we brought back Eben Freeman too. Eben created two special cocktails during the event and wines for the evening where carefully selected and paired by Patrick Frawley, our sommelier. I had send personalized emails to our regular foodie following & the event was full in 2 hours, obliging us to spill over in the dining room. The event was well received & the cocktail making at the table by Eben was highly entertaining. I have attached the menu along with brilliant pictures by Marco Veringa that will tell you the culinary journey of the evening.
Menu Attached
Bio’s:
Sam Mason, is one of the most creative chefs working in America today.
Having honed his craft at some of the most prestigious kitchens in the country including Palladin, Union Pacific, Atlas, Park Avenue Café and most notably as the pastry chef at the renowned WD-50, Mason is known for his amazing culinary vision and gift in combining unusual and innovative ingredients that surprise, delight and challenge the palate.
A native of Jacksonville, Florida, Mason was educated at Johnson & Wales University.
Eben Freeman, a native New Yorker, has worked in NYC’s food and beverage industry for two decades. During this time he has worked with the likes of Pino Luongo, Jean-Louis Palladin, Jimmy Bradley, Kurt Gutenbrunner, and Danny Meyer.
In 2002, Freeman joined chefs Wylie Dufresne and Sam Mason at wd-50 and it was there that Freeman’s “chef-driven” style of bartending was fully realized. He has been invited to participate in numerous esteemed seminars such as Bols Liqueurs’ molecular mixology seminar in Paris with noted molecular gastronomist, Herve This. Ever since, Freeman has been pushing the boundaries of the cocktail and has endeavored to challenge perceptions with his innovative and unexpected approach. He continues to be commissioned by liquor brands, such as Bacardi, to develop flavors and create signature cocktails.
Currently, Freeman works with chef Sam Mason at Tailor where he has created one of the most celebrated cocktail programs in the city. He makes his home with his wife and two children in Harlem, New York City.
We have this very exciting dinner event this Saturday and I am certain that a fine gourmet like yourself would find this an excellent opportunity to discover the talents of our guest chef Sam Mason from tailors in NYC & according to forbes magazine the best mixologist in NYY; Eben Freeman.
More information on Sam Mason at: http://tailornyc.com
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- Chocolate Cake with Candied Mushrooms
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- Eel and Goose Liver
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- Lobster
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- Suckling Pig being plated
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- Richard Ekkebus and Sam Mason
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- Pastry Chef Sam Mason at Work
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