You build a life of details …

March 21, 2012 by Chef Louise Mellor | 10 Comments

“Robert, please. You don’t understand, no-one does. When a woman makes the choice to marry, to have children; in one way her life begins but in another way it stops. You build a life of details. You become a mother, a wife and you stop and stay steady so that your children can move. And when they leave they take your life of details with them. And then you’re expected move again only you don’t remember what moves you because no-one has asked in so long. Not even yourself.”

Francesca ~ The Bridges of Madison County

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What would you bring back from the 50′s? Chocolate Malted Creme Brulee

March 16, 2012 by Chef Louise Mellor | 23 Comments

 

 Top 5 things we should bring back from the 1950′s

Women’s fashion - swing skirts with petite coats, fancy hats, gloves, nylons and high heels … That’s right nylons, I will take a pair with the seam up the back.  The 1950′s gal was dressed to impress – I like her.

Homemade pudding -  the kind with the skin that forms on the top.  Not packaged-instant-boxed nonsense, the real deal made with milk and eggs, stirred by a mom in an apron.

Clean wholesome television -  shows like “I  Love Lucy” and “Leave it to Beaver” , heck I will even settle for “Happy Day’s.  Anything would be better than the Carl’s Jr. smut Campaign we have on television now.  Let’s save that conversation for another day …

Drive- in movie theaters - my kids will never know the fun of watching a movie from the back hatch of the car, under the stars on a warm summer night.  Do you remember that heavy metal speaker that would almost break your window in two?

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What does your favorite ice cream flavor say about you? Rocky Road Meringue Cookies

February 28, 2012 by Chef Louise Mellor | 9 Comments

 

What do you think your favorite flavor of ice cream says about you? I’m not joking around here, we are talking deep-psychological-your-waffle-cone-reveals-truth-kinda stuff.

Pause here and take a minute to reflect, I’ll wait.

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Ask the right questions and you’ll get the right answers. Buttermilk souffle cakes with Meyer lemon curd

February 16, 2012 by Chef Louise Mellor | 8 Comments

 

If you want the right answers, you have to ask the right questions.  If I were to ask you to eat your pancakes without syrup, you would surely say no.  But … if I asked, “Would like some warm sweet Meyer lemon curd on your fluffy buttermilk souffle cakes with fresh raspberries ?” … well then that changes everything – right?

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Behind the scenes with Denise Vivaldo – Secrets of a Food Stylist – VIDEO EDITION

February 9, 2012 by Chef Louise Mellor | 1 Comment

Wanted : Food Stylist

  • All classicly trained chefs who suffer from OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) – PLEASE APPLY IN PERSON …  bring tweezers.
  • You must know how to cook EVERYTHING … without a recipe
  • You must love cooking food, touching food, playing with food, painting food, Scotch Guarding food, and torching food, but NEVER,  EVER ,  must you EAT  the food, or heaven forbid … let the crew EAT the food!
  • You must be able to stand on your feet for 12-24 hours at a time and be able to lift at least 333 pounds of produce.  Be willing to carry  several frozen turkeys, boxes of props, tables, and trash to and from the set… sometimes without a cart.   
  • You may be asked to work in a makeshift kitchen outside, in a tent, in the rain, in a kitchen up a 4 flights of stairs, or even out of a van in the summer with no air conditioning.
  • You must have complete working knowledge of how to unclog a sink, fix the gas on a portable stove, and be able to jimmy a refrigerator on wheels – so that it doesn’t roll down the street.
  • You must be able to smile and say, “YES” even when you want to cry, and tell the client “HELL NO”!
  • You must be willing to fish through 20 cans of beans for the perfect “10″ and then be willing to spend countless hours keeping those beans fresh and delicious until it is their turn to pose for the camera.
  • You will have to magically guess how many times the talent will screw up on camera and plan the shopping list around their mistakes.     If the producer asks for more eggs on take 116, you better have them ready to go and don’t forget  -   YOU MUST STAY ON BUDGET!
  • You will keep your mouth shut, bite your tongue, and agree with the talent when they try to educate you on how to properly cook the recipe for their famous Bisquick  !&!!#!! . – you then  must rave about how wonderful their recipe is.
  • You will learn to not ask, “WHY”?  
  • Finally and most importantly,  you must learn how to hold a RAW chicken for 5 days and make it look … GLAMOROUS for the camera … THE ABBONDANZA!

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How to style food for photography.