Thursday, August 22, 2013

food styling, kinda-sorta: apple and strawberry-rhubarb pies for a magazine

ever wonder just what the person behind the food blog does in real life?  we read the blog, follow them, use the recipes and even communicate with them, call them "friends" but do we really know them?  not really, and that's okay.  so many food bloggers are simply talented home cooks/bakers while others are professionals in the kitchen.  myself, i fall into the latter category; i am a pastry chef and cookbook author.  

for years now, i have heard people ooh and aah when i tell them that i am a pastry chef.  it's as if it is something so fantastic and magical and oh how they wish they could be one too.  if i only had a dollar for every time someone said, "oh that must be so much fun!"  really, fun?  it can be on occasion.  most of the time, it is hard work, physically draining and a bit stressful.  even so, i still have fun and most of all, i love doing what i do and could not imagine holding down any other type of job.  

every now and then, i have the opportunity to do something exciting on the job.  remember back in february when my coworkers and i went to the james beard house in new york city?  i am still in awe.  there have been photo shoots and video segments and all sorts of exciting events.  one such event was a recent photo shoot for a big magazine, i won't name it now-but i will when it hits the stands.  there was a country music star in the photos too but, i was just happy for the chance to make a few pies for a national magazine.
for the shoot, they chose apple and strawberry-rhubarb pies, six of each.

apple pies getting ready to go into the oven

and in the blink of an eye, they are ready!

so are the strawberry-rhubarb pies

i can almost smell them-can you?

probably my two favorite fruit pies, apple and strawberry-rhubarb.  yup, this is the sort of day i would call fun.  the sort of day that makes getting up at 2:40am worth the lack of sleep.  the sort of day that makes working on your day off just fine.  it's true, i live to bake, absolutely love to bake, so there.

1 comment:

  1. That sounds like a totally difficult and exciting day all wrapped up into one. Those are probably two of my all time favorite pie choices... Gorgeous.

    My youngest daughter is just starting culinary school for baking/ pastry arts - we had many, many conversations about the grueling schedule before letting her sign up for the program.

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