Hello hello everyone. It has been a little while since my last post so I wanted to let everyone know what has been going on and progressing. It has been a busy couple weeks with work at the restaurant and some photo shoots for different clients. Finally got in my new camera which is a massive upgrade from my former. Leaving my little Lumix G1 for a much better Canon 6D. I originally rented this camera for a dinner I was shooting and was very impressed with it. Just the ability to do more in post is a huge life saver.

I did a couple shoots over the past week. The first being for Departure Restaurant & Lounge. Led by the brilliant chef Gregory Gourdet. They we doing their 7th annual Vegan dinner, featuring 7 beautiful courses. I did the shots for the dinner as well as their dinner service. During the shoot it became very apparent to me that having worked in a kitchen my whole career has benefited in shooting during a service. Knowing the terminology, timing, and movements of a kitchen allowed me to get the shots I needed but at the same time stay out of the way, be respectful to everyone working and be aware of the situation. I have worked with Gregory on a couple dinners and he is a blast to work with.

Even having worked in kitchens my whole life it still amazes me how well a kitchen can run when managed properly. Doing a very busy night service and a 7 course dinner on top of that things went very smoothly and food was leaving the kitchen quickly and efficiently. No matter how hectic things were getting or busy Gregory had a constant smile on his face and his staff followed suit. It was a pleasure to be able to work with Gregory again and very happy to have him as a client.

The second shoot I did was for 180 Xurros. I am very familiar with the spot since it was connected to Chesa, the restaurant I have worked at since I moved to Portland, also owned by Jose Chesa his wife Cristina and David Martin. Voted by Bon Appetit as one of the top 10 best desserts in America this is a go to spot for anyone in Portland. A true Spanish style xurro and xocolata all fried to order. Every month there is a chefs special xurro that is created by one of the chefs in Portland. This month the special was made by James Beard winner Greg Denton, owner of Ox and Superbite. His special was an apple pie stuffed xurro with a maple anglaise.

Along with doing photos of the special I did some of the shop and menu items. I quite enjoy working with Jose and Cristina. They are like my Portland family. It can be tough being across the country from my parents, sisters, and nieces, so it is comforting to have such great friends like them here in Portland. They truly make me feel at home. I will be doing some photos coming up for their first restaurant and my current work place Ataula, so hopefully I will have those up soon.

Unfortunately there will be no recipe blog this week. Pulling extra hours at Ataula to fill in for people out of town. There will be a new recipe later this week however. Thank you again for your continued support. Hope everyone has an amazing week!