James Beard Awards 2010

Last night I attended The James Beard Awards 2010 ceremony at Lincoln Center. James Beard was famous for initiating many things in the foodie world. Another was his huge bowtie collection.

Inside at Avery Fisher Hall the awards were being awarded.

 

Outside the theater a wild grazing event was going on provided by many previous award winners.

 

Guess where I was?

This incredible "soup" (yet to be poured) was the taste of the evening in my humble opinion. Made by super chef Kevin Binkley of Binkley's, Cave Creek AZ. You stirred the tiny spoonful of scallops into a leek soup of bacon, sun-dried tomato and mini oyster cracker. Words cannot describe the ecstacy.

More ecstacy from chef Curtis Duffy of the Chicago Peninsula - a verrine of Alaskan King crab in a cucumber consomme with a 3-sugar tuile on top you had to crack through. And I had such firm intentions of eating rien de tout...Ha!

From restaurant Daniel chef Jean Francois Bruel created this melange of...mon dieu - Black cod confit,fennel salad, artichokes bla bla

D'Artagnans' French kisses - Armanac-soaked prunes filled with foie gras. I hope you haven't passed out yet.

Mini-pastramied duck sandwiches from LA Spago...miam-miam

Best New York restaurant award winner, Eleven Madison Park sous chef James Kent, who by the way will be representing the US at the 2011 January Bocuse D'or in Lyon.

Served this stunningly clever tiny caviar tin of Scottish salmon tartare and smoked mousse with Yuzu and trout roe.

An irresistable dessert of butterscotch budino(?) with sea salt, caramel sauce and a rosemary pine nut cookie from pastry chef Dahila Narvaez of Mozzo, LA. Major MIAM! A last treat but never least from JBF award winner Michelle Bernstein of chocolate-caramel crackle. I imagined I would save these for tomorrow. Quelle idiot! They were gone in a flash.

What did we drink with all this FAB food?

Champagne of course from many houses.

And the glam drink du jour was this orchid concoction

The glam clothes must be reported on bien sur!

Red is definitely the color to wear to this black tie event.

I wore my red Repettos of course.

RUFFLES! You could not go wrong wearing ruffles.

This stunner of a black and white outfit with tiny corset took moxie to wear at this major grazing event of the year worn by Josie Lemon of Chicago Spiaggia.

Tatoos!

Why didn't I get one in time?

They were everywhere.

I was sleuthing around with onion marmelade expert, SaraBeth, who pointed out this French Girl to me. How did she know? Was it her je ne sais quoi?

I bumped into New York restranteur par excellance Drew Nieporant. I once made a portrait business card for Drew including the everpresent cigar.

Cedric Vongerichten of Perry St NYC.

Who's who inductee Leah Chase of Dooky's Chase New Orleans...

Mario said to me, "Are you taking pictures or getting us some champagne?" I did both.

 Nice shoes Dorrie!

Are you wondering what I wore to this gala black tie event? A painted chefs jacket that's what.
BONJOUR JAMES BEARD AWARDS 2010!

Shooting The Chefs

More brilliant career history, since you loved the Bocuse story. I got involved with The James Beard House because I fell in love with fancy plating while at a French spa, Les Pres D'Eugenie les Bains. I took a cooking tour visiting New York's top restaurant kitchens when I returned.The leader suggested I volunteer at the James Beard House so I could learn to plate on the site.

This chef is 'plating' = creating beautiful plates for the diners. He is making sure every plate is perfect and delectable.That's how I joined the Beard House parsley chopping brigade.

The chefs perform in the kitchen like theater. They dance around like Baryshnikov, working in unison. I loved sketching them. But plating is HARD WORK, and first chance I got, I switched to shooting the chefs.

Watching the chefs move around is like being at a life drawing class... I was dying to draw them! As soon as I got home I'd start sketching and next day I'd shoot off my sketches via fax into the chef's kitchens.

I became the Toulouse Lautrec of the kitchen. I met every chef in the food world and I drew ✏️ them.

But painting those chefs caused me such weltschmerz /world-pain. Finally a week before the opening of portrait show I figured it out. I painted multiple drawings on a toned ground canvas like old master drawings. Plus I added their signatures for texture.

I loved painting chefs from the back especially...so much character is revealed from the back view.
I almost forgot. Part of the hard work of photographing the chefs dancing in the kitchen, was shooting these gorgeous plates. AND eating them. The top dish is a roasted peach filled with berries and ice cream. The bottom dish looks like fish + chips, but is really Rattlesnake + chips. All part of the job of shooting the chefs. More on my brilliant careers to come.