Aquarius — THE DEN by Big Leo

Entries filed under Aquarius

Scott Peacock’s Gameplan

Most of the time, dinners do not come together the way you drew it up in the locker room. Same thing with photo shoots. There are just too many variables and all of a sudden you forget to add salt to the mashed potatoes. But follow the lead of Scott Peacock, who knows a thing or two about orchestrating great meals from his years at Watershed. The trick is to field the best of the best so that the food is impeccably presented with not a single item out of place. This perfection is thanks to stylist Sarah Cave, who worked with photographer and rugby star Con Poulos to execute the plan. Just don’t forget to preheat the oven or you’ll get knocked back down to the minor leagues.

Posted December 7, 2011 by Mary Dail |
Filed Under: Aquarius

Giving Thanks Everyday

This month’s Everyday Food has the requisite Thanksgiving standbys as well as some nice autumn meals and great recipes to keep the in-laws from eating the the tablecloths, napkins, and anything else that isn’t nailed down. Not to mention the sumptuous photos styled by Hilary Robertson and shot by Big Leo in-law Anna Williams. If we eat with our eyes, be thankful for this amazing feast.

Posted November 22, 2011 by Mary Dail |
Filed Under: Aquarius

Sweet Season

So many desserts, so little time. The thing about holiday sweets is that the more simple they are, the more you can stand to eat. It’s just calorie math. Hilary Robertson brought a touch of her elegant style to this story in Whole Living with the most tasteful Shira Bocar. Pistachios, chocolate, and sea salt: a perfect appetizer before the baked goods come out of the oven.

Posted November 16, 2011 by Mary Dail |
Filed Under: Aquarius

Cucina Povera

The just-released book Cucina Povera by Pamela Sheldon Johns features photographs by Andrea Wyner. It is one of those jobs where you just say yes and sort out the details when you get there. In Italy, things move at a different pace. There is no production team per se, just one camera and an old fashioned kitchen. Call it fotografia povera. Cooking like that takes you back to the roots, to the simplicity that has been developed over hundreds of years of tradition. And shooting in an environment like that gets back to the basics – no post-production tweaks to get the sheen of the sauce just right – just some beautiful light, some talented artisans, and the organic moments that just tend to happen, if you let them. Read more over over at Elizabeth Minchilli’s blog and check out the book for a great take on classic Tuscan Cuisine.

Posted October 17, 2011 by Mary Dail |
Filed Under: Aquarius

Essentiel Pépin

Dans le nouvel edition de Food & Wine, la styliste Hilary Robertson fait vivre des classiques de Jacques Pépin avec le photographe extraordinaire Con Poulos. Crêpe Suzette, Carbonnade à la Flamande, Brandade de Morue au Gratin, et Canard à l’Orange. J’imagine que les recettes sois assez difficile à preparer, mais voila le prix d’excellence. Il faut simplement demander la même chose aux artistes – les images à suivre sont magnifiques et et tout à fait délicieux!

Posted October 3, 2011 by Mason Adams |
Filed Under: Aquarius

Place des Vosges

Everyone has their own secret ingredient. Katrina Markoff is the founder of Vosges Haut-Chocolat, so you can imagine what goes into all her recipes. They say to not bring your work home, but in this case she can be excused for sprinkling chocolate onto every dish and drink. Honestly, you can never have too much.

If you asked Sarah Cave about her own secret ingredient, she might not tell you. But it’s easy enough to discern: style. You can see it in everything that she does, including this story on Katrina’s recipes for the September issue of Better Homes and Gardens.

Posted August 29, 2011 by Mason Adams |
Filed Under: Aquarius

Pizzaz

In this month’s issue of Health, Carrie Purcell and Sarah Cave team up with the inedible Quentin Bacon to bring readers the best pizza ever. What qualifies a pizza as ‘the best?’ How can you even begin to approach something so subjective? I mean, there are situations where even mediocre pizza is elevated to ‘life-saving,’ like this one time when I was in college… but I digress. Certainly an argument could be made that this is the best looking pizza ever. That little swoop of arugula, the shapes of red onion and texture of cheese… I bet if you ate the page it would still taste pretty good.

Posted August 11, 2011 by Mason Adams |
Filed Under: Aquarius, Aries

Upgrading Fido

Hilary Robertson styles the cover story in the September issue of Country Living, shot by the harmonious Miki Duisterhof. The buzzword is ‘makeover’ but unfortunately a copy of the magazine only comes with pretty pictures and not Hilary in person. Without her, what takes an ‘hour’ might as well take all month. She just has that kind of touch. The only person who seems unimpressed is Fido – he must have been expecting a food stylist. Sorry bud, we spent it all on the flowers.

Posted August 9, 2011 by Mason Adams |
Filed Under: Aquarius

Miss Cave goes to Washington (to see Michelle Obama!!!)

We can think of no better way to launch our weekend than to give major props {pun intended} to Sarah Cave for the incredible talents she exemplified in her latest creation for the August 2011 issue of Better Homes and Gardens featuring our First Lady, Michelle Obama.

Now, Sarah has always brought her amazing set of eyes to the {prop} table, but not enough people know about her insane design skills. I mean crazy. MAD even. Below, you can see her inspiration board for the invitation that she created for Michelle Obama’s “Lunch on the Lawn” event, inspired by the White House vegetable garden, as well as the beautiful veggie illustrations used to label bottles of fresh squeezed juices and to decorate crisp white linen napkins. Personally, I am waiting for my series of tote bags donning Sarah Cave designs, but…one thing at a time. For now, I pledge allegiance to Sarah Cave…