Mariana Velasquez styled these scrumptious sorbet creations, photographed so beautifully by William Brinson along with prop stylist Paige Hicks. That reminds me, is it summer yet? Not that I need another reason for a cool treat on a hot afternoon. One of these delights along with an iced coffee and the forecast will be downright frigid for the upcoming heat wave.
Big Leo artists have adopted Instagram en masse – be sure to follow everyone for quirky, fun, and beautiful updates! Here are a few images from the artists and from our team. And that just scratches the surface – so many of our favorite photographers, art directors, and client friends are on there, too. Check it out!
Mariana Velasquez styled this month’s trendspotting column for Food & Wine. Since we’re talking about ‘tech toys’ and the ‘kitchen tools you never needed,’ let’s take a look at the article’s ‘go-to gadget’ called the Thermomix. What can it do?
“Thermomix is a mincer, a grater, a dough maker, a juicer, a whisk, a blender, a mill and a pestle & mortar to name just a few of its many functions. It is also an ice cream/sorbet maker, a coffee grinder and spice grinder, an electronic weighing scale, a food processor and a food mixer. It whips, emulsifies, homogenises and crushes and has a built in timer. Of course, what makes it completely different from any other appliance is that it also sautées, steams and cooks!”
Sorry to be such an old-fashioned curmudgeon, but no one ever told Mariana “this dish is delicious, you must have a fancy stove.” Or “this cake is divine, what kind of spoon did you use?” I think for now we’ll stick to the basics: great ingredients and great talent. Everything else will just gather dust in the closet.
Mariana Velasquez styled this beautiful spread for Prevention magazine, shot by the sharp-eyed Kana Okada. The article talks specifically about diabetes and a healthy diet you can follow to prevent it’s onset – but I feel like that kind of mindfulness applies to pretty much any kind of malady. Food is fuel for our body, and we eat several times a day, so it follows that eating well makes a cumulative difference over the course of our lives.
Mariana really specializes in this kind of cooking with fresh ingredients – you can see more over at her new site, featuring images from the cookbook she wrote – ‘Frutas.’ The book collects recipes from all over Central and South America, using fruits that most of us have never heard of. In an age of increasing monoculture, it is a rare treat to see just how many different kinds of delicacies there are out there. Be sure to check it out!
The words diet and happiness should never go into the same sentence. After all, we all eat just the right amount and we’re all so happy already. Right? Well, I guess the existence of magazines like Prevention, which focuses on healthy living, means that there is a lot of demand for ideas on how to live better. Or maybe just a lot of demand for ideas on how to have the good intention to live better. Stylist Mariana Velasquez teamed up with Kana Okada to bring those good intentions to life in the most vivid and aspirational way possible. This is the gorgeous stuff diet dreams are made of.
Every month in Food & Wine‘s column ‘Trendspotting,’ the editors highlight new ideas that are becoming more mainstream. Mariana Velasquez food styled both the December and January columns for the magazine. Certainly Scandinavia is en vogue these days – just ask Paul Lowe about his legions of adoring fans. And small-batch food businesses are popping up all over the place. Artisans are the new luxury-goods makers. When something is made in a small batch it has more heart and greater care. This is certainly the case with food – and that is a trend we can get behind. Oh and shout out to Ray Hom and Seth Smoot for shooting. Both are great photographers and great guys.
The past year was a whirlwind of new projects, new friends and new faces. Below is a sampling of the images that Big Leo artists helped produce in 2011, and it represents only a small fraction of the projects that we took on. We are so grateful to be able to collaborate with so many creative people and look forward to a whole new season of making the best images come to life. Thank you everyone who was a part of so many successful teams. Happy New Year to all of our friends, clients, families and all! May 2012 bring joy and prosperity to each and every one of us!
Only one week to go – sharpen those knives and dream of a turkey this beautiful, shot for Fine Cooking by the finest gentlemen Romulo Yanes and prepared by bird wrangler Mariana Velasquez. Two words: Butter. Roasted.
What is it about chicken soup? That magical liquid is the ultimate in comfort food. As the weather gets colder you just need to fire up the stove and boil down the chicken for some thick and creamy stock. From that base you can customize endlessly. Chicken soup with barley, mushrooms and greens, or maybe chicken soup with white beans, farro, and escarole… it all sounds good to us!
Mariana Velasquez has such a depth of knowledge of ingredients and their combinations – with a simple constraint of ‘chicken soup’ she was able to really get creative for Fine Cooking and make the most beautiful bowls. We may already be tired of the holidays but the chilly winter is always better with some soul-warming soup!
Mariana Velasquez recently collaborated with photographer Joshua Kessler to produce this exquisite study of wine for the National Wine Institute of Argentina. Dreamlike colors, shapes and textures celebrate the country’s rich tradition of winemaking. Salud!
