Debbie’s roasted onion and asparagus tart

I am so thrilled to introduce this veggy spring tart to you guys, a recipe that was created by my wonderful friend Debbie from Salted Mint blog.

I’ve known Debbie for few good years now and she never stops inspiring me with how she pairs the flavours and comes up with genius food ideas!

She joined us at ‘The art of food stories’ Workshop that I hosted along with Rachel Korinek at the end of April, to cook a storm in the studio’s kitchen and feed 11 incredible women that attended the event. We had a blast! And the food was out of this world!!!! You know those kind of recipes that you try for the first time, and they spoil your taste buds so bad that no matter what you do, you cannot stop thinking about their flavours. Every single dish was exactly that.

Debbie prepared for us a gorgeous cheeseboard, the farmers market green salad with lemon and poppy seed dressing, slow cooked beef and 4 cheese lasagne (with a phenomenal secret ingredient – cinnamon!!!) as well as the ROASTED ONION AND ASPARAGUS TART that you can find the recipe for in this post.

IT IS HEAVEN!


What I truly love about this recipe (as well as the flavour!) is that it takes 10 minutes to make (!!!), 20 more minutes in the oven and you have an insanely delicious dish, that celebrates seasonal ingredients, ready on the table in less than half an hour. WINNER!




Do you love food photography? Interested how I made this background?
Check out my super easy tutorial ——> here

Why I didn’t want ‘The art of food stories’ WORKSHOP in London to ever end?RECAP.

1. BECAUSE OF THE INSPIRING BUNCH OF PEOPLE I HAD A CHANCE TO WORK WITH. 

There is something truly *MAGICAL* about a photographer on a learning mission- the curiosity, playful spirit and the uplifting energy that fills the room. There is nothing else like it.

There is something sooooo INCREDIBLY SPECIAL about the in-person workshops- the *real* connection you have with another creative- the connection that even 100s conversations online won’t be able to top. That’s the reason why I LOVE teaching at Workshops SO MUCH but also it’s a reason why I decided that I want to attend creative workshop soon too.

‘The art of food stories’ was a magical event thanks to the incredible photographers who flew from all over the world to join me and Rachel Korinek at the beautiful RYE studio in London. They left me all so inspired!

I am SO GRATEFUL I could meet you all lovely people❤

@claudiagoedke @supergolden88 @_kitchenstory_ @saltandserenity @aniasvibrantkitchen @maria.panzer@shecooksandclicks @leiliane @fotografsara @instaproperfoodie

THANK YOU for your infectious positive energy

Photo taken by @jonathanthomsonphotography/ Edited by me

It was such an honoured to teach this Workshop with my incredible friend who flew all the way from Vancouver to make it happen. It was a dream come true.

Those of you who’ve been following my journey for a while probably know that Rachel Korinek and I planned a workshop together before. To be more precise – it was last year,in New York. We have known each other for over 4 years online, and our friendship that started from one shy email that went something like ‘Hi, I love your work’, flourished into heart to heart conversations. Having lived in two opposite corners of the world, we always dreamt of working together…..one day. After 4 month of planning a New York workshop, that one day was going to become reality in August 2017. Then something unpredictable happened…something none of us could have ever expected….exactly a week before my dream flight to the Big Apple I’d sat in my doctors office to hear the heartbreaking news: I had to have an urgent surgery and there was no way I could fly anywhere. The New York workshop took place as we planned and was a great success but very sadly I could not be part of it.

BUT GUESS WHAT? 🙂 We are stubborn! If the dreams that we work so hard on, are not turned into reality, WE TRY AGAIN. And this time the DREAM CAME TRUE….we made it come true…..in London.

                                                                                                                                              Image by @twolovesstudio

                                                 image by @twolovesstudio

2. Because the conversations about the magic of light ARE SO DAMN INSPIRING.

A very ‘typical’ English morning welcomed out attendees, who travelled from all different parts of the world –  England, Germany, Norway, Austria and even from San Francisco. As it was a very cold and grey day, we gathered around with cups of warm rose tea in our hands (THANK YOU @jeangtea!) and started the workshop with an introduction of what brought us all together. Here we were, connected by this deep passion for food and photography, a moment that felt so right, like it was all meant to be.

The first part of the Workshop was dedicated to the magic of natural light.

Because….the magic really happens the moment you stop taking pictures of your dishes and start taking pictures of light.

Rachel explained the fascinating details of dynamics of light, ‘the sweet spot’ to shoot in and best methods to harness the beautiful light in food images. When you look at Rachel’s work, the first thing you notice is the way she captures the light and it was so captivating to listen to how she creates that magic in her images. I covered – my absolute favourite – storytelling part and showed everyone how to use different light to evoke different emotions, how it helps to create different moods and grab your viewer’s attention. To me, a great photograph is always the one that your viewer can connect with, the one that your viewer can ‘feel’ rather than just see.

Our mission was to inspire everyone to play around and experiment with different types of light, and so after the inspirational conversation we jumped into practical exercises.

We  both believe that to harness the light in your images, you need to learn to ‘see’and ‘experience’ it first.

image by @claudiagoedke
 image by @twolovesstudio/                image by @supergoldenbakes88   

both images by @aniasvibrantkitchen

3. Because our taste buds were spoiled rotted during lunch time

Our dear friend, and a chef extraordinaire Debbie joined us during the day to cook a storm in the studio’s kitchen. There is no words really that would describe how INCREDIBLE this woman is, not only has she got extraordinary cooking skills, she also is one of the sweetest and most humble people you can meet. It was so special to have her at the studio with us.

Debbie prepared a gorgeous cheeseboard, the farmers market green salad with lemon and poppy seed dressing, roasted onion and asparagus tart with buratta, slow cooked beef and 4 cheese lasagna (with a phenomenal secret ingredient – cinnamon!!!) as well as the mouthwatering desserts: salted chocolate tart, farmhouse buttermilk strawberry & rhubarb tart aaaaaaand brown butter and orange blossoms short breads.

IT WAS HEAVEN!

To give you a gimps, here are two recipes you can find on Debbie’s blog – Salted Mint – roasted onion and asparagus tart with buratta  and farmhouse buttermilk strawberry and rhubarb tart. I can assure you,they will make you addicted to hers blog – I have been for years!

                                                                       image by @twolovesstudio

4. Because compositional tools are such a game-changer. 

The second  part of the day was all about the magic of COMPOSITION and how to create breathtaking food stories.
Rachel walked everyone through her favourite compositional tools and how she creates a WOW effect with her minimal style. And she knows how to do it! It was fascinating to listen to how she breaks down every image and how she chooses every element of her story with intention, so that the image doesn’t look forced. She mastered an art of observation and generously shared how everyone can do the same.
I took everyone on a storytelling  journey.I shared how I bring my images to life and which compositional tools I choose to create that 3D effect in photographs that are 2D by nature. I talked about small details that are often overlooked but are essential to creating eye-catching images without them looking flat and staged.I was so excited to also share how I see the colours and explained why it’s so important in creating emotions, and how to pair colours for eye-pleasing images. We also chatted about a topic that makes every food photographer’s heart beat faster- props!And here I shared all my secrets away of what’s the best way to build a minimal but very powerful capsule prop cupboard, without breaking the bank.

5. Because I could style and shoot with like minded creatives all day every day.

After a buzzing conversation we all jumped into live demos. Rachel showed everyone how she approaches styling, how mindful she is about choosing colours and how she looks at shapes as she worked with these gorgeous veg bowls in the picture below.

The difference between a good photograph and a great one is all in the details guys!

Choosing my yogurt raspberry cake as an example,I shared a step by step of how I create a scene from picking the backdrops and props that will enhance the food rather than distract from it, to how I add depth to my images, how I pair colours to create a certain mood.

It was so amazing to watch everyone jumping in with their cameras and taking different angles of the same dish as we would encourage everyone not to stop until they exhaust every possible angle.

image by @claudiagoedke

all images by @twolovesstudio

6. Because no one would judge you if you climbed the window sill to take a picture 🙂

image by @claudiagoedke

Anything for a good photo! No one was even surprised to see Rachel at the window sill. That’s what I call a group of like-minded creatives 🙂

image by @claudiagoedke

7. Because of generous support from my favourite people.

HUGE THANK YOU to my FAVOURITE BRANDS who jumped with excitement to support this event and who were so generous to provide gifts for our attendees. THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART:

@l.typeprints  Thank you so much for providing your GORGEOUS prints!!! It was so wonderful to teach on printed examples of our work!
@nomliving You know how much I love you guys! Your ceramics are always my favourite and they photograph so beautifully!
@linen tales Thank you sooooo much for sending your super soft linens as a gift for our attendees and others to play with at the workshop.
@london_honey_co Thank you so much for sending your sweet and super cute jars of your delicious honey!
@jingtea That rose tea!!!!My absolute favourite!
@inspiredlifediary Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the wonderful stationary and inspiring quotes – I love everything you create.




NEXT WORKSHOP ————> VERMONT

FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP 1-4 JUNE, MANCHESTER, VERMONT

Be part of something EXTRAORDINARY
Feed all of your senses
& Immerse yourself in the incredible world of food and photography

JUST IMAGINE….

Two INSPIRATIONAL days, packed with game-changing food photography *secrets*.
Learning how to create jaw-droppingly gorgeous images that will stand out from the crowd, connect your audience with your unique story & win the clients.  Yes! Trust me – with a little guidance – you can create magic! And we will be there by your side, sharing what we have learnt from years working as professional photographers.
Imagine spending time in a supportive group of  like minded creatives, who just like you would’t think twice to stand on the chair (or even the table!) to get the best shot of the breakfast scene.
And being able to fully immerse in the process without being distracted by everyday life, making powerful connection with your craft and being inspired by ideas that will transform not only the way you photograph but also how you run your business.

All in BREATHTAKING SURROUNDINGS!

 

CREATIVE.INSPIRING.ENERGISING.

Is this getting you excited, my dear creative?
Then,what are you waiting for?
JOIN US! (The spaces are limited)

WHAT TO EXPECT:

Head spinning with inspiration
Dancing with excitement
That light bulb switching on in your creative mind
A large number of AHA moments
Waving your comfort zone good-bye

WHAT WE’LL COVER:

  • CAMERA KNOW-HOW – We will show you how to take control of your DSLR and manipulate it based on the lighting conditions you are in. We will cover the best lenses, tripods, and other accessories that we use for food photography.
  • THE MAGIC OF NATURAL LIGHT – We believe that the magic really happens the moment you stop taking the pictures of your subject and start taking pictures of light. We will show you how to use this truly powerful and freely available tool in your photography to take your images to the next level.
  • DEFINE YOUR UNIQUE CREATIVE STYLE – Your style is your currency. We will help you unleash your potential and get to know the tools to help you build a cohesive portfolio that will make your work recognizable and unique.
  • EYE-CATCHING COMPOSITION, STYLING TIPS and PROP CHOOSING – We will walk you through how we compose and style food starting from the planning stages to prop choosing all the way to the execution. You will learn the edible techniques we use to make food look irresistible without making it looked “staged” or “fake”.
    We will also go into the details of how to create your own “prop capsule” that corresponds with your style to create magical photos without the need of a lot of expensive props.
  • STORYTELLING TIPS AND TRICKS – You will learn how to use light and styling techniques to tell your story while evoking emotions and creating a connection with your viewer. We will share how we incorporate our unique personalities into our images to create a relationship with our viewers.
  • EDITING – We call editing “the cherry on top”. We will show you how we use Adobe Lightroom to enhance your raw images and make them truly magical with live tethered demonstrations.
  • BUSINESS SIDE OF FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY – Whether you want to showcase your beautiful photos on your blog, social media channels, or in print, we want to make sure that your work gets the value it deserves. We will walk you through how to find work, build relationships, and negotiate as a freelance photographer and/or a stylist.

My partner in crime

Aysegul Sanford is a business woman and photographer extraordinaire and I can’t even tell you how delighted I am to partner with this incredible person for this workshop. A deep passion for  food and photography connected us couple of years back and since then we’ve spend HOURS chatting on Skype, sharing what we both learnt while working in food photography industry, talking about things that make our heart beat faster: from how where we come from influenced our love for food, through what we think makes a breath-taking food story, that grabs people attention, to how to thrive in the business we both love so much.

THE SETTINGS

In addition to teaching and talking about everything food photography, the workshop will be a true Vermont experience where you get to dine, sleep, and learn in VT style.

Our host and friend, Mary, the owner of The Edible Green Mountains magazine, has partnered up with several local purveyors to allow you to fully experience this unique region.

The workshop will be held in Hill Farm Inn, a boutique hotel that was built 200 years ago. If you have ever been to Vermont, you are familiar with the beautiful New England style houses that have a lot of character. The luxurious rooms, gorgeous gardens, wrap-around porch, and restaurant, Hill Farm Inn is the epitome of Vermont style accommodations.

We will be teaching our workshop in their barn overlooking the Battenkill River and will spend the rest of our time outdoors enjoying the picturesque beauty of what this extraordinary surroundings have offers.

 Additionally, we will have other Vermont-based businesses ranging from dairy and cheese producers to maple farmers to restaurants to provide our guests with a true Vermont experience.

What’s Included:

PRICE:
Shared Room  $1700.00 (per person)
Single Room $1900.00

  • All classes in a small intimate setting
  • All accommodations
  • Welcome gift.
  • All food including 3 dinners, 3 breakfasts and 2 lunches in (and around) our beautiful inn –
    PS: There will be a lot of cheese 😉
  • Surprise Edible outings
  • Morning hikes around the barn
  • Hands on styling session with Aysegul and Bea by your side
  • One-on-one time with the photographer of your choice.

The closest airport is Albany International airport and it is 1 hour 30 minutes from Manchester.

Visit Edible Retreats’ site to book your spot. Spaces are limited.

WE CANNOT WAIT TO MEET YOU!