2/18/12

New Orleans




I'll be rambling down to New Orleans tomorrow to visit some dear friends and celebrate carnival mayhem. These photos are from my last trip down two years ago.

Local Flavor

What happens when you mix a party, southern food culture, an award winning chef and loads of smiling local-food-loving folks? An event that I had a great time shooting!

Alright, I'll admit it, event photography is nice for income, and not always as nice for the spirit. This is true. But what is also true is that I love good food, local food, farming and people who support farming, and I love being in a room where people are gathered together to celebrate something really awesome. As I explore southern culture as a northern transplant, I find myself naturally turning my camera toward one of the most important parts of culture anywhere; food! And I am really enjoying it (and so is my belly).

So these photographs are from the tenth anniversary party of Lantern Restaurant right in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Award winning chef Andrea Reusing combines fresh local food from family farms in the area with Asian inspiration and makes magic. I have so much admiration for the passion and talent of Andrea and the entire Lantern crew. I encourage everyone to treat yourself to a meal, or buy her recently released cook book, Cooking in the Moment, "a year of seasonal recipes."