This is the opener to a story I styled for Cottage Life’s current fall issue. Easy and delicious recipes (by Jane Rodmell) for the cold breezy nights we’re getting these days. The next issue will include a food feature I’ve written as well as styled. Stay tuned, as I’ll post the recipes too. Hint: they’re chocolatey and fun. photos by …
tomatoes, illustrated
I love this illustration by British illustrator Hannah Clark so much I had to post it. I discovered her work recently on a website called They Draw and Cook, which updates wonderful illustrations about cooking and drawing, and I visit it regularly because it makes me feel so good. Double-click on the images a few times and they get bigger …
comfort foods
Conversation in the food photography studio often leads to…well… eating. I did a poll the other day and got interesting results of what us 3 folks like to eat for comfort. Someone described their Northern Italian parents’ incredible lasagna,and the sleuthing required for getting the secret touches (like cake and pastry flour instead of hard durham wheat flour in the …
pumpkin pie’d
It’s that time of year when pumpkins dot farm fields here in Prince Edward County, additional to those lovely vineyards dripping with grapes and birdnetting. Pumpkin lends a silent reminder of the days when this area was renowned as”The Garden County of Canada”, producing,canning and shipping massive amounts of tomatoes, peas, beans, corn and yes, pumpkin. See about how history …
terrine, crostini, port jelly
More samples of images we captured for his premier cookbook project, Mark Mcewan’s Great Food at Home…. I still haven’t seen my copy yet, but the buzz is intriguing. Launch party this weekend…. photography James Tse food styling Ruth Gangbar prop styling Laura Branson Hmmm, if the launch wasn’t happening this weekend, it might have been Taste a celebration of regional cuisine here …
wondering about sauna?
Now that the birds here in Prince Edward County are flying south, if I start thinking about it right now, could this be the year that the Winter sauna/outdoor hot tub gets built at the Nook?This Dutchtub seems a real stunner, with it’s colours and customized templates…but at a starting price of $6,000, there’s no way. Lots of issues to work out for …
McEwan burger bites
The images below are two options of the well-truffled and famed Bymark Burger ( recipe here). I got to take a bite out of said burger (yes, twas bitten ) while onset with one of my all-time favourite teams of photographer James Tse , Laura Branson prop stylist, and Executive Chef Drew Ellerby (of ONE and Fabbricca) while we were having a blast doing …
accessing your inner pioneer
It’s getting to be that time of year when inquiries for renting my secluded cottage getaway here in PEC take a unique turn, with explanations of how “Quiet Season” hiking to the Nook becomes necessary, and when. But why? “Because the road is steep and narrow at the top of the hill ; because fallen leaves and possible rains make …
tomato heaven
I had a big need for heirloom tomatoes recently that landed me in the midst of my friends and neighbours Tim Noxon and Vicki Emlaw, from Vicki’s Veggies on Morrison Point Road in Prince Edward County. Not only are the tomatoes fabulous (with varieties like Berkley Tie-died, Black Pearl, Green Sausage, Vintage Wine, Peach, Peche, Purple Calabash, Pineapple Fog, Green …
Rehearsal Dinner
Chatelaine Magazine’s Vanilla Cake with Summer Fruit….is one of those recipes that I’ll be guaranteed to make again. We featured it in a featured summer story shot by photographer John Cullen, with props (like the kind you’d like to keep, as usual) by Sasha Seymour, food styling by me.
wine and cheese for Canada Post
Ok, so these were released in 2006, but these stamps were the first with food and wine for Canada Post ever designed and printed. Photography by Robert Wigington, Food Styling by Ruth Gangbar. Cheddar by the Black River Cheese Company.
dark chocolate tortes
Photography James Tse Food styling Ruth Gangbar Prop Styling Laura Branson