So, How Was Your Day? Breakfast: Iced coffee. Moose scramble. Seared scallops. Cheesy bear meatballs. Lunch: Nothing Dinner: Steak. Chicken. Sushi. Morning ➛ Woke up around 8am. Did my morning ritual of reading news on my Ipad. Showered. Got dressed. Packed up my hotel room (I am currently in Anchorage, Alaska, photographing and making a video on the local music scene for Spin). Met the writer, Jeff Weiss, that I am working with on the article. We check out of the hotel and head over to The Sweeteners practice space. They are one of the best local bands in Anchorage. We are especially stoked because the drummer’s girlfriend told us she would make us moose and bear. Both of which I have never had. She made a moose scramble and cheesy bear meatballs. SO GOOD. After breakfast, I filmed an interview with them, and they also performed two songs for us. Noon ➛ When we got done with The Sweeteners, Jeff and I set out to see the nature side of Alaska. We headed south towards the Portage Glacier. Along the way we stopped at a big game reserve. Saw some baby moose, elk, bison, a lynx, and a bald eagle. It was really awesome. At one point this elk got pissed that I was taking photos of it and tried to charge me, but I told him he shouldn’t be so aggro. After that he was pretty chill. I got his email and told him I would mail him the photos when I got home. We continued on to the glacier, which consisted of 20 more minutes of driving and a 20 minute walk through the snow. But it was well worth it. Glaciers are really rad. If you get the chance, go see one. Night ➛ Earlier in the trip, Jeff and I saw a Benihana restaurant near our hotel, and we said that would be our final meal of the trip. So, after the glacier that is exactly where we headed. The performance and meal were awesome. Of course. And then from there we headed to Jeff’s friend’s house. He told us we could hang there until we had to head the airport for our 1:35am flight. We boarded the plane, and I was stoked to find out that I had middle seat for this 6 hour flight to Phoenix. We had a 2 hour layover. Got breakfast burritos. Boarded our next flight and then finally back in LA at 12pm the next day. Three Last Things… 1. What’s up with the prison photo?  Hahah! I hate being in front of the camera because I never know how to pose. So it usually ends up looking like a mug shot. 2. You’ve only been out of school a few years and your career is already going nuts. What are your hustling tips for up and comers? When I first moved to LA, I met RJ Shaughnessy (a really great photographer and a cool dude). He told me this: “Sit in your living room and figure out a way to make the best cup of coffee that anyone has ever tasted. Once you figure that out, people will come to you for that cup of coffee.” I really took that and ran with it. Also, don’t be a jerk. Just work hard and be nice. 3. In four words describe what those cheesy bear meatballs tasted like (without using the words cheese, meat or bear). And would you eat them again? Instead of describing what they tasted like, I’m going to describe what I felt like eating them. I felt like a “man in the wilderness.” I’m almost certain I grew a few more hairs on my chest after eating them. And yes I would have them again in a second. Nathaniel lives in Los Angeles. He is a photographer whose client list includes French Elle, Spin Magazine, and Bloomberg Businessweek.  nathanielwood.com

So, How Was Your Day?

Breakfast:

Iced coffee. Moose scramble. Seared scallops. Cheesy bear meatballs.


Lunch:

Nothing


Dinner:

Steak. Chicken. Sushi.

Morning ➛

Woke up around 8am. Did my morning ritual of reading news on my Ipad. Showered. Got dressed. Packed up my hotel room (I am currently in Anchorage, Alaska, photographing and making a video on the local music scene for Spin). Met the writer, Jeff Weiss, that I am working with on the article. We check out of the hotel and head over to The Sweeteners practice space. They are one of the best local bands in Anchorage. We are especially stoked because the drummer’s girlfriend told us she would make us moose and bear. Both of which I have never had. She made a moose scramble and cheesy bear meatballs. SO GOOD. After breakfast, I filmed an interview with them, and they also performed two songs for us.



Noon ➛

When we got done with The Sweeteners, Jeff and I set out to see the nature side of Alaska. We headed south towards the Portage Glacier. Along the way we stopped at a big game reserve. Saw some baby moose, elk, bison, a lynx, and a bald eagle. It was really awesome. At one point this elk got pissed that I was taking photos of it and tried to charge me, but I told him he shouldn’t be so aggro. After that he was pretty chill. I got his email and told him I would mail him the photos when I got home. We continued on to the glacier, which consisted of 20 more minutes of driving and a 20 minute walk through the snow. But it was well worth it. Glaciers are really rad. If you get the chance, go see one.



Night ➛

Earlier in the trip, Jeff and I saw a Benihana restaurant near our hotel, and we said that would be our final meal of the trip. So, after the glacier that is exactly where we headed. The performance and meal were awesome. Of course. And then from there we headed to Jeff’s friend’s house. He told us we could hang there until we had to head the airport for our 1:35am flight. We boarded the plane, and I was stoked to find out that I had middle seat for this 6 hour flight to Phoenix. We had a 2 hour layover. Got breakfast burritos. Boarded our next flight and then finally back in LA at 12pm the next day.

Three Last Things…

1. What’s up with the prison photo? 

Hahah! I hate being in front of the camera because I never know how to pose. So it usually ends up looking like a mug shot.

2. You’ve only been out of school a few years and your career is already going nuts. What are your hustling tips for up and comers?

When I first moved to LA, I met RJ Shaughnessy (a really great photographer and a cool dude). He told me this: “Sit in your living room and figure out a way to make the best cup of coffee that anyone has ever tasted. Once you figure that out, people will come to you for that cup of coffee.” I really took that and ran with it. Also, don’t be a jerk. Just work hard and be nice.

3. In four words describe what those cheesy bear meatballs tasted like (without using the words cheese, meat or bear). And would you eat them again?

Instead of describing what they tasted like, I’m going to describe what I felt like eating them. I felt like a “man in the wilderness.” I’m almost certain I grew a few more hairs on my chest after eating them. And yes I would have them again in a second.

Nathaniel lives in Los Angeles. He is a photographer whose client list includes French Elle, Spin Magazine, and Bloomberg Businessweek.  nathanielwood.com

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So, How Was Your Day? Breakfast: Cappuccino. Lunch: Wheat Thins. Hummus. Cucumber slices and cheddar. A few pieces of pineapple.  Dinner: Hot toddy. Greens with Asian pear, toasted hazelnuts, and rice wine vinaigrette. Grilled pork chop. Sautéed kale. Polenta. Cowboy cookies from Baked Explorations. Morning ➛ Woke up a bit late at 8am, did my usual iPad check from bed, followed by my morning chores: feed the dog, vacuum couch (where the dog usually sleeps), put dishes in dishwasher, make bed, fold clothes or put in laundry, water the Christmas tree. Put on my gym clothes and went to the gym (in our building) to do a very quick cardio (on the treadmill) while watching NY1. Sometimes I’ll text my friend Stephen during this with the names of the newscasters… Ruschell Boone, Amanda Farinacci, Annika Pergament. For some reason we are obsessed with all of their names. Shower. Got dressed, running a bit late and the weather is crappy, so I called a car to take me to Prospect Heights to get my haircut. Chatted with Shlomy, my barber (stylist? - I never know what to call him) about a variety of things. He’s a handsome and opinionated Israeli, who does 100 different things while cutting your hair, but he always does a great job. It stopped raining so I decided to walk home. On the way I stopped to buy some Xmas tree branches & holly berries at a Christmas tree street vendor and got some ingredients to make my dog’s food (sweet potato, chicken breast, yellow zucchini, peas). Noon ➛ Had a quick bite for lunch, checked in with the bakery. Running late again, took another car to work. At the bakery, I checked in with our general manager who also is our shipping manager. He’s extremely busy shipping our brownies and cookies for holiday orders. He is also waiting on our new gift boxes to arrive via UPS. It’s really down to the wire, but they finally get there and we get everything out. Almost. I ran to the bank and then to 99¢ Dreams. I’m looking for wooden clothespins, because I want to make boutonnieresfor my baristas to wear throughout the holiday. For some reason, not one of the three people I asked knew what clothespins are. Regardless, I found them. At the bakery I made a few  boutonnieres, changed our voicemail message to reflect our holiday hours, took a bunch of holiday phone orders, tried to catch up with emails, did some filing, had a chat with one of our bakers, finished baking some cookies to ship out, saved a person’s fur coat from catching fire after leaning against a very hot Christmas bulb, tallied totals for the following day’s online orders, paid some bills, gave my general manager a raise, had a phone meeting with my business partner, Matt, who usually works from home and finally had a quick chat with my sister, who was looking for our mom’s ‘S’ cookie recipe. She also wants to write a cookbook with me. We will see. Night ➛ Took the bus home. Stopped by my friend Bill’s new BBQ restaurant (Fletcher’s), around the corner from my apartment. Had a quick chat, and of course I was running late, so I quickly went home, fed the dog, brushed my teeth, and called yet another car to take me to dinner at Lavender Lake. There I met up with my boyfriend Sven and our good friend Sean for a little Merry pre-Christmas dinner and cheer. We chatted about what we’ve been up to, Life of Pi (I loved it), and New Year’s plans. Sven and I walked home in the misty evening. I threw on my pj’s, Sven started packing for Germany (I’ll be doing that tomorrow), checked ourselves into our flight, did some last-minute online holiday shopping, wrote a few Christmas cards while listening to Tracey Thorn’s new Christmas album. Got ready for bed - a little iPad action and goodnight, Irene.  Three Last Things… 1. What’s up with that little dude on your bed? She is very mischievous looking. That lil miss is Tina Louise. And although she appears mischievous in the photo, she is actually the most chill and good natured chihuahua I’ve ever known. We’ve had her for 10 years (ever since she was a puppy), and she’s only barked 3 times. Three single, solitary barks in a decade. And also, what self-respecting homo would I be if I didn’t have a tiny dog? 2. You have three books, a line with Williams-Sonoma, and Baked is huge…yet you are still baking cookies yourself and making boutonnieres from clothespins. Do you ever think you’ll sit back and let someone else run the show? Honestly, that is the goal - and maybe one day, we will achieve it - but figuring out how to get there successfully is a constant work in progress. However, experience has taught me that if you really want your business to be successful and stay on target, you need to be as hands-on as possible. That doesn’t mean I don’t let my employees take the reins on certain aspects of the job, but you need to always be aware of what’s happening in the day to day. Matt and I have been involved since day zero - and I don’t think that’s ever going to change. Plus, I love making boutonnières. 3. You made lots of wishes come true with your baked goods and treats. What is on your list for Santa this year? Surprisingly, not much! We bought a new computer recently, and we are finishing up decorating our bedroom - so those became de facto gifts for ourselves. I did ask for some jeans and a wireless speaker system for the new computer - and judging by the boxes under the tree, it looks like I made out! Renato lives in Brooklyn, NY, with his partner Sven and their dog. He opened Baked, a bakery/cafe in Red Hook in 2005. He has co-authored three cookbooks with his business partner, Matt Lewis, and has an exclusive line with Williams-Sonoma. bakednyc.com

So, How Was Your Day?

Breakfast:

Cappuccino.


Lunch:

Wheat Thins. Hummus. Cucumber slices and cheddar. A few pieces of pineapple. 


Dinner:

Hot toddy. Greens with Asian pear, toasted hazelnuts, and rice wine vinaigrette. Grilled pork chop. Sautéed kale. Polenta. Cowboy cookies from Baked Explorations.

Morning ➛

Woke up a bit late at 8am, did my usual iPad check from bed, followed by my morning chores: feed the dog, vacuum couch (where the dog usually sleeps), put dishes in dishwasher, make bed, fold clothes or put in laundry, water the Christmas tree. Put on my gym clothes and went to the gym (in our building) to do a very quick cardio (on the treadmill) while watching NY1. Sometimes I’ll text my friend Stephen during this with the names of the newscasters… Ruschell Boone, Amanda Farinacci, Annika Pergament. For some reason we are obsessed with all of their names. Shower. Got dressed, running a bit late and the weather is crappy, so I called a car to take me to Prospect Heights to get my haircut. Chatted with Shlomy, my barber (stylist? - I never know what to call him) about a variety of things. He’s a handsome and opinionated Israeli, who does 100 different things while cutting your hair, but he always does a great job. It stopped raining so I decided to walk home. On the way I stopped to buy some Xmas tree branches & holly berries at a Christmas tree street vendor and got some ingredients to make my dog’s food (sweet potato, chicken breast, yellow zucchini, peas).



Noon ➛

Had a quick bite for lunch, checked in with the bakery. Running late again, took another car to work. At the bakery, I checked in with our general manager who also is our shipping manager. He’s extremely busy shipping our brownies and cookies for holiday orders. He is also waiting on our new gift boxes to arrive via UPS. It’s really down to the wire, but they finally get there and we get everything out. Almost. I ran to the bank and then to 99¢ Dreams. I’m looking for wooden clothespins, because I want to make boutonnieresfor my baristas to wear throughout the holiday. For some reason, not one of the three people I asked knew what clothespins are. Regardless, I found them. At the bakery I made a few  boutonnieres, changed our voicemail message to reflect our holiday hours, took a bunch of holiday phone orders, tried to catch up with emails, did some filing, had a chat with one of our bakers, finished baking some cookies to ship out, saved a person’s fur coat from catching fire after leaning against a very hot Christmas bulb, tallied totals for the following day’s online orders, paid some bills, gave my general manager a raise, had a phone meeting with my business partner, Matt, who usually works from home and finally had a quick chat with my sister, who was looking for our mom’s ‘S’ cookie recipe. She also wants to write a cookbook with me. We will see.



Night ➛

Took the bus home. Stopped by my friend Bill’s new BBQ restaurant (Fletcher’s), around the corner from my apartment. Had a quick chat, and of course I was running late, so I quickly went home, fed the dog, brushed my teeth, and called yet another car to take me to dinner at Lavender Lake. There I met up with my boyfriend Sven and our good friend Sean for a little Merry pre-Christmas dinner and cheer. We chatted about what we’ve been up to, Life of Pi (I loved it), and New Year’s plans. Sven and I walked home in the misty evening. I threw on my pj’s, Sven started packing for Germany (I’ll be doing that tomorrow), checked ourselves into our flight, did some last-minute online holiday shopping, wrote a few Christmas cards while listening to Tracey Thorn’s new Christmas album. Got ready for bed - a little iPad action and goodnight, Irene. 

Three Last Things…

1. What’s up with that little dude on your bed? She is very mischievous looking.

That lil miss is Tina Louise. And although she appears mischievous in the photo, she is actually the most chill and good natured chihuahua I’ve ever known. We’ve had her for 10 years (ever since she was a puppy), and she’s only barked 3 times. Three single, solitary barks in a decade. And also, what self-respecting homo would I be if I didn’t have a tiny dog?

2. You have three books, a line with Williams-Sonoma, and Baked is huge…yet you are still baking cookies yourself and making boutonnieres from clothespins. Do you ever think you’ll sit back and let someone else run the show?

Honestly, that is the goal - and maybe one day, we will achieve it - but figuring out how to get there successfully is a constant work in progress. However, experience has taught me that if you really want your business to be successful and stay on target, you need to be as hands-on as possible. That doesn’t mean I don’t let my employees take the reins on certain aspects of the job, but you need to always be aware of what’s happening in the day to day. Matt and I have been involved since day zero - and I don’t think that’s ever going to change. Plus, I love making boutonnières.

3. You made lots of wishes come true with your baked goods and treats. What is on your list for Santa this year?

Surprisingly, not much! We bought a new computer recently, and we are finishing up decorating our bedroom - so those became de facto gifts for ourselves. I did ask for some jeans and a wireless speaker system for the new computer - and judging by the boxes under the tree, it looks like I made out!

Renato lives in Brooklyn, NY, with his partner Sven and their dog. He opened Baked, a bakery/cafe in Red Hook in 2005. He has co-authored three cookbooks with his business partner, Matt Lewis, and has an exclusive line with Williams-Sonoma. bakednyc.com

So, How Was Your Day? Breakfast: Spinach, goat cheese, and red pepper egg white omelette. Rye toast with cream cheese & hot sauce. Sliced apples with cinnamon. Lunch: Peppered turkey & hard salami with swiss cheese, spinach, and yellow mustard on rye. Carrots and chipotle hummus. Dinner: Parmesan chicken sausage with garlic grilled green and yellow peppers in vodka sauce. Morning ➛ 6am wake-up alarm went off, the lady hit snooze twice. Get out of bed, somehow. Go for a quick half hour run around the Logan Square boulevard and jump in the shower. Pull Frannie (the pooch) and out bed and take her down to do her business while the lady makes breakfast. Freakin’ delicious. Feed the pooch and gave her a good belly scrathin’, she was still sleeping basically. Scooter off to MAKE. and grab coffee on the way. Iced coffee all day, errryday. Process email for an hour. Noon ➛ Got right to work on art direction and concepts for an identity and branding project. The client, an electronic medical records company, is a bit on the ‘corporate’ side for what we normally do, but we took on the project because they wanted to interject some personality and higher-end design into the brand. Break for lunch. Check a few blogs and social media thing-a-ma-bobs; tumblr, twitter, dribbble, etc… After lunch I get sort of sleepy from that turkey and need to take a quick break from the studio, so I scooter down the street to get another iced coffee. Do the requested edits on a packaging design project. Some of the textures that we integrated into the design needed to be updated, so I actually get to get my hands dirty in the studio for a second. Scan, scan, scan. Luckily we have worked with this client for a long time, so it actually went quite swiftly. Done for the day. Scooter home. Night ➛ Get home to snoring bulldog, she sleeps a lot. Take her down to do the dance, again. Get started making dinner with the lady. Take the usual after-dinner walk down to the Logan Square dog park. Frannie finally comes alive, she always loves hamming it up for the people we pass on the way and at the park. She didn’t pay much attention to the other dogs though. I don’t think she knows she is a dog. Get back to The Bungalow (that’s what I call our little apartment) and settle in for the night. The lady turns on some trashy TV show, Gossip Girl I think. I can’t watch that stuff, so I open up the laptop and tinker with a personal project of mine called Athlete Objects. I whip out the start of the ‘Berry Sanders’ character illustration. Head off to bed. Check a few tweets and FB for a bit to numb my mind before bed. The lady (as usually) is out cold as soon as her head hits the bed. Frannie is snoring hard bed side, puts me right to sleep. Zzzzzzzz.  Three Last Things… 1. What’s up with this “lady” you keep referring to? Are you living with British royalty? Not British, but close. She is very Irish. The ‘lady’ is my lady, Ms. Abby Wynne. She is the ‘other half’ of MAKE. and parent of Frannie (who I sometimes call little lady, confusing I know). 2. Your Athlete Objects site is faaantastic (Bird and Malone are great). How did you get linked up with ESPN? Why thank you, glad you like it. It is a personal project that I have been tinkering around with for a couple years. It has started to get some press as of late, ESPN even commissioned a couple character illustrations. 3. Paul Rand once said, “It is important to use your hands, this is what distinguishes you from a cow or computer operator.” Do you think this applies to design and illustration today? Absolutely. Developing your hand-skills in super important. Computers are cool, but they should just be one tool in your tool belt. Jesse lives in Chicago where he co-owns & operates MAKE., a Chicago-based design team, with Abby Wynne. readysetmake.com  athleteobjects.com

So, How Was Your Day?

Breakfast:

Spinach, goat cheese, and red pepper egg white omelette. Rye toast with cream cheese & hot sauce. Sliced apples with cinnamon.


Lunch:

Peppered turkey & hard salami with swiss cheese, spinach, and yellow mustard on rye. Carrots and chipotle hummus.


Dinner:

Parmesan chicken sausage with garlic grilled green and yellow peppers in vodka sauce.

Morning ➛

6am wake-up alarm went off, the lady hit snooze twice. Get out of bed, somehow. Go for a quick half hour run around the Logan Square boulevard and jump in the shower. Pull Frannie (the pooch) and out bed and take her down to do her business while the lady makes breakfast. Freakin’ delicious. Feed the pooch and gave her a good belly scrathin’, she was still sleeping basically. Scooter off to MAKE. and grab coffee on the way. Iced coffee all day, errryday. Process email for an hour.



Noon ➛

Got right to work on art direction and concepts for an identity and branding project. The client, an electronic medical records company, is a bit on the ‘corporate’ side for what we normally do, but we took on the project because they wanted to interject some personality and higher-end design into the brand. Break for lunch. Check a few blogs and social media thing-a-ma-bobs; tumblr, twitter, dribbble, etc… After lunch I get sort of sleepy from that turkey and need to take a quick break from the studio, so I scooter down the street to get another iced coffee. Do the requested edits on a packaging design project. Some of the textures that we integrated into the design needed to be updated, so I actually get to get my hands dirty in the studio for a second. Scan, scan, scan. Luckily we have worked with this client for a long time, so it actually went quite swiftly. Done for the day. Scooter home.



Night ➛

Get home to snoring bulldog, she sleeps a lot. Take her down to do the dance, again. Get started making dinner with the lady. Take the usual after-dinner walk down to the Logan Square dog park. Frannie finally comes alive, she always loves hamming it up for the people we pass on the way and at the park. She didn’t pay much attention to the other dogs though. I don’t think she knows she is a dog. Get back to The Bungalow (that’s what I call our little apartment) and settle in for the night. The lady turns on some trashy TV show, Gossip Girl I think. I can’t watch that stuff, so I open up the laptop and tinker with a personal project of mine called Athlete Objects. I whip out the start of the ‘Berry Sanders’ character illustration. Head off to bed. Check a few tweets and FB for a bit to numb my mind before bed. The lady (as usually) is out cold as soon as her head hits the bed. Frannie is snoring hard bed side, puts me right to sleep. Zzzzzzzz. 

Three Last Things…

1. What’s up with this “lady” you keep referring to? Are you living with British royalty?

Not British, but close. She is very Irish. The ‘lady’ is my lady, Ms. Abby Wynne. She is the ‘other half’ of MAKE. and parent of Frannie (who I sometimes call little lady, confusing I know).

2. Your Athlete Objects site is faaantastic (Bird and Malone are great). How did you get linked up with ESPN?

Why thank you, glad you like it. It is a personal project that I have been tinkering around with for a couple years. It has started to get some press as of late, ESPN even commissioned a couple character illustrations.

3. Paul Rand once said, “It is important to use your hands, this is what distinguishes you from a cow or computer operator.” Do you think this applies to design and illustration today?

Absolutely. Developing your hand-skills in super important. Computers are cool, but they should just be one tool in your tool belt.

Jesse lives in Chicago where he co-owns & operates MAKE., a Chicago-based design team, with Abby Wynne. readysetmake.com  athleteobjects.com

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So, How Was Your Day? Breakfast: Spinach and mushroom omelet. Lunch: Salad. Dinner: Hors d’oeuvres and tequila. Morning ➛ Woke up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy…no wait, those were the Ke$ha lyrics stuck in my head from the night before. It was my birthday. I actually just edited a shoot and worked on some production stuff for an album packaging shoot I’m doing in New Orleans next week. Noon ➛ I took a lunch break and texted a couple of friends who skipped my birthday party. I said I had missed them, but I really just wanted them to feel guilty. I think it worked. When I got back to editing I noticed a Direct Message (that’ll be funny to look back on one day) inviting me to a BMI holiday party. For some reason, I thought it was from an employee at Warner Brothers, not BMI, and subsequently expected it to be a WB event. It got really confusing when the two women I mixed up were both at the party later. Night ➛ My friend Jason and I went to the party. It took a while to figure out if we were at the right place or not because the door guy kept insisting there wasn’t a WB party happening… I typically don’t drink, but once we got inside I desperately needed something to numb my ears from the super loud DJ. The drinks were great, and so was the food. It was especially awesome trying to figure out how I confused the two womens’ twitter names. At some point in the night someone yelled that there was an “Industry Mixer” down the street later, and that I should go. They were wrong. I shouldn’t have. On the way out of the mixer we walked past a restaurant called Pink Taco, and I asked 1 of 20 or so paparazzi what was going on there. The gentleman told me it was an afterparty for Aerosmith, so we went in. It was a blast, and Steven Tyler looks a ton like my grandma. There was a man dressed as Jesus, a lot of friends, and Johnny Depp. I’m a big fan of his.  Three Last Things… 1. What’s up with you crashing parties? Do you do this often? No. I normally don’t just walk up on big after parties, but I happened to know the magic words for that particular one. Also, I think it should be noted that, during a party, if you shout at someone about another event, it’s considered a formal invitation. 2. Do you remember the first photo you took where you thought, “Wow, I can make a career from this.” How did you know? There was this girl named Mae on myspace that I was super into, and that motivated me to have better photos of myself. My friends and I then started doing regular photo shoots of each other after that. She’s my wife now so, I figure I did alright. 3. How DO you think P. Diddy feels when he wakes up? You really stumped me with this one. I’ve been sitting here trying to think of an answer and I’ve got nothing. Rich? What do you think? Steven lives in Los Angeles where he is a music & celebrity photographer. His subjects have included Nas, Snoop Dogg, Rainn Wilson, and Common. steventaylorphoto.com @steventaylor

So, How Was Your Day?

Breakfast:

Spinach and mushroom omelet.


Lunch:

Salad.


Dinner:

Hors d’oeuvres and tequila.

Morning ➛

Woke up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy…no wait, those were the Ke$ha lyrics stuck in my head from the night before. It was my birthday. I actually just edited a shoot and worked on some production stuff for an album packaging shoot I’m doing in New Orleans next week.



Noon ➛

I took a lunch break and texted a couple of friends who skipped my birthday party. I said I had missed them, but I really just wanted them to feel guilty. I think it worked. When I got back to editing I noticed a Direct Message (that’ll be funny to look back on one day) inviting me to a BMI holiday party. For some reason, I thought it was from an employee at Warner Brothers, not BMI, and subsequently expected it to be a WB event. It got really confusing when the two women I mixed up were both at the party later.



Night ➛

My friend Jason and I went to the party. It took a while to figure out if we were at the right place or not because the door guy kept insisting there wasn’t a WB party happening… I typically don’t drink, but once we got inside I desperately needed something to numb my ears from the super loud DJ. The drinks were great, and so was the food. It was especially awesome trying to figure out how I confused the two womens’ twitter names. At some point in the night someone yelled that there was an “Industry Mixer” down the street later, and that I should go. They were wrong. I shouldn’t have. On the way out of the mixer we walked past a restaurant called Pink Taco, and I asked 1 of 20 or so paparazzi what was going on there. The gentleman told me it was an afterparty for Aerosmith, so we went in. It was a blast, and Steven Tyler looks a ton like my grandma. There was a man dressed as Jesus, a lot of friends, and Johnny Depp. I’m a big fan of his. 

Three Last Things…

1. What’s up with you crashing parties? Do you do this often?

No. I normally don’t just walk up on big after parties, but I happened to know the magic words for that particular one. Also, I think it should be noted that, during a party, if you shout at someone about another event, it’s considered a formal invitation.

2. Do you remember the first photo you took where you thought, “Wow, I can make a career from this.” How did you know?

There was this girl named Mae on myspace that I was super into, and that motivated me to have better photos of myself. My friends and I then started doing regular photo shoots of each other after that. She’s my wife now so, I figure I did alright.

3. How DO you think P. Diddy feels when he wakes up?

You really stumped me with this one. I’ve been sitting here trying to think of an answer and I’ve got nothing. Rich? What do you think?

Steven lives in Los Angeles where he is a music & celebrity photographer. His subjects have included Nas, Snoop Dogg, Rainn Wilson, and Common. steventaylorphoto.com @steventaylor

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So, How Was Your Day? Breakfast: Kefir. Honeycrisp apple. Nugget of Panda Express orange chicken. Lunch: Sicilian blood orange green tea. Curried turkey salad with greens, carrots, red pepper and raisins plumped in Blis sherry vinegar and Co-op mole hot sauce. Dinner: A glass of Aglianico. Duck rillettes on warm baguette. Dante cheese with curried carrot puree and pepitas. Ham with grainy mustard and Raclette. Toasted brioche with cauliflower and Emmentaler Mornay sauce. Morning ➛ Alarm interrupts a dream filled with frogs and unusually spunky turtles, inspired by some Chinatown pics viewed on Instagram before bed. I have an early flight back to Chicago, so head to the DC airport where time is spent reading a friend’s GQ story on Rihanna, catching up on Lena Dunham tweets and requesting samples of Panda Express orange chicken. I’m expectedly anti-fast-food, except for nuggets of o.c. at Reagan Airport, no matter the time of day. On the plane: Write a story about Fat Rice, a charming new Macanese-inspired restaurant in Logan Square, and make to-do lists for Fête. Noon ➛ Back home and the first order of business is a pot of tea, always from my main dealer, Rare Tea Cellar. Fridge is mostly bare, save for an absurd collection of condiments, but I’m prepared with a stash of provisions brought from the parents’ house. Make salad, Instagram it, eat it, and get back to work. Write more, make a playlist for Tasting Table’s upcoming December dinner party story, and have an hourlong phone catchup with The Chicagoan’s JC Gabel about the future of the magazine and the daunting similarities between Citizen Kane and present-day Chicago publishing. Snacks include frozen peaches and spoonfuls of Blis bourbon-barrel-aged maple syrup. I swear, I could spend my entire salary on shoes, bedding and Blis products. Night ➛ Dinner with a friend at Bar Pastoral, the new wine/cheese/charcuterie bar adjacent to the specialty shop of the same name. Head home to brainstorm pintxos ideas for an upcoming guest-pintxos-maker stint with Ryan Poli at Barcito. Feeling drawn to Middle Eastern flavors and southern Spain’s North African connection, so flip through Mourad Lahlou’s New Moroccan and Yotam Ottolenghi’s gorgeous Jerusalem. Fall asleep thinking about caramelized-onion tortilla with harissa aioli and chard with preserved lemons and ras el hanout.  Three Last Things… 1. What’s up with your new market Fête? Fête is a nighttime food and design market that two partners (Emily Fiffer and Jessica Herman) and I are launching on December 6. It’s a celebration of Chicago’s creative talent; each season we’ll curate a group of local artists, artisans and entrepreneurs, and bring them together under one roof for a single festive night. Next year, when we do the market in a larger space, there will be pop-up restaurants, cocktail bars, a DJ… So you’ll spend the evening eating, drinking, connecting with inspiring people, scoring some incredible finds, and maybe even shimmying a bit on the dance floor (a.k.a. my dream night). 2. Most people don’t fall asleep dreaming about ras el hanout (or even know what it is)…where did your love of all-things-food begin? It’s definitely nature, and a bit of nurture, too. I started pestering my mother and grandmother to do cooking projects as soon as I was old enough to raid their cookbook shelves. Thankfully they were open to spending weekend afternoons making Thai meatballs and Ghanaian jam with a precocious elementary-schooler. I’ve always connected with cultures first and foremost through food. If you want to get an immediate feel for a culture, its markets are the best way to do so (street markets, central markets and supermarkets — I’m fascinated by them all). 3. Anything you won’t eat? In my line of work, you can’t (well, shouldn’t) be picky or have strong predilections. I can still evaluate or appreciate things that I don’t actually enjoy (natto, no thanks). There are only two things I’ve refused to eat: fermented raw squid innards in Hakodate, Japan, and a dish of warm Spanish sea urchin with corn at a rather famous restaurant outside Roses, Spain. I love urchin, but something about the temperature and flavor of this dish made me instantly queasy. I felt like a total wimp, but it was torture. My dining partner (who didn’t like it either) kindly took that one for the team and sneakily forced down the rest of my plate. Heather lives in Chicago with her cat Laya. She’s the local editor of TastingTable.com and a co-founder of Fête, a food and design night market. Tasting Table Chicago  Fête Chicago   photo credit: Elise Bergman

So, How Was Your Day?

Breakfast:

Kefir. Honeycrisp apple. Nugget of Panda Express orange chicken.


Lunch:

Sicilian blood orange green tea. Curried turkey salad with greens, carrots, red pepper and raisins plumped in Blis sherry vinegar and Co-op mole hot sauce.


Dinner:

A glass of Aglianico. Duck rillettes on warm baguette. Dante cheese with curried carrot puree and pepitas. Ham with grainy mustard and Raclette. Toasted brioche with cauliflower and Emmentaler Mornay sauce.

Morning ➛

Alarm interrupts a dream filled with frogs and unusually spunky turtles, inspired by some Chinatown pics viewed on Instagram before bed. I have an early flight back to Chicago, so head to the DC airport where time is spent reading a friend’s GQ story on Rihanna, catching up on Lena Dunham tweets and requesting samples of Panda Express orange chicken. I’m expectedly anti-fast-food, except for nuggets of o.c. at Reagan Airport, no matter the time of day. On the plane: Write a story about Fat Rice, a charming new Macanese-inspired restaurant in Logan Square, and make to-do lists for Fête.



Noon ➛

Back home and the first order of business is a pot of tea, always from my main dealer, Rare Tea Cellar. Fridge is mostly bare, save for an absurd collection of condiments, but I’m prepared with a stash of provisions brought from the parents’ house. Make salad, Instagram it, eat it, and get back to work. Write more, make a playlist for Tasting Table’s upcoming December dinner party story, and have an hourlong phone catchup with The Chicagoan’s JC Gabel about the future of the magazine and the daunting similarities between Citizen Kane and present-day Chicago publishing. Snacks include frozen peaches and spoonfuls of Blis bourbon-barrel-aged maple syrup. I swear, I could spend my entire salary on shoes, bedding and Blis products.



Night ➛

Dinner with a friend at Bar Pastoral, the new wine/cheese/charcuterie bar adjacent to the specialty shop of the same name. Head home to brainstorm pintxos ideas for an upcoming guest-pintxos-maker stint with Ryan Poli at Barcito. Feeling drawn to Middle Eastern flavors and southern Spain’s North African connection, so flip through Mourad Lahlou’s New Moroccan and Yotam Ottolenghi’s gorgeous Jerusalem. Fall asleep thinking about caramelized-onion tortilla with harissa aioli and chard with preserved lemons and ras el hanout. 

Three Last Things…

1. What’s up with your new market Fête?

Fête is a nighttime food and design market that two partners (Emily Fiffer and Jessica Herman) and I are launching on December 6. It’s a celebration of Chicago’s creative talent; each season we’ll curate a group of local artists, artisans and entrepreneurs, and bring them together under one roof for a single festive night. Next year, when we do the market in a larger space, there will be pop-up restaurants, cocktail bars, a DJ… So you’ll spend the evening eating, drinking, connecting with inspiring people, scoring some incredible finds, and maybe even shimmying a bit on the dance floor (a.k.a. my dream night).

2. Most people don’t fall asleep dreaming about ras el hanout (or even know what it is)…where did your love of all-things-food begin?

It’s definitely nature, and a bit of nurture, too. I started pestering my mother and grandmother to do cooking projects as soon as I was old enough to raid their cookbook shelves. Thankfully they were open to spending weekend afternoons making Thai meatballs and Ghanaian jam with a precocious elementary-schooler. I’ve always connected with cultures first and foremost through food. If you want to get an immediate feel for a culture, its markets are the best way to do so (street markets, central markets and supermarkets — I’m fascinated by them all).

3. Anything you won’t eat?

In my line of work, you can’t (well, shouldn’t) be picky or have strong predilections. I can still evaluate or appreciate things that I don’t actually enjoy (natto, no thanks). There are only two things I’ve refused to eat: fermented raw squid innards in Hakodate, Japan, and a dish of warm Spanish sea urchin with corn at a rather famous restaurant outside Roses, Spain. I love urchin, but something about the temperature and flavor of this dish made me instantly queasy. I felt like a total wimp, but it was torture. My dining partner (who didn’t like it either) kindly took that one for the team and sneakily forced down the rest of my plate.

Heather lives in Chicago with her cat Laya. She’s the local editor of TastingTable.com and a co-founder of Fête, a food and design night market. Tasting Table Chicago  Fête Chicago   photo credit: Elise Bergman

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