They Shot, They Savored: Phototasting, Checkers Downtown, 02.06.2010

There were people there who actually have food blogs.

There were people there who blog mainly about non-food subjects with the occasional post about food.

There were people there who owned food businesses.

And there were people there who simply wanted to know how to use their cameras better.

But no matter what their backgrounds and interests are, all the participants and the first Phototasting workshop--held on a rainy Saturday afternoon at Checkers Downtown--had one thing in common:

They all know that food is art.

And they came to Phototasting to both shoot and savor it.

Our attendees were given an overview of cameras as well as photography and composition basics, but the real meat of the workshop was allowing participants to both sample and photograph eight courses prepared by Checkers' Executive Chef Todd Allison and Sous Chef David Baker.

(Chef Baker, L, and Chef Allison, R. Photo by WeezerMonkey)

(Clockwise from upper-left: Participants learning about their cameras, photo by WeezerMonkey. Sampling forks, photo by djjewelz. Participants trying to achieve great bokeh, photo by WeezerMonkey. Digging into the braised kurobuta pork course, photo by me!)

The beautiful, delicious star of the show was Chef Allison's market-influenced cuisine with our participants there to capture it in all its glory. And a lovely job they did, I must say. Take a look at some of the gorgeous photos they took that afternoon:

(Lobster Bisque with wild mushrooms and lobster medallions. Photo by djjewelz.)

(Ahi tuna salad with pomegranate, blood oranges, baby Lola Rosa lettuce. Photo by diglounge.)

(Grilled local calamari with kalamata olives, cippolini onions, haricot verts, roasted garlic aioli. Photo by Nad's Bakery)

(Alternate plating of the grilled local calamari. Photo by Glutton_In_LA.)

(Class participant capturing Braised Kurobuta pork belly with roasted shallots, brussels sprout gratin. Photo by Nad's Bakery)

(Another view of the Braised Kurobuta pork belly. Photo by diglounge)

(Myers Ranch Beef Tenderloin w/ Bloomsdale spinach, fingerling potatoes, bearnaise sauce. Photo by Wan Life To Live.)

(Grilled Alaskan salmon with asparagus quinoa, roasted tomatillo and chili relish. Photo by Thirsty Pig.)

(Shortcake with Farmers Market Berries with fresh mint and whipped cream. Photo by Pardon My Crumbs.)

Please also check out what Nad's Bakery, Wan Life To Live, Pardon My Crumbs, and djjewelz had to say about Phototasting!

To be notified of future Phototasting events, please email dailygluttony@yahoo.com.