Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Phototasting at Cube Café & Marketplace: They Shot It, and Then They Ate It.

There are only two human pleasures I can think of that involve all five senses. One of them I won't mention in this post. The other one is eating.

We taste sweet, salty, bitter, sour and sometimes, umami.

We feel the shiny globules of fish roe burst on our tongues.

We hear the crunch of perfectly fried pork skin as it gets crushed between our teeth.

We smell a truffle's wonderful earthy aroma.

We see the complex marbling of fat on a slice of glowing pink toro.

Traditionally, recreating these gastronomical sensory experiences is not an easy task, lest you cook and/or eat that meal again. In our digital age, however, it's never been easier to stir up memories of all the pleasure we had at any given meal-- a simple photograph can help us bring it all back. This is why we continue to annoy our dining companions by whipping out our cameras and snapping away before anyone is allowed touch their food.

This is why Phototasting exists.

This is why several camera-wielding, food-obsessed strangers converged upon Cube Café and Marketplace on a Saturday afternoon, eager to learn about basic food photography techniques and even more eager to savor the four delicious seasonal Italian courses that they shot. After some brief presentations by Tony, Claire and myself, the room was abuzz with the sounds of shutters clicking, forks clinking and food lovers socializing and networking.





Their photos are what they--and we the readers--have left to stimulate our senses with.

I'll stop talking now. Let's just let their delicious photos describe what they ate, shall we?


First Course: Heirloom Tomato & Fresh Peach, Cube Imported Buffalo Mozzarella, 6 yr. Balsamic, Fruity Olive Oil

(Photo: Flickr member Forchetta 1)

(Photo: Meal Muse)

(Photo: Spoondles)



(Photo: Rocket Lunch)


Second Course: Black Truffle Pizza with Mozzarella and Fried Egg


(Photo: Meal Muse)


(Photo: Flickr member Forchetta 1)

(Photo: OakMonster)


Third Course: Pancetta Wrapped Porchetta, Creamy Polenta, Roasted Broccoli

(Photo: Rocket Lunch)

(Photo: OakMonster)


Fourth Course: White Nectarine Shortcake, Lemon Verbena, Fresh Cream





Can you practically taste, smell, touch, hear and see what they ate?

I can.


Please check out what some of our participants had to say about Phototasting at Cube:
Foodie Comes Clean: Phototasting
Hmm...Food...Good: Tasty Food and Gorgeous Photos at Phototasting
Jewels From The Roving Stove: Developing a Taste For Photography
Meal Muse: Phototasting
Rocket Lunch: Phototasting at Cube
Spoondles: Taste My Photos


For more information on Phototasting or to be informed of future Phototasting events, email us at info@phototasting.com or follow Phototasting on Twitter!

A special thank you to Cube Café and Marketplace for making Phototasting an amazing experience that was beautiful to both the eye and the palate. To those of you who've never been to Cube, go. Now.

Cube Café and Marketplace
615 N. La Brea Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 939-1148
www.cubemarketplace.com
Follow cube_LA on Twitter!

6 comments:

weezermonkey said...

Congratulations!!! :)

Maggie said...

Awesome roundup! I'm honored to be included, and honestly can't wait for the next workshop.

Kelley said...

My mouth literally watered when I saw the picture of that pizza!

stuffycheaks said...

arggh so bummed I had to move house that weekend. seriously.. black truffle and egg pizza? jealous!

Katharine (Meal Muse) said...

Awesome - thanks for including me! There are some fabulous photographers in this bunch!

wan said...

nice work! your students took some gorgeous photos.

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