And Tomorrow Night’s Radio Show Guest Will Be…

Last week we had a very interesting and informative show with OSEM USA‘s President Izzet Ozdogan. The guest called in late due to circumstances beyond his control, but we still managed to get 20 minutes of the company’s history and how Israel’s own history impacted on it. We spoke about their exciting new kosher for Passover products and some of the company’s all year round iconic products. If you missed it, you can hear the show right here (scroll down that page to: On Demand Episodes).

This coming Wednesday, The Kosher Scene Show’s guest will be Paula Shoyer. She appeared on our original radio show and you can still hear the archived interview. A 1996 graduate of the Ritz Escoffier Ecole de Gastronomie Française in Paris, Paula Shoyer owns Paula’s Parisian Pastries Cooking School in the Washington, DC. area. She recipe tested and edited Susie Fishbein‘s Kosher By Design Entertains and Kosher By Design Kids In The Kitchen. Paula is also the author of the brand new book The Kosher Baker. Not only is this a beautiful tome, the attention to detail in its execution, the direction given in the recipes, make its publication an unparalleled event among kosher cookbooks.

This time, Chef Paula will talk to us about Pessach baking, we hope you will listen to what promises to be an informative, entertaining and mouthwatering show. Please tune us in, at 8:00pm Eastern Time tomorrow evening, Wednesday, the 30th of March. We’ll be expecting you, gentle reader. Give it a try, you’ll like it!

CS

We Have a Winner!

Since we posted The Contest, So Far…, until this past Thursday at midnight, we received 19 additional photos. Some were quite good, some mediocre. None of these photos were shot by professionals, none spent hours food styling and we certainly didn’t aexpect such, the three top ones are quite good. Before we show you the winning picture and the two runners up, here is one photo that I wish could have been at least a runner up. The colors are beautiful, it is very sharp but the lighting is uneven, distracting and there is no definite overall pattern…

Extreme closeup of Rainbow Salad - Kosher By Design Kids in the Kitchen, page 42

While the specific angle of the picture avoided harsh shadows, it was obviously shot with flash as opposed to available or natural light. As a result there is some glare which greatly detracts from the photo. It could have been a very good shot… It was taken by a teenager in Providence, RI. We truly thank you for your efforts and interest!

The second runner up, took the following:

Braised Turkey - Kosher By Design Lightens Up - page 140 (Photo by: Chani U; Brooklyn, NY)

Sharp with no unseemly shadows and taken with available light; the turkey definitely looks inviting. It could have used some colorful garnishing to make it stand out, but it is a good shot.

The First runner up took what seems like a very busy tablecloth and used it to enhance the look of the actual subject of the photo…

Pastrami Burger - Kosher by Design Teens and 20 Somethings, page 104 (Photo by: Chezky R; Queens, NY)

The tablecloth picks up the colors of the pastrami, directing the eye to the food itself. What could have been a very distracting item on the photo actually gives it a warm tone and makes the pastrami burgers look mouthwatering. The flower like pattern of the pickle slices effectively breaks up the almost monochromatic tones of the rest of the photo as it adds interest. Well done!

And the winner is…

Cauliflower "Popcorn" - from Passover by Design, page 197 and Kosher By design Entertains, page 225 (Photo by: Zivah A; Lakewood, NJ)

This particular recipe, by itself, has no interesting colors, in fact it would be boring. The photographer compensated for this shortcoming by putting it in a red glass bowl, contrasting it against a deep blue multi-tone background, and a tablecloth that complements the colors of the food. Putting the photo at a roguish angle makes it truly interesting. Definitely a winner. Mrs. Zivah A. a copy of Susie Fishbein’s latest cookbook, Kosher By Design: Teens And 20 Somethings, will arrive soon at your doorsteps in Lakewood.

We are very grateful to every single one of the 33 people who submitted, thank you for your interest!!!

CS

The Contest, So Far…

We’ve gotten only 14 entries, so far, for our photo contest on your interpretation of any one of Susie Fishbein’s 900 plus recipes. Some were shot from afar, centered on an otherwise empty table (thus it was hard to see the actual dish). Some were shot directly from above giving the food a very flat, uninteresting look. Some were out of focus, but two pictures actually stood out. Both came from Lakewood…

Cauliflower Popcorn, from Passover by Design

Why do I like this photo? Though the photographer obviously did not spend time food styling the shot, nor hours setting up the lighting, the shot is interesting because of the choice of colors which only enhance the actual dish and direct the eye to the food itself. The shadows are soft and the photo was obviously shot with available light rather than flash. The colors of the cauliflower popcorn lack contrast on their own, but the surroundings add interest, so does the slanted angle which brings considerable drama to the shot. Well done!!

Another interesting shot, taken by my granddaughter Leah after she baked it…

 

Confetti Cake from Kosher By Design - Kids in the Kitchen

She opted for a more traditional angle and relied on the cake’s own colors for interest, resisting the temptation of adding unnecessary elements in the foreground or background.

By the way, I was in Lakewood for the weekend, she made the cake on Thursday evening and I got to enjoy its moistness and great taste on Shabbos. It may not have looked fully professional but it was truly delicious, a great testament to Susie Fishbein’s cookbooks and Leah’s dedication to producing a delectable cake for her zeydeh. She knows I have a sweet tooth!! Very nice!

Is there no one in the 5 New York boroughs capable of taking a memorable food shot? There is still time, we’ll extend the deadline from November the 18th to the 25th (one additional week). Please send us your best photos of any of Susie Fishbein’s 900 plus recipes to:

kosherscene@gmail.com

Meanwhile, let me repeat a few pointers about food photography:

• Try to get as close a shot of the finished dish as possible.
• If your photo will include something other than just the dish you prepared, make sure that the main object of attention in your composition still remains the item you made from one of theKosher by Design recipes.
• Make sure the lighting (available light, flash, etc.) does not give off some ugly, distracting shadows. If at all possible try to photograph your dish during daylight hours, by a window letting in natural light. If you are using flash bounce it off the ceiling or a wall, as that will balance out the light and diffuse harsher shadows.
• Prepare your settings in advance. Food looks its best during the first few minutes of preparation and its looks deteriorate as the clock ticks. Colors may change, the way you stacked it up may collapse and so on.
• Remember, when you photograph food you want to make it inviting, you want the viewer to imagine and taste it with the mind’s eye. As you put the food on the dish, pay attention to the colors, the shapes and the positioning of each piece.

Look at the photos in some of your cookbooks, or look at line at some great food photography by the pros: Lou Manna, Christine Peters, Diana DeLucia, or Michael Ray. You’ll find these photographers have different styles, yet all presents their subjects in mouth watering ways.

Look at how the pros do it, and get ideas. We know you will neither spend hours adjusting the light nor doing heavy food styling. We do not expect professional photos, but we do expect a little bit of imagination and interesting shots. Download your free recipe index, cook up a storm and send us your best photos.

CS