EDIBLE MAGAZINE: VALLEY FORD COWS

I recently had the amazing opportunity to photograph the cows at Valley Ford Cheese Co.  Including a 2 DAY OLD calf!  This ranch, Mountain View Jerseys, has been in production for over one hundred years.  5 generations of the Bianchi family have now worked on this land in Valley Ford, CA.  Karen Bianchi-Moreda and her family have such amazing dedication to their cows, their land, and their heritage.  Karen gave me a truly heartfelt tour around the farm and sent me away with some of their amazing cheese.  It has been a privilege!  Look for their cheese at these farmer's markets, and look for these images in an upcoming Edible Marin & Wine Country issue :)

EGRET

NOJO!

I recently had the amazing opportunity to photograph the food at Nojo restaurant in SF.  Nojo means "farm" in Japanese... as a result, locally sourced ingredients take high priority.  To read more about my experience eating at Nojo check out this past blog post.  I am looking forward to more work with Chef/Owner Greg Dunmore, including an upcoming farmer's market trip!

Nojo is also using locally sourced Monkey Faced Eel via Two X Sea.  Check out this video to see how this crazy looking species is caught.

RAINBOW TROUT

I have been working at Fish Restaurant in Sausalito part time for over a year now.  I have met some great people through the restaurant and I truly love working there.  Fish is dedicated to sustainable seafood by avoiding species which are overfished, paying careful attention to fishing seasons, and simply not buying fish that have been caught using unsustainable fishing methods.  As Fish grew, Two X Sea, a sustainable fish distribution company evolved.  Two X Sea began developing an algae based fish feed which could be used to raise trout instead of relying on feeds containing other, smaller fish (as well as chicken parts).  They began this experiment at McFarland Springs in Susanville, CA.  I am hoping that these images will become part of a larger series, which I will be developing this year.

LUCKY HAND & MISSION CHEESE

Mission Cheese recently opened at 736 Valencia St. in San Francisco, offering cheese flights, sandwiches, and of course mac n' cheese!  Lucky Hand's Cali Common and Black Lager were featured during beer week.  Each beer was paired with it's own cheese flight and a sandwich.  For example, Cali Common was paired with the "California Gold" sandwich: San Joaquin Gold, chevre, prosciutto and fig preserves.  Delicious.