Recapping the Who’s Hungry? Magazine Launch Party

April 25th, 2012 by admin

500 print magazine copies and 1,728 Smilebooth photos later… the Who’s Hungry? Magazine launch party is a wrap! It took a lot of planning, but the night was a huge success and was the perfect kick-off to a magazine that was truly a labor of love. After months of toiling away in the studio, in conference rooms, on the phone, and via hundreds of emails, it felt great to share our work with family, friends, and industry guests. The fantastically multi-talented Deirdre O’Shea made all the party logistics happen, then still managed to relax and kick up her heels with the rest.

Guests click through the interactive magazine

In addition to giving away a limited number of beautiful print copies of the magazine (printed by Graphic Arts Studio and designed by Ian Law), we set up monitors and computers where guests could interact with the magazine online.  Guests had fun clicking through the links to watch videos, see recipes, and find more information on the behind-the-scenes “tricks of the trade.”

But what really made the night a blast was, well, the party. DJ Milty Evans got the crowd dancing (even Steve!), My Private Chef‘s Christopher Tong cooked delicious finger food that used ingredients featured in the magazine, and SmileBooth captured all the outtakes, hilarity, and shenanigans that are bound to occur after a few glasses of wine.

Steve and Spiaggia's Sarah Grueneberg share a hug.

The party continued into the wee hours of the morning, but eventually, the DJ packed up, the kitchen lights shut off, and guests stepped out into the refreshing night air. What’s left now as evidence of the party are a few copies of the print magazine still floating around the office, as well as some incriminating Smilebooth photos that will never see the light of day…

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The Aviary Mixes Us A Drink

February 17th, 2012 by admin

The Aviary, Grant Achatz’s futuristic temple of cocktail wizardry, is a place where bartenders are not bartenders, or even “mixologists,” they are chefs. The Aviary’s website says executive chef Craig Schoettler “presides over” the kitchen, and there is something seemingly priestly and magical about what the team producers there, both in its cocktails and in the el Bulli-themed food bites that are currently available a la carte.

A few weeks ago, the studio was honored to have The Aviary’s Micah Melton stop by and recreate one of the newest cocktails on the menu: a sake and creme de violette concoction with a violet sorbet and passionfruit foam. Liquid nitrogen. iSi containers. The kitchen started to look like a chemistry lab.

The final image was a beautiful one, showing off the varied textures and colors of the drink, and highlighting the vintage stemware that The Aviary uses for this cocktail. Oh, and as for how it tasted…in a word, delicious. But did you really expect otherwise?

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Behind the Scenes of a Hog Butchering Demo

February 8th, 2012 by admin

“Did the pig get delivered yet?” It’s not a question heard often around the studio, but it was a legitimate one this week, as Steve and crew prepared to host the National Pork Board for a chefs-only butchering demonstration.

The pig did arrive, a beautiful heritage breed from farmer Kim Snyder of Faith’s Farm in Bonfield, IL. Kim, who was on hand for the demonstration, raises all her livestock on non-chemically treated pastures, and feeds them only hormone- and antibiotic-free grains. For city dwellers who normally only see pork as a chop or a tenderloin on their plates, witnessing the immense size and beauty of a whole animal was a unique experience.

Just after 9 A.M., chefs began to filter in to the studio, ready to learn about techniques for breaking down a hog and tips for preparing it safely (and tastily). Luckily, they had a great guide in the form of Stephen Gerike, the director of food service marketing for Pork Board. Stephen first led the audience in a presentation titled Pork 101, which covered all aspects of a pig’s life, from breeding to harvesting.

Even for those in the restaurant and food industry, some of the facts were new and interesting. For example, did you know that for a package of pork to be certified organic, everything from the pigs’ bedding to their housing to the ground they’re raised on must also be organic? Or that the U.S. exports the pork from 1 in 4 pigs raised here? Or that dark breed hogs are generally less attentive mothers than their white breed counterparts? To test our readers’ porcine knowledge, the studio is asking a question: How many ribs does the average pig have, and which breed is the exception? Answer the question correctly in the comments and you will be entered for a chance to win some Who’s Hungry? swag.

While everyone enjoyed the educational component of the morning, the crowd really started to stir when the whole pig was wheeled out to the butcher’s block. Stephen Gerike started with a half hog, split lengthwise, to demonstrate all the various cuts that can come from the pig. Using both a bow saw and a knife, Stephen showed how to separate the hocks and trotters from the hip, how to remove the tenderloin, and how to divide the “baby back” from the short ribs. Contrary to popular belief, the butchering didn’t require much use of the saw. Stephen emphasized that many of the cuts should be made with a simple, sharp knife.

Even for folks who don’t plan to butcher a whole pig any time soon, the demonstration was useful because it connected people to the meat that they eat. It’s important to know how one’s food is produced, where it comes from, and the journey it takes to reach the consumer.

Speaking of the consumer, guests were invited to feast on a beautiful spread of charcuterie, bacon, and other goodies prepared by styling assistant Breana Moeller. It was a fitting end to a morning that explored the whole life span of an animal, from birth to plate.

 

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Food Styling: A Moeller Family Affair

December 20th, 2011 by admin

Breana Moeller’s first assisting job came when she was still a little kid: Her father, a food stylist, brought home a huge trash bag full of pecans, sat her and her sisters down at the table, and paid them each $1 to sort pecans for a few hours. Now, decades later, Breana is still a food styling assistant alongside her father, though it wasn’t a clear path there.

After a successful career as a chef, Breana’s father, Walter Moeller, had four children and wanted to spend more time at home. He trained for a career in a field that was then completely female-dominated: Food styling.

“I broke the gender barrier,” Walter says. “Back then, it was all female home ecs who did food styling, but I wasn’t about to let that slow me down.”

Walter realized that his background as a chef set him apart and could be an asset in a food styling kitchen. Though he shared his talent and interest in the field with his children, he didn’t push any of them into following in his footsteps. Breana, though, was the most curious about her dad’s profession, and was proud that her father had an “avant-garde” job. Still, she never thought she’d end up as a food styling assistant.

Wanting to be involved in the culinary world, Breana first thought she would approach it from the advertising angle. After she completed a four-year degree, she attended culinary school and worked as a chef and pastry chef at top restaurants in Colorado. Though she loved the pace and creativity of her job, Breana says it eventually caught up with her.

“I literally woke up one morning and said ‘This is too hard.’ I was having to hold down two or three jobs. I wanted to cook, I loved getting my hands dirty, so I called my dad and said, ‘I think I want to try food styling.’ ”

Within a few weeks, Breana was on a plane to Chicago, where she started calling photographers and offering to assist. Because she wanted to make it on her own without the help of her father’s connections, she would often leave off her last name when she first spoke with photographers.

Now, Walter has been in the business for 30 years, and Breana has established her own reputation. Still, the two find themselves working alongside each other a few times a month. In a testament to the strength of their relationship, the father-daughter team works seamlessly together, often anticipating what the other needs before anyone has to say a word. Even Breana’s mother is involved in the team, acting as Walter’s manager and handling his bookings. The only difficulty the Moeller team has ever had working together?

“I had to figure out what to call him at work!” Breana says. “I tried ‘Walter,’ but it sounded way too weird. So we stuck with ‘Dad.’”

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Cake Boy’s Not-Quite-Costume Party

October 25th, 2011 by admin

Cake Boy also contains recipes for brownies and other non-cake desserts.

Tell us this isn’t the recipe for a great party: chef Art Smith’s attention to detail, some edible glitter desserts, and a disco theme. All the over-the-top elements converged a couple weeks ago during a party at the studio for Eric Lanlard’s book, Cake Boy. Lanlard is a sensation over in England, where his award-winning desserts, TV shows, and books have made him a recognizable food celebrity.

Steve with Eric Landlard (middle)

This past Sunday night, the studio filled with the infectious beat of disco music, the swirl of gold glitter, and the intoxicating smell of cake. Eric buzzed around the party, hanging out with A Perfect Event’s Debi Lilly, and of course, Steve. While the guest list was certainly a fun one, the party missed the presence of Art Smith, who was delayed in NYC while filming a Thanksgiving special with none other than Lady Gaga. A disappointed Art called Steve around 1 p.m. on Sunday to say that his plane wouldn’t be taking off, and that he hoped the night would go off without a hitch. It certainly did, but not before Art’s partner, Jesus, made a little mischief.

The prankster of the night award undoubtedly went to Jesus, who told a few guests that the event was a disco costume party, meaning a handful of people showed up in head-to-toe 70s garb. While they were initially embarrassed, a little polyester never ruined anyone’s night.

If you’re bummed that you missed all the desserts, look for Cake Boy on shelves (and Amazon) now, then crack it open for recipes from hot gingerbread souffle to salted caramel mousse.

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Oh How Does Your (Rooftop) Garden Grow?

September 7th, 2011 by admin

The end of summer is when most gardens are bursting with ripe produce, and the garden at the Stephen Hamilton studio is no exception. The rooftop boxes here are different in one important way, though: they’re watered by the building’s air conditioner. Special effects designer and all-around handyman extraordinaire Geoff Binns-Calvey constructed the raised garden to run off the extra condensation generated by the air conditioner. This reduces water use, ensures the plants are always hydrated, and keeps the condensation from pooling on the flat roof.

Here’s the basic set-up: PVC pipes run from the air conditioning system to the boxes, which are built of durable (and great-smelling) cedar wood. The water pools at the bottom of the garden between layers of lava rocks, landscape membrane material, and soil. When the soil gets drier, plants’ roots can reach down to soak up the water that’s collected at the bottom of the box. This means less work for the studio staff, who don’t have to continuously water the herbs and vegetables.

Despite this summer’s high temperatures, the plants thrived and will continue to supply leaves and vegetables for the studio to use in shoots. Most recently, food stylists harvested mint to garnish a caramel-chocolate tart. Watch our video to see the garden’s water system in action, plus catch a glimpse of the summer produce before fall temperatures set in.

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In Search of Beautiful Imperfection at Green City Market

September 1st, 2011 by admin

Often in photography, timing is everything. That’s why it was lucky that a cookbook shoot at the studio coincided with peak summer produce at Chicago’s Green City Market. Yesterday, Steve, photo assistant Andrew and food stylist Breana were up a bit earlier than usual to find fresh-picked, natural ingredients from the market to use in the shoot. What would have taken five minutes to gather at the supermarket turned into an hour-long stroll through the fruit and vegetable stands as they sampled produce, asked questions, and came away with much more than just ingredients.

In the early morning sun, wicker bushels overflowed with lantern-shaped cape berries, inky purple eggplants, and quarter-sized deep red strawberries. It’s not just the final product, though, that makes the market worthwhile; it’s the interaction with the farmers and the expertise they share. Asking questions of the vendors is the key to selecting the best produce and learning tips for storing, preparing, and preserving what you buy.

As the market slowly filled up with chefs and shoppers, Bill Bagby of Tiny Greens urged Stephen to try his micro green onion sprouts, which look like a tangle of thin, translucent green floss flecked with black seeds. For such delicate baby greens, they release an incredible burst of onion flavor. To allay Breana’s fears about the greens drying out overnight, Bill assured her that they would last if kept in a Ziploc bag with a damp paper towel in the refrigerator. At Mick Klug’s stand, farmers guided Breana toward doughnut peaches, a squat variety of peach with elegant green leaves and a sweet, white flesh. At Kinnikinnick Farms, Steve chatted with Kate Gross about the fresh taste of the just-laid, pastel green and brown eggs she brought to market.

Unlike conventional produce, organic fruits and vegetables aren’t bred to last forever on store shelves, or to keep their color for weeks. Some have imperfections, but it’s these variations in color or texture that give them their beauty. Heirloom tomatoes’ natural bulges and green, red, or yellow color splotches make them visually stunning, not to mention tasty. It’s all summed up in Green City Market’s motto: “Know your food, know your farmer.”

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Steve’s Summer Soiree

August 3rd, 2011 by admin

Recently, Steve treated his employees to a night out. Food, drinks and fun were plentiful and the company was second to none. It was a perfect night to spend with friends at Clutch (located at the corner of Ogden and Grand). Check out the video below to see some smiling, happy faces on a perfect summer evening in Chicago.

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The Making of The Restaurant Project

May 19th, 2011 by admin

Every week, Steve mixes business and pleasure while creating content for The Restaurant Project. Here’s how it works; Steve dines at some of his favorite new restaurants. Then, he takes a snapshot of his favorite dish with with his iPhone. Finally, once back at his studio, he creates his own version of the dish and photographs it. Check out this video and see Steve’s process in approaching The Restaurant Project.

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Frosty Love

May 12th, 2011 by admin

This week marked the official beginning to soft serve season at Stephen Hamilton Photographics. This year we’re made a change. We are now serving delicious Colombo frozen yogurt. The flavors of the month are raspberry and vanilla. We decided to put a short video together just to show how much we love this little bucket of bolts. But, we must warn you, it’s a little racy. Check it out below.

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