That’s a wrap: final shoot for the Vie cookbook

Whew. Three days of photo shoots for the Vie Cookbook, three days of running around with food, props, and people, not to mention goats, chickens, and bees. Our photo team, comprising Jeff and Susie Kauck, their daughter, Dana, and Jeff’s photo assistant, Aaron Corey, worked hard to capture the final plated food shots while Paul Virant and his crew at Vie helped prepare the food. I did a little of everything–organizing, trouble-shooting, food styling. When I got home, all I wanted to do was collapse in an easy chair and watch reruns of Bones. Paul wasn’t so lucky–at the end of each shoot, he was on a Metra train to Perennial Virant, his Chicago restaurant.

The first two days we set up shop at Vie. On the last day, Saturday, we headed to Heritage Prairie, a farm outside of Geneva, Illinois, for a change of scenery. In contrast to the shoot we did at Prairie Fruits Farm, where we focused on summer dishes, these days were focused on fall and winter. With only a few wispy clouds, the weather cooperated, showcasing a farm in transition from summer to fall in the best light. While green and red tomatoes clung to the vine, stalks of Brussels sprouts and tender fall lettuces were coming in strong. We also visited the farm’s bee hives, sampling honey straight from the comb and shooting some of the book’s preserves while the farm’s handful of goats looked at us with amusement. (I think it’s their permanent expression.)

Oh, and guess what? I think we finally have a name for this book. You can see the real photos for Preservation Kitchen after its release date: early April, 2012.

For now, here’s an amateur photo preview:

setting up props

duckfat-poached whitefish with dill

Paul glazing the cheese tart at Vie

Heritage Prairie farm fields

bee hives

Bronwyn Weaver with honey comb

the farm’s barn

late-season tomatoes

Brussels sprouts

buckwheat fields

Tagged as: canning, inspiration, making books, making it work