events

The Culinary Institute of America’s Worlds of Flavor

“The Culinary Institute of America’s Worlds of Flavor® International Conference & Festival is widely acknowledged as our country’s most influential professional forum on world cuisines, food cultures, and flavor trends.

Each year, the Worlds of Flavor conference welcomes more than 60 guest chefs and other culinary experts from around the world to the college’s historic Napa Valley campus to explore the best of world cuisines that are reshaping American palates and our industry.”

We had the opportunity to meet each of the talented chefs, including celebrity chefs Chris Cosentino and Maneet Chauhan, and photograph their delicious creations!

portrait | chez mudo

Chez Mudo is a pop-up supper club by Chef Trevor Molyneux. Mudo signifies “a state of feeling” or “the pervading atmosphere of a given place.”

Last night, Chef Molyneux cooked up five courses of Japanese and California flavors that sent guests into pervasive gastronomic bliss.

Chef Molyneux has spent time working at notable restaurants in San Francisco, such as Michael Mina, Akikos, Ame and Ju-Ni. Chef Molyneux describes his food as “Japanese with a Californian attitude mixing fish flown in from Tsukiji market with local ingredients.”

Chef Molyneux in action, plating dishes

Squid amuse bouche

Cucumber Gazpatcho

Albacore sashimi

Beef tataki

Sho to Wagashi

We had the honor of shooting the “COSMOS: Five Elements” held at Morimoto in Napa recently, where the art of Japanese cuisine, calligraphy and confectionery were transformed into unique visual and edible art forms.

The event featured the food of Chef Ichiro Tsuji, along with the live works of Japanese calligraphy artist, Aoi Yamaguchi, and Japanese traditional confectionary “wagashi” artist, Shiho Sakamoto.

Inspired by the concept of Ying-and-Yang Five Elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water (Mok-Ka-Doe-Gon-Sui), Yamaguchi painted contemporary Japanese calligraphy on Japanese handmade “washi” paper, on which pieces of wagashi, created by Sakamoto, were tastefully placed to complete the the world of each Element. Grounded by Japanese traditional aesthetics and culture of “wabi-sabi”, the three talented artists realized their visions through each and own realms of senses, together creating a unique experience to celebrate blessings from nature.

Rayko | First Exposures

“First Exposures is a San Francisco-based, nationally recognized youth mentoring program that strives to make a major long-term difference in the lives of high-need, underserved San Francisco Bay Area youth by providing a venue for them to enhance their self-confidence, develop their creativity, and gain a passion for learning. Cited as a model program by the State of California, First Exposures serves youth 11-18, who are referred to the program by a wide range of youth and social services organizations with which First Exposures partners.

Since the program’s founding in 1993, over 95 percent of our students have gone on to pursue a college education.”

First Exposure’s “Looking Forward, Giving Back” show and silent auction event on Wednesday evening was a successful one.
It was great talking to some of the students and hearing their perspectives on how the mentorship affected them.

“First Exposures strives to make a long-term impact on the lives of high-need, underserved youth in the San Francisco Bay Area.”

art market san francisco

artMRKT San Francisco is an international art fair held May 15th thru May 18th, 2014 at the Festival Pavilion, Fort Mason Center in San Francisco, California. It’s ticketed opening party last night allowed collectors and arts enthusiasts the first opportunity to meet dealers and to view gallery presentations. The pavilion was transformed and packed with works of some of the most notable artists.

25 years of fashion

It’s amazing to see what BCBG Maz Azria has been doing for the past two decades and more. And this year they are celebrating their 25th year anniversary as the iconic California fashion house that continues to not only remain relevant, but also ahead of their game.

“For 25 years we have shared our designs with our customers, giving them a chance to own a piece of BCBG history,” chief creative officer (and wife of Maz Azria) Lubov Azria tells us. “The 25th Anniversary Retrospective is a tribute to our incredible past. With the pop-up opening in tandem with our exhibit, we are giving people another opportunity to share a piece of our heritage. If you’ve never worn BCBG, this is a great chance for everyone to live the ‘Bon Chic, Bon Genre‘ life.”

We had the gracious honor of being at their amazing celebratory dinner when Lubov came to visit San Francisco recently.

Round the World

We’re out to sea for the day and the weather couldn’t have been more perfect. The crew taking us out has been at sea for seven months now, out of a year long voyage around the world, as part of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. They’ve stopped in the northern French Port of Brest before a tour that will take in Rio, Cape Town, Australia, Singapore, Qingdao, and now San Francisco, with 87 days left and still Panama, Jamaica, New York and London to go. We have so much for respect for the crew and can only imagine all the wonderful sights they’ve encountered and all the ocean toils they’ve endured along their journey.

ICONS premiere

It was great seeing Markus and Indrani at their ICONS premiere last night in LA, and even better that we got to be there alongside the bay’s finest, Mark Sebastian, Alex Bauzon, and John Agcaoili

http://www.markusklinko-indrani.com/ — at Merry Karnowsky Gallery.

event | oh boy, baby shower!

We covered the quite a colorful baby shower for excited parents, Annaliese and Daniel, this past weekend. And as usual, we are not surprised that it would be a photo-perfect baby shower (Annaliese loves decorating and planning)! Here’s a preview of some of the bright and bold colors from the shower, held at the historic Adobe building in Mountain View, California.

All the darling little cupcakes and cake were done by Annaliese’s cousin – such talent!

event | bridal shower | pacific heights

This weekend was quite a pleasant one… starting with a bridal shower party in Pacific Heights. Alana already looked like a blushing bride, but I’m sure it was easy especially after seeing the setup her sister had done for her bridal shower 🙂

Yummy hor’dourves blankets the center table.

Look how cute this cake is!

These petite chocolate chip cookies were laid atop mini glasses of milk – just delightful!

Alana’s sister looking poised by her work of art 🙂

My favorite thing on the table… cupcakes!

The bride-to-be’s beautiful mother.

Kodak moment between Alana and her mother – makes you smile 🙂

Congratulations to Alana and her future groom! Cheers!

events | corporate holiday party

What better way to get into the holiday spirit then with a holiday party! Not only did I shoot for this event, but I also had some involvement with the party planning along with the help of the lovely Frances from Charmed Events! The guests had nothing but good things to say about the food (catered by Betty Zlatchin Catering) and the intimate and gorgeous venue, The Box.

We kept the decor simple since the space at The Box already spoke for itself 🙂

The entryway, lit up with candle lights, set the mood the instant guests walked in.

The classy setup by the Betty Zlatchin staff. Kudos to Brian and AJ for being so great!

Deserts from Miette and Sweet Lauren Cakes were the finishing touch for the palate!

Happy holidays, everyone!

F.A.M.E.: Young and the Restless

Come visit Vivian Sachs Photography at F.A.M.E!

F.A.M.E. is a bi-annual event that brings together the aesthetic elements of streetwear culture. It strives to collectively gather fashion, art and music to exhibit the work of passionate artists of every caliber and every medium. F.A.M.E. offers a space for those hustling day in and day out to exhibit their contributions to the streetwear life.

F.A.M.E. : Young & Reckless not only shares this unique experience with the general public but also the opportunity to take home a piece of it.

DATE
Saturday, September 17, 2011

TIME
7:00PM – 11:00PM

LOCATION
1111 Felipe Avenue
San Jose, CA 95122

ADMISSION
$9.00 Presale (Ends 09.16.11 at 7:00PM)
$12.00 At the door

A portion of the ticket sales will benefit the FutureArtsNow!

HOSTS
Dem One

DESIGNERS
Eufia by Kathryn Guinto
Gold&Thread by Hagen Valencia
Intwined
Kitami Ropa styled by Tara Kitami
With Love, Made From Hate

FASHION
1nspiration Is Free
Booger Kids
Breezy Excursion
City League
Clout
Crossroads Trading Company (Blossom Hill)
Cukui
Fiftyseven-Thirtythree
Flora + Fauna
Fully Laced
HippoEsthetics
Homegrown Blends
Inner Circle
Intwined
Kitami Ropa
Marvin King | MKP| UGLIETV
Mighty Thredz
Mint
Petals and Peacocks
Pops Fabrication
Prep Jerks
PUZL Clothing
RideSFO
South East Beast
Suhreal
Superb
The Goods
The Imaginary Zebra
Unbound Vision
Unscripted
Vintage Decay
With Love, Made From Hate

ART
Abel G
AD Avila of After Dark {Live Screen Printing}
Armo
Michael Borja
Nick Giannini
Horitaka’s State of Grace
Wädl

MUSIC
Dennis Infante
DJ Quantum
DJ Snare
Hopie
J.A.C

FOOD & BEVERAGE
MoGo BBQ
Smoregasbord
Soulnese
Temple Bar & Lounge
Treatbot

FIFTEEN MINUTES OF FAME
Bow Tie Tying Contest Sponsored by Intwined
Malakas Motorsports
Zero Gravity Photo Booth by Sir Mark Sebastian and Vivian Sachs

For more info, click here.