A team of very creative and collaborative people I’ve had the pleasure of working with on a number of projects has officially launched their new website. Moeski Consulting Inc. is a full service design, concept and consulting firm that specializes in creating marketable and profitable projects within the hospitality industry, lead by two passionate directors: Brett Turner, Restaurant Consultant, and Karin Bohne, Interior Designer.

The website features some of my food photography and interior shots from Amanda (both above as seen on their home page), a talented and dear friend who is embarking on her own architecture & interior photography venture.

Should you require Brett & Karin’s services, here’s how to get in touch with them:

t.  604.629.3400
f.  604.629.3401
e. info@moeski.ca

And congrats on the website Brett & Karin, it showcases your talents beautifully!

1. Because I got to work with this inspiring and accomplished gardener/writer.

2. Because these specific photo shoots (yes, plural) fit so many of my ‘perfect assignment’ criteria, including what holds the #1 spot on that list: collaboration.

3. Because in a couple of months, there will be this tangible thing I’ll get to hold in my hand and celebrate with the writer on. Rarely does this happen in my line of work.

4. And because she’s just as excited as I am.

(WAHOO!!)

Check out The Well Tempered Chocolatier, Bakergirl Creations, Chef Luisa, other ladies and myself on ‘The Express: Holiday Edition’!

Recipes below!

(*embedded video to come as soon as I can get my hands on it…)

Recipes (click to download PDF):

Alfajores and Chocolate Crackles (from Chef Luisa)

Espresso Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Snowflake Cookies (as shown in photo above; recipe from Bakergirl Creations)

Holiday Oat Bars (recipe from Robyn)

Almond Crescents and Cinnamon Pinwheel Cookies (from Sheri)

Brown Sugar Shotbread Fingers (from Louise)

Homemade Oreo Cookies (from Jackie)

Hailing from the Comox Valley I try my best to keep tabs on what’s going on there. From a fellow Islander, Hans Peter Meyer, I kept seeing something he was interviewing Valley residents about called CV2050.  Born out of conversations between Hans, David Stapley and Meaghan Cursons around 8 pillars of sustainability (social & community well-being, food security, infrastructure
ecosystems, environment, parks, economic health, transportation, building & site development, housing & neighbourhoods) and the fact that they love the Comox Valley and want to see it thrive in years to come (with specific goals to reach by the year 2050) , they are interviewing a variety of Valley leaders in the hopes deepening the conversation about sustainability in the Comox Valley community and region.

I watched his 3×2x8 interview with Roberta Stevenson of the BC Shellfish Growers Association and thought “Well, it’s about the Valley and sustainability, yes I will re-tweet!” Be careful what you wish for, because not two days later I got a message from Hans asking if he could interview me on the topic of food Sustainability in the Valley. Of course, without question, I agreed.

If you’re interested about reading what some major players in the Comox Valley are saying about these 8 pillars of sustainability, here’s the run down:

Sam Sommers
Gary Rolston
Andrew Gower
Patti Fletcher
Mark Holland
Betty-Anne Juba
Vivian Dean
Tom Dishlevoy
Roberta Stevenson (BC Shellfish Growers’ Assoc)
Jack Minard
Chef Ronald St. Pierre
judy walker
Jackie Connelly
Meaghan Cursons
Paul Krismer

If you’d like to keep up to date with this project you can follow Hans Peter Meyer on Twitter and join the 3×2x8 Facebook page. And, Hans is really hoping that others will pick up the interview and run with it - so if you’d like to be interviewed, or would like to interview someone in the Comox Valley on one of these pillars, give either Hans or I a holler.

A short time ago I received an email rom the Food Policy Team at the City of Vancouver, and as the deadline is looming I wanted to make sure you all knew about this possibility for..get ready for it…you to have your own garden plot!

An initiative tied to the Olympics, frown if you must, but only good things can come out of the establishment of 2,010 new garden plots, right? C’mon now! I’m all over this because this year some fellow tenants in my building got together and started our own community/building garden plot, and I’ve been growing my own food since April ‘09 and lovin’ every minute of it.

© 2009 jackie connelly

Here are the details:

“2010 Garden Plots by 2010 is a challenge to encourage the creation of 2,010 new garden plots in Vancouver by January 1, 2010, as an Olympic legacy. The challenge was issued to individuals, families, community groups and neighbourhood organizations in 2006 to help establish more food-producing gardens in the city.”

The email continued on to say that several potential sites for new food producing community gardens have been identified and the City of Vancouver is currently seeking applications from community groups to manage them. If you or your organization is interested in being part of the 2010 challenge by helping to create a new community garden in Vancouver, submit an application to communitygardens@vancouver.ca by October 31, 2009.

So how do you apply?

Applications can be submitted for one or more of these potential garden sites. Please note that successful applicants must be one of the following:

A registered non-profit organization, co-operative or strata council; or,

Sponsored by an existing registered non-profit organization, co-operative or strata council

Questions about the RFP can be directed to Erin MacDonald at communitygardens@vancouver.ca

To download the Request for Applications, please visit www.vancouver.ca/gardens.

© 2009 jackie connelly

Last week in Montreal a few local photographers and I participated in a photo exhibit called Photo Expo 2009. Held at the Musée Juste pour rire and open to photography and illustration members of CAPIC (Canadian Association of Photographers and Illustrators in Communications) to accompany the World Press Photo exhibit, it looked amazing and I was truly dissapointed to not beable to make it out there. I was sent some shots of the space and the photographs hung; I think it looks beautiful and they did a great job with the display. There are a few shots below, and you can go here to see the full slideshow.

Thank you so much to the entire team who worked very hard to organize this event. Mérci and félicitations!

Exhibit photo courtesy of www.gilleslauzon.com

Exhibit photo courtesy of www.gilleslauzon.com

My photo panel above - that's the UBC Farmers Market! Exhibition photo courtesy of www.gilleslauzon.com

* click the HQ button to watch in High Quality

At the start of the Summer I was hired to shoot food photography for a pretty great book. You may recall that I’m from Vancouver Island, and if you’ve read any of my blog posts before, you know that I love making food look delicious on camera, to say the least.

So, when the chance came to shoot the food for a Comox Valley based book that promotes local chefs, local food, and the people who live on the Island that grow and produce this food..’Sign me up’ I said!

Here’s the cover and some shots from the book…I hope you enjoy them.

The book is available for purchase on the North Vancouver Island Chefs Association website.

Think that title is a little out there? Or totally intriguing? Wait till you see the food photography. And it won the book a pretty big compliment.

This year’s James Beard Award (coined “the Oscars of the food world”) for best cookbook photography went to the The Big Fat Duck Cookbook, by Heston Blumenthal. The photographer is Dominic Davies from the Netherlands. You can see images from the book at the link above, as well as some of Davies’ other work.

So…now that you’ve looked at the cookbook photography…what do you think? Obviously it knocked the socks off the Beard Award judges; did it knock your socks off too?