Adventures in Event Reporting Part III: An Event at Blue Cashew

This is the third and final part to a three part blog.

About a year ago, I applied for a position with Apartment Therapy as an events reporter. The experience was absolutely amazing. Part I gives you some background and talks about my work with a well-known writer, Cynthia Kling, who stepped in as my writing coach. Part II and III is more about the work itself.

I needed to produce two samples with photos. This is one of those samples. In this piece, I met some heavy hitters in event planning and food styling-all in addition to meeting the cake goddess, Rose Berenbaum Levy. I would like to extend a special thanks to Sean Nutley of Blue Cashew Kitchen Pharmacy for being such a great host and so supportive of my efforts.

Heavenly Hudson Valley

A Book Siging Event for Rose Beranbaum Levy

 Up the river a piece, about two hours north of Manhattan, is a new place where cool things happen-even in February.

I walked into this  kitchen supply store/book shop, Blue Cashew Kitchen Pharmacy on Main Street in Rhinebeck and was met with a bevy of activity. This was a party and book signing for Rose Beranbaum Levy, author of every sugar-lovers favorite book, The Cake Bible. 

 Renowned food stylists, event designers, photographers, chefs and fans from the metro area all gathered to celebrate Beranbaum’s new book, "Heavenly Cakes". Patrick Decker whose clients include the "Rachel Ray Show" and "The Chew" was in attendance along with Eric Hildebrand, a visual merchandiser and food stylist based in New York City.

In a low, almost-seductive voice, I hear Rose say "you should roll the pie crust until it's very even, it makes it so easy to work with and it's so beautiful and when things are beautiful you feel good about them."

The cake goddess, as she is called, was charismatic, quirky and creative who, even in her story telling about her hippy days created a captivating journey-much like her recipes.

Rose with her food photographer, Ben Fink

I watched as she talked in an almost intimate way with fans, offering baking advice and generous insight into having fun while getting a cake right. I've always been confused about flour, Rose set me straight, telling one fan that "...it's important to use bleached flour for the best texture unless otherwise specified."

After getting to know her, it came as no surprise, she sometimes invents a cake name before baking it. Chocolate Tweed Angel Food Cake, anyone?

There are a zillion recipe books out there. This one is an inspiration. It begs you to get off your derierre and pre-heat your oven. A book like this starts with its writer, a visionary. Other than the writing and recipes, Heavenly Cakes is a giant success because of the beautiful pictures by brilliant food photographer, Ben Fink.

Fink is not only  a good shooter, but an ace videographer. He was there to celebrate both his new book and his app, The Professional Chef app for iPad. Professional Chef, written by the Culinary Institute of America, was a textbook first, but quickly became a bible for advanced cooks and extreme foodies across the nation.

The new app is the most expensive one on the market at fifty dollars,  but maintains a user rating of four and a half stars. It is also more affordable than it's hard-copy counterpart. ($75.00)

Is it worth it?  The app has the many features of an e-book, the beautiful photography of a hard copy, but what makes it really special are its just-as-pretty instructional videos,

The app boasts 125 of them and according to CIA administrator, Natalie Fischer, they narrowed it down from 450. 

She said with emphasis "...Ben could make a pile of flour look beautiful."

I found the example in a heartbeat in Chapter 10, Dry Goods Identification by using the search function. Ms. Fischer was right. The flour was beautiful and so were the oats, dried pasta, nuts and seeds and dried spices. 

As an events reporter, and avid cook, it was tough to stay focused in a shop like this.

The event was sponsored by the makers of the picnic-safe, stemless champagne flute, Govino and champagne producers, Nicolais Feuillatte (was I really in The Hudson Valley? Yum!).

 

Adventures in Event Reporting Part II: Cooper Hewitt Design Talk

This is Part II of a three part blog.


About a year ago, I applied for a position with Apartment Therapy as an events reporter. The experience was absolutely amazing. Part I gives you some background and talks about my work with a well-known writer, Cynthia Kling, who stepped in as my writing coach. Part II and III is more about the work itself. 

I needed to produce two samples with photos. This is one of those samples. I was able to meet and talk with some very influential people in the design industry. I want thank everyone mentioned in this article for taking the time to speak with me. I would also like to extend a special thanks to Jennifer Northrop of Cooper Hewitt for being such a great host and source of information.

Eva Zeisel

Cooper Hewitt Reveals the Woman Herself 

The event description said "Join us for a celebration of Eva Zeisel and her influence on contemporary design." Last night I attended Bill's Design Talks, a panel discussion that is presented by the Cooper Hewitt on a semi-regular basis.

I expected her colleagues to be discussing industrial design, its history and how Zeisel made her mark. I truly thought I would be listening to dry banter and design-weenie terms. You know, the kind of stuff that makes anyone not in the industry fall asleep.

Instead, I got to know Eva Zeisel as if she were there. I was swept away by a woman who seemed like a character in children's book.

"Eva in Wonderland," is what Jed Perl, one of the speakers, calls her. He worked for Zeisel for a number of years and got to know her intimately.

Two of Zeisel's most recent collaborators James Klein and David Reid, the owners of KleinReid, a porcelain design and manufacturing company, also spoke of their adventures with her.

Here are the qualities of the woman I learned about last night:

Carefree
There was a lot of discussion about Zeisel's well-known "playful search for beauty," a design philosophy she stuck to.

According to James Klein, "...she didn't want you to start a design with an end in mind, she wanted you to get out of your own way and discover it."

Zeisel was unafraid and she brought the Klein and Reid boys along cutting and folding paper to create hundreds of tiny models.




James Klein and David Reid of KleinReid

Emotional
I really wanted to know what the process was like going from hundreds of small, paper silhouettes to a finished product. I asked them how did they ever pair it down and they said "...it came down to what we liked, what we were drawn to."

 Eva Zeisel's daughter, Jean Richards and grandaughter,Talisman Brolin.

Untameable
I stood at the microphone during the Q&A portion of the talk and I asked Klein and Reid if they balanced Eva out and if they tamed her. I don't know what they said because her daughter, Jean Richards, blurted out from the audience "impossible!" Ok. I guess I'll believe her.


Direct (well, sort of)Jed Perl said his career with Zeisel ended with a final paycheck and a short note that said he was "too expensive." Perhaps this was because she spent 16 months in prison because she was accused of plotting to kill Stalin.


CuriousZeisel learned at a young age that her objects could take her places. She spun that around in her favor. In a video introduction to the talk, she admitted "these things didn't take me places, I made things particularly because I wanted to see the world."


UnshakeableEarly on in her career, Zeisel was the only woman at a pottery studio. She showed up to her first day of work to a surprise from her colleagues. On her wheel sat a very realistic rendition of "male organs". She was unmoved and simply pushed the pieces off her work surface. She gained instant respect from her co-workers.

Open
Zeisel's granddaughter, Talisman Brolin told me that openness was the quality that was passed down to her and that it's one she cherishes. Brolin is thirty years old and runs her own photography studio. She feels this quality has only enriched her life experiences and has brought more depth to her work as a portrait photographer.

 Cooper Hewitt Director, Bill Moggrige, Jean Richards and Jed Perl

Funny
She sprayed her potting neighbor at a factory with cologne everyday because he "smelled very bad." He thought it was very nice and brought her bread and butter on a daily basis as a thank you.

Whimsical
The first time Eva spent a considerable amount of time with Klein and Reid they practically had a slumber party. They were up until two in the morning talking and drawing. This was the first time the two used cut paper as part of their design process. When they tried to leave in the wee hours of the night, Eva insisted they come with her to her country house the next day. On the drive up, she demanded to stop and frolic through an orchard stating that they lived in the city and needed to get in touch with nature.

These were just some of the little things I came to know about Eva Zeisel.

During the talk, Perl, an art critic, would add in his expert commentary on things like how Zeisel would add a Rococco flourish to streamlined design. Bill Moggridge, Cooper Hewitt's director and the moderator for the talk, would try to steer the conversation towards her career.

Neither would stick. The conversation kept going back to who she was. It was as if Eva were there prompting them to stop being so serious.

Adventures in Event Reporting, Part I: Working with Cynthia Kling

This is part one of a three part blog.

About a year ago I held nothing back, I had not an ounce of fear or doubt,...I totally went after something I wanted, but even more so, believed I could have.

I was applying for an events reporting position with the national design blog, Apartment Therapy.

I worked, I slaved, I got a press badge for a Cooper-Hewitt event, I interviewed members of Eva Zeisel's family and took pictures of the museum director.  For about two weeks, in my own mind, I was absolutely an events reporter for Apartment Therapy.

I did not get the position. Not only did I not get it, but I got no response at all. Not even a little "we regret to inform you" note...and here I was thinking I was going to knock'em dead. Huh!

So, this story doesn't have a happy ending. However, as we well know, life is not about the destination, it's about the journey and to me, this was one hell of a ride. I met some amazing people through the two samples I wrote. I also, got to work with a fantastic writing coach-a story in and of itself. 

So here it is.

I found out about Apartment Therapy's call for submissions from my lawyer friend, Kate Metzger.  She really thought the position would be perfect for me. So did I!

The first person I told about my new "project" was Cynthia Kling-a writer and writing coach.

Cynthia Kling  |  Cynthia Kling  |  Cynthia Kling

I wish there were a glitter font available just for her name because as far as I'm concerned, she's a rock star. And...she's reading this and saying "oh hell no, not glitter." Cynthia's understated and a bit humble.

However, I'm not and I'm just gonna spill it. She's got quite the resume. She's written for national magazines like Conde Nast Traveler. She was the last person to interview Eva Zeisel before her passing for the Wall Street Journal. As one of the founding editors of Domino magazine she helped to shape its content and identity-especially with her regular column, The Adventuress (below). (Also, check her out in action in this video.)

I couldn't have asked for a better pair of eyes on my work. The thing is, somehow these eyes came to me gratis.

I've known Cynthia for years. She used to come into my store back in 2006. She signed up for my email newsletter and followed my updates. She liked my writing. She prompted me to take it more seriously and made the suggestion to start getting experience with small publications. So, I did. I wrote few articles for Hudson Valley Mercantile and one for Hudson Valley Life.

I'm glad I took her advice. I had writing samples and experience to point to on my resume for the Apartment Therapy editors to see. That is, if they ever looked at it. The point is though, I was more prepared for this opportunity and I have Cynthia to thank for that..

When I told Cynthia about the opportunity I had in front of me, she was very excited. Unexpectedly-even for her-she took me under her wing.

I think I need to stop asking "why?" and just acknowledge the fact that she obviously has a passion for what she does. She is in the right place doing the right thing.

Cynthia is a born coach. She is the kind of person who sees the best in people. A natural reporter and writer who is always looking for a story and is supremely interested in what makes people tick and what makes you, you.

This is the person she is and the foundation she stands on from which to teach.

Cynthia turned to coaching after many people asked her to help them edit their work and saw that there was a need she could meet. She also, wanted to be the person she wished she had when she began writing.

Cynthia's writing career began late in life and she wished she had someone with wisdom, who was gentle, but firm and acted as a guide. Cynthia was all of these things and then some to me.

When I spoke with her last week, she said she had some clients who were working on articles for the internet, one is working on a book about gardening, another, writing a graphic novel and two have books headed for publishing! So if you've ever dreamt of being a published author, now you know who to get in touch with for help.

My adventures in event reporting were beyond amazing, but having Cynthia by my side, only lent fuel to my fire.

She is the one I have to thank for inspiring me to start writing in the first place. She was always an acquaintance who took an interest in me, but now I can easily call her "friend".

Sometimes you don't get what you want in life, what you sought after. Instead, you receive something beautiful and unexpected. 

The ending of this story isn't what I wanted, but it's all mine and I'm pretty happy with it.

If you would like to hire Cynthia Kling to work on improving your writing or a specific project, she can be reached by e-mail at ckling@panix.com

Souda: Award-Winning, Entrepreneurial and Right Outta School!

 In searching the NY Gift Show this week for amazing new products, the company that touched our hearts most was Souda (pronounced "soh-duh" and is a Japanese exclamation that roughly translates as "Oh, yeah!")

Souda is a group of 3 guys who graduated from Parsons design school in the summer of 2012. They launched their design studio in Brooklyn and Poof! There they are at the NY Gift Fair 6 months later.

These boys were handpicked by a jury to be one of three newbies to showcase their work. And we're not the only ones enthralled by them. Souda received a Bloggers Choice Award for their Bubble Chandelier. (Given by Alexandra Zwicky, Design-Calendar.com)

We concur, the Bubble Chandelier is a brilliant concept derived from the use of plastic bottles from a local non-profit called Sure WeCan. They are NYC's only homeless-friendly redemption center for cans and bottles. The sale of Souda's beautiful chandelier supports the Non-profit, by donating some of the proceeds back to them. This is what we call a beautiful sustainable loop. In addition to reusing material resources, this product is sustainable in giving back to its surrounding community.

 Please check out Souda's growing product line. This new collection focuses on one-offs by creating hand-made, process-driven pieces. www.soudasouda.com