Southern Living Magazine & Stella Dallas
Happy Friday to all! Thrilled for Amber Frazee at Stella Dallas for her recent feature in this month’s Southern Living. I am always so grateful to work with you on photoshoots, Amber!! So excited to see your hard work in Southern Living. Everyone, look for your issues next week! Enjoy and be sure to stop by Stella Dallas for some of the greatest pillows, throws and furniture in town!
cheers! -claire
Texas Wine & Trail Magazine :: Uchi
Celebrating today’s feature of Austin’s own Philip Speer of Uchi in Texas Wine & Trail Magazine. Congratulations on the article Philip!! Enjoy the images and be sure to stop by Uchi!
Classic Cocktails on Maggiano’s Home Website & Press
Six months ago I was able to work with the great team at Maggiano’s Little Italy and photograph a new line of classic cocktails! The new drinks went out on their blogs and in press throughout the nation (see PR Newswire below!) But today, I was so happy to see that my photograph had made the front of the Maggiano’s website! Enjoy!
PR Newswire
Olivia + James Holmes :: Austin
Chef James Holmes is the owner of Olivia, named one of the “Top 10 Best New Restaurants in America” by Bon Appétit magazine, and its southern sister Lucy’s Fried Chicken. We had the fortunate chance to catch up with James for brunch Sunday morning before the Austin Food & Wine Festival and sit down and talk to him about Texas, food, life and work.
“A fifth generation Texan, Chef Holmes is the quintessential proud Texan. Growing up with a father and grandfather working in the oil fields, Holmes’ memories pay special attention to food and can fondly remember his grandfather taking BBQ to the oil rigs for lunch. Holmes left Texas to attend college at the University of Oklahoma where he received his Bachelor’s degree with concentrations in Communication and Political Science. He then moved to New York to learn his craft from The Institute of Culinary Education. Upon graduation, Chef Holmes began his career working at Joseph’s Table in Taos, New Mexico. Holmes then built his resume working with renowned New York City restaurants including Craft and Picholine, and eventually moved to Strausbourg, France to work in the kitchen at La Panier du Marche.
Chef Holmes made his way back to Texas and opened Rose-Hill Manor in Fredericksburg. He then settled in Austin and worked for the Texas Culinary Academy where he was a Chef Instructor for Ventana Restaurant. After Ventana, Chef Holmes helped open the Alamo Drafthouse and shortly after made the move to Out There Catering where he managed backstage catering for popular Austin music venues.
While Holmes’ tireless work often leaves him exhausted, he still makes time for his family. Daughters Olivia and Lucy—for whom the restaurants were named——and his wife and business partner, Cristina, are his driving force every day. Next in line to his love of cooking and family, are his loves for West Texas Mexican food, live music (especially Willie Nelson) and not surprisingly, bacon.”
– Olivia
Enjoy the images and do yourself a HUGE favor and stop by for brunch, lunch or dinner!
Foreign & Domestic :: Austin
Foreign & Domestic, a 47-seat restaurant in Austin, co-owned by Chef Ned Elliott and Pastry Chef Jodi Elliott, has become a neighborhood favorite for expertly prepared food at reasonable prices. We got the chance to sit down and talk with Ned over the Austin Food & Wine Festival weekend! Enjoy some images and enjoy the details on their talent!
Chef Ned Elliott grew up gardening in a home where food played an integral role in daily life. Ned was raised by two women, his mothers Sandra and Linda, who shared their love of gardening, cooking and baking with him. Sandra the cook, taught Ned about the importance of fresh ingredients. From Linda, the baker, Ned learned patience. Both taught him that life should be about continuous learning, a philosophy that was reinforced by Chef Ducasse and his mentor Chef Doug Psaltis.
“My mantra is attention to detail,” says Elliott. “Chef Psaltis instilled this in me and it is an important part of how we define Foreign & Domestic.” It was at the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park in 1999 that Ned met Jodi. Eager to further his career outside of his schooling, Ned left the CIA and began staging at various restaurants in New York City and eventually landed a job at Tabla Restaurant. He continued building an impressive resume as he worked for such prestigious New York restaurants as the Essex House under Chef Alain Ducasse, Picholine, Country and on the opening team at Thomas Keller’s Per Se.
Pastry Chef Jodi Elliott’s love of baking developed at an early age in the kitchen with her Grandmother, “Meme.” A picky eater, but a sweets lover, Jodi enjoyed the playfulness and nostalgia that went along with baking. With the encouragement of her mother, she started her pastry career at age 16 at a local café in San Antonio, TX. Jodi comments, “I was lucky to find my passion early on even before I knew what a pastry chef was.”
Following her high school graduation, Jodi attended the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park where she met Ned. While earning her culinary degree, Jodi worked at Gramercy Tavern under highly-acclaimed Pastry Chef Claudia Fleming. After graduating from the CIA in 2001, Jodi moved to London and took a position at the Savoy Hotel. After a year in London, she returned to New York in 2002 and continued her culinary career at such heralded restaurants as Bouley, Thomas Keller’s Per Se, Peacock Alley in the Waldorf Astoria and Michael Symon’s Parea. It was during Jodi’s time as the Pastry Chef at Parea that the restaurant earned a two-star review from the New York Times.
Stampede 66 :: Dallas
We’re excited to see the new Stampede 66 product line of sauces and shirts available for purchase. Be sure to stop by Stephan Pyles newest restaurant concept for some Texas cuisine if you haven’t been. Stephan and his team have put together another fabulous dining experience! Enjoy!
Claire McCormack Photography 2013
Ranch 616 :: Kevin Williamson {Austin}
Kevin Williamson & Ranch 616 bring to life the spirit of hospitality, generosity, celebration and Austin! It was an absolute treat to sit down with Kevin for a few hours last week and spend time hearing stories about Austin, trying his famous cocktails, and photographing the beautiful plates that Ranch 616 puts out for guests!
“After careers in real estate and on Wall Street, native Austinite Kevin Williamson chose a career in cooking. His work included cooking in La Jolla, New York City, and Aspen. While in Aspen, he worked for the famed Ajax Tavern at the base of Aspen Mountain with chefs Michael Chiarello and Nick Morfogen. During his tenure at Aspen’s Ajax Tavern, Williamson honed skills and decided he wanted to own his own restaurant.
Chef Williamson returned to his hometown of Austin in 1996 where he first worked as Chef for the original Central Market, a leader in destination fresh markets, specializing in prep-less produce and chef-prepared meals for people passionate about food.
In 1998, Williamson opened his own unique restaurant, Ranch 616, a South Texas-style icehouse reminiscent of his many years hunting and fishing in South Texas and the Gulf of Mexico. It was at these ice houses where Williamson was served his finest meals and made many memories, inspiring him to create a town gathering spot similar for local Austinites. At Ranch 616, Williamson combines the flavors of the Gulf Coast with the spices of the border towns of Texas. As quoted by Texas Monthly Magazine, “If there was a Texas-style diner in Manhattan, it would be Ranch 616.”
Chef and Owner Kevin Williamson decided long ago to concentrate more on the entire concept of the restaurant, instead of a specific food niché. “The speciality of Ranch 616 is not a specific food. It is more so the entire concept of the restaurant. The food is not Tex-Mex. It’s not Southwestern either. The special concept of the restaurant is South Texas Ice House.” The innovative cuisine encompasses flavors from the Gulf of Mexico to the border towns of Texas. Along with prime cuts of Texas beef and chicken, Ranch 616 serves whole fish such as flounder, tilapia, and trout and other fresh seafood daily.
Ranch 616 and Chef Williamson have won numerous wards, from his sugar cure rub to his legendary fried oysters voted Southern Living Magazine’s “Best in the South” for three consecutive years.
Williamson has served as the President of the Austin Restaurant Association, and as the President of the Saveur Texas Hill Country Wine & Food Festival, a position he held for the past five years. He is current spokesperson and chef for the Texas Beef Council, and also promotes Texas’ Gulf Coast oysters and shrimp on behalf of the Texas Department of Agriculture. He has traveled extensively with the Texas Department of Agriculture promoting the bounties of Texas – from Brazil, China, Australia, New Zealand, New York City’s Fancy Food Show, to all over the great state.
Williamson traveled to Nantucket, Massachusetts as the featured chef for the Nantucket Wine and Food Festival. There, he kicked off the festival with a seminar called, “Where’s the beef?” Soon after, Williamson traveled to Tokyo, Japan as the spokesperson for the Southern United States Travel Association, the largest food show in Tokyo. At the show Williamson prepared various pecan dishes daily and presented them in English and Japanese.
Most recently, Williamson is a co-owner of Star Bar and The Rattle Inn with Matt Luckie.” – Ranch 616
Enjoy these images from our shoot with Kevin and his incredible team at Ranch 616.
Claire McCormack Photography 2013
Uchi & Philip Speer :: Austin
“Chef Philip Speer conceives desserts that are an anticipated finish to dinner rather than an afterthought. A native Texan, Speer spent his early years in and out of bakeries around Houston and Austin, preparing for his jump to restaurant pastry.
In 2005, Philip settled at Uchi under James Beard Award winning Chef Tyson Cole. Combining elements of surprise and artistry with fresh ingredients are hallmarks of Speer’s approach to his craft and these techniques have garnered him awards in the Austin Chronicle, the Austin-American-Statesman and Texas Monthly as well as national recognition in Bon Appetit, Cooks Illustrated, and U.S.A. Today. Speer has been named a James Beard Award semi-finalist in the overall pastry chef category for the past three years, a Rising Star Pastry Chef by StarChefs.com, and Best Pastry Chef by Culturemap Austin Tastemaker Awards.
Speer’s talents are reinvented at Cole’s newest restaurants, Uchiko in Austin, Texas and Uchi in Houston, Texas. In addition to leading the pastry programs, Speer has taken the helm as Director of Culinary Operations at all three restaurants. Cole’s cookbook, Uchi the Cookbook, features an entire chapter on Speer’s desserts that highlight his inventive techniques and creative uses of less traditional ingredients.
While awards and recognition are greatly appreciated, Speer will tell you, “At the end of the day, it’s all about my love affair with food and working at such a high caliber establishment with diverse and talented chefs.” – Uchi
A big thank you to Chef Philip and his amazing team at Uchi for spending some time with us and allowing us to come into their busy kitchen! Enjoy the images!
Vespaio | Austin
A huge thank you to the pastry chef of Vespiao Austin, Sandi Reinlie, for inviting us in to the restaurant and allowing us to spend part of the afternoon photographing and speaking with her about her love of pastries, food and Austin! Her passion for baking and talent with food is incredible. Located on eclectic South Congress Avenue the restaurant is a long-time favorite of locals and visitors alike. And in the midst of a busy weekend of the Austin Food & Wine Festival, for all involved, we were grateful for all the chefs, talents, and time given to us!
Reinlie grew up in Florida working in her family’s restaurant business, making pizza dough and washing dishes from a young age. Most of her time was spent in her grandmother Beverly’s kitchen, eagerly watching as her grandmother transformed basic ingredients into delicious sweets. When she moved to Texas with her family, she went on to graduate from pastry school in 2008 and worked her way up to become the Executive Pastry Chef at Walton’s Fancy and Staple, a gourmet bakery in Austin owned by Sandra Bullock.
Reinlie’s love of traveling has become a powerful stimulus for creating dishes. In 2009, she began working with Austin based culinary tours company Petite Peche, where she teaches hands on pastry instruction for tour guests. The tours allow her to work in France and Italy’s most celebrated food and wine regions, exposing her to an international culinary art scene, while working with some of the finest seasonal ingredients.
Between culinary tours, Reinlie is also the pastry chef at Chef David Bull’s Second Bar + Kitchen, where she created their fall pastry menu in 2011. In 2012, Austin Chronicle Food Editor Virginia B. Wood gave Reinlie’s lemon panna cotta from Vespaio the number one spot on her Top 10 Sweet Bites of 2012, calling it an “elegant offering” and a “transcendent sweet bite.”
If you are in Austin, be sure to stop by Vespaio for an incredible meal. Their idea is simple—combine great food, great people, and a casual atmosphere. Lively and sociable, their comfortable restaurant features a bustling open kitchen, a social bar, and a simple, warm décor. At Vespaio, you’ll find authentic antipasti & salads, wood-fired pizzas, pastas from light to robust, extraordinary entrees, and decadent desserts. Enjoy!
Claire McCormack Photography 2013
“Growing up just outside of Sacramento, California, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Charles Smith began craving worldly travel at a young age due to his Welsh mother and French father. As soon as he had the chance, Charles decided to move to Denmark (for a “hot piece of a**” i.e. a lady friend he met in the states). While in Scandinavia, Charles spent the next nine years managing rock bands and concert tours throughout Europe, including the famed Danish duo, The Ravonettes. Wining and dining while on the road became a catalyst for his passion of wine, which ultimately triggered the career he has today.
In 1999, he moved back to the United States, specifically to the Pacific Northwest, opening a wine shop on Bainbridge Island, just across the Puget Sound from downtown Seattle. On a road trip in late 1999, he passed through the small town of Walla Walla and met a young Frenchman and winemaker named Christophe Baron. After the two found their common passion for great Syrah, Christophe suggested Charles move to Walla Walla and make his own juice. In 2001 Charles did just that and released 330 cases of his first wine, the 1999 K Syrah. The Walla Walla Valley was now his home.
After a devastating freeze in 2004, Charles brought to life a label he had once in a dream: House Wine. Low and behold, the label concept had never been created or trademarked, so Charles launched the legendary brand before selling it to Precept Brands in 2006. That same year, Charles started a second brand, Charles Smith Wines. The brand was themed as “The Modernist Project,” which focuses on the way people generally consume wine today: immediately. The intent was (and still is) to create wines to be enjoyed now, but with true typicity of both the varietal and the vineyard.
A self-taught winemaker, Charles is a true artisan and a pioneer in the wine world. In 2008, K Vintners was recognized by Wine & Spirits magazine as one of the “Best New Wineries of the Last Ten Years,” and as “Winery of the Year” in their annual buying guide. In 2009 Food & Wine magazine awarded Charles “Winemaker of the Year” and in 2010 Seattle Magazine recognized Charles as their “Winemaker of the Year.” – Charles Smith Biography, www.charlessmithwines.com
claire mccormack photography | texas food photographer 