Have you ever wondered about the people behind your favorite artisan and local foods? Liza de Guia does, too, and brings their stories to us via video on her terrific (and James Beard Award-nominated) site Food. curated. Through this medium, she captures the passion, dedication, and artistry of the people who make delicious things for all of us to eat. Her series is beautifully shot and completely addictive (much like the Robicelli’s cupcakes she profiles). I’m always in anticipation of another installment the minute the one that I’m watching is finished, so that I can see what is the next amazing thing that she’s picked to portray.
Liza de Guia
Last night, at the Tavern on the Green food truck court area, Liza gave us a sneak peek at what would be showing during Season 2 of her series which starts on August 11 on NYC Life. We were treated to pre-viewing samples of some of the local, artisan businesses she filmed. Mini versions of Robicelli’s Estelle Getty and Key Lime Cheesecake cupcakes were gobbled up quickly. Danny Macaroons brought his Salted Caramel (wildly popular and one of my favorites), Chocolate Dipped, and German Chocolate flavors. From Dough, where Fany Gerson of La Newyorkina developed the recipes, we noshed on Dulce de Leche & Almond and Lemon-Poppy Seed donut holes. I didn’t get to try any of Salvatore Bklyn‘s cheese, which is something that is on my list to track down.
Estelle Getty (almond cake, cheesecake buttercream, crushed Sicilian almond cookies) no Key Lime Cheesecake (graham cracker cake, key lime cheesecake buttercream, graham cracker crumbs and lime zest) left!
The lone macaroon – German Chocolate
Dulce de Leche & Almond donut holes
Lemon-Poppy Seed donut holes
You’ll see from the photos below that arriving even a little bit late for the start of the event, resulted in my only getting to try the Estelle Getty cupcake and the lone German Chocolate Macaroon. I did get to sample both of Fany’s donut holes, which were completely delicious. I have to second Fany’s comment that the Lemon-Poppy Seed one brought back memories of a cake that I used to eat as a child. It was all wonderful, which was not a surprise, given the care and craftsmanship that I know goes into making each and every one of these products. After we saw the clips from the show, Liza brought the food folks themselves up on the stage to join her.
Salvatore Bklyn, Danny Macaroons, Dough, Liza de Guia (L-R)
So, how does she come up with her video ideas? She replied that she gets out there and eats food, lots of food, and takes the time meet the artisans behind the brands, much like I do, too. She develops relationships with them, and then gets them to agree to let her tell their tale of how they came up with their product, how their business came into being, and how they feel about what they do working in this industry. Her engaging profiles are as much about a labor of love as a passion for food, which you can tell inherently about the artisans themselves as well as about Liza’s storytelling when she films them.
To view Series 2 of Food .curated, be sure to tune into NYC Life at 9:00 p.m. on August 11th. Additional videos of her work can be found on her website www.foodcurated.com. To keep current with her latest finds and whom she’s profiling next, follow her on Twitter at @skeeternyc and like her page on Facebook.
Buon appetito!
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