paris food & photography workshop with Yossy Arefi

I've got big news for you today: I'm teaming up with the super-talented Yossy Arefi of Apt. 2B Baking Co. to bring you a food & photography workshop in Paris this May!

We’ve planned 4 glorious days of cooking, shooting and styling in our light-filled Apartments Actually flat. We’ll visit local markets, boulangeries and cafes as we stroll the streets capturing the light Paris is famous for and tasting the city's best chocolate, coffee, pastries, cheeses and natural wines. And of course we'll gather around the table to share meals both in our beautiful workshop apartment and out and about in Paris.

We've designed this workshop for all skill levels. It will be a great opportunity to learn to shoot manually and master the settings on your camera if you’re new to that. More experienced photographers will benefit from our hands-on styling and editing sessions as well as our guided photo tours through the city.

All you need to do is book your ticket, pack your bags and show up. We’ve got all the details covered so you can focus on taking in the incredible beauty of Paris. You’ll leave feeling more confident in your photography skills and full of creative inspiration!

There are only 8 spots available. My last Paris retreat sold out in a week, so treat yourself to one of them before they're gone!

XO,

Olaiya

paris + portugal

Hello friends!

Here’s my current situation: I’m laid up on the couch with a nasty cold. I’ve talked Beau into recreating the breakfast we ate over and over at our favorite coffee shop in Paris: softly scrambled eggs with black pepper and chives, buttered toast and a cortado (which is ever-so-adorably called a noisette, or “hazelnut”, in French). So I’m nursing my noisette and trying not to be too grumpy about being home.

I am happy to be back in our little house, snuggle my cat and see friends. But other than that I'm sort of hating the transition back to Seattle life: grey skies, having to drive everywhere, feeling isolated working from home, bills. I posted this sentiment on Instagram yesterday and received a ton of wonderful advice on how to get over my Seattle blues: jazz on the stereo, candles, nature walks, a trip to Coyle’s Bakeshop for pastries, and (because this is Seattle) lots of coffee. 

I’m taking this advice to heart. I plan to give each suggestion a go. I especially liked the recommendations to get “an insanely cozy pair of fuzzy socks (even if they're ugly as hell)” and to head to the butterfly exhibit at the Seattle Center for a dose of pretty. 

In the meantime, I decided to spend the morning editing photos I took during our trip to France and Portugal. First of all, for some strange reason I love photo-editing and it always puts me in a good mood. Also, this trip was an especially good one. I’m not exactly sure why. It might have had something to do with how much I liked everyone who came on the Paris culinary tour. Or it might have been the fact that Beau was with me for almost the entire trip. It might have been spending an evening at the beach in Portugal with friends watching an especially stunning sunset. Or perhaps the week Beau and I spent rambling through olive and oak groves in the Portuguese countryside, stopping at tiny villages to sample local specialties. 

Whatever the reason, looking back at all the beautiful places we visited over the last month and sharing them with all of you is brightening my spirits already.

I’ll be back soon with some new recipes for you. Until then, I hope you enjoy these photos from Paris and Portugal!

XO,

Olaiya

my kind of summer fun

I’m going to level with you. 

After all my talk about summer fun and more play in the month of August, I’ve been dragging through this week like the walking dead. Last Saturday I hosted the pop-up dinner I’ve been telling you about. It was a huge pleasure to have such a diverse and interesting group of people gathered around my table. And this first big party felt like the perfect way to baptize our new house.

Kyle and I prepared a table for twenty in the back yard with white linens, dahlias from the farmers market and vintage silver and glassware I’ve been collecting for over a decade.

We served radishes with spicy tuna butter and salted watermelon cocktails to start. (We Seattleites are notoriously socially awkward, so I make a point of starting all my dinners with a little kick to get the conversation flowing!)

Then there was king salmon crudo with pickled blackberries and creme fraiche. Grilled zucchini with homemade ricotta, honey and toasted barley. Smoky lamb on a bed of tomatoes and grilled cucumbers with a killer walnut-herb sauce. And we finished the evening with an Eton mess featuring fragrant grilled peaches, peach sorbet and pistachio ice cream. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t pretty proud of the meal. 

But the best part came late in the evening, after dessert had been served and the coffee had been poured. I stood back and just watched our guests enjoying themselves. Their faces glowed in the candlelight as they talked and laughed. I floated around taking photos and catching bits of conversation as they drifted up into the summer sky. 

And felt an immense sense of satisfaction. 

Earlier in the evening my friend Sharon had explained how she feels out of balance if she goes too long without cooking. How returning to her kitchen and the meditative act of preparing food steadies her somehow. I told her it was the same for me.

But later I realized that wasn’t quite right. Cooking does restore me. My kitchen is a space to create and play and nourish myself. But I start to feel a little off-kilter if I go too long without cooking for others. When I worked in restaurants, this was a daily occurrence and I took it for granted. Now that I mainly cook at home, I feel a kind of compulsion to gather people around my table. The longer I resist it, the stronger it gets. Until I find myself planning elaborate Fourth of July barbecues and Moroccan-themed potlucks and five-course pop-up dinners.

That moment standing there watching the smiles pass over our guests' faces was worth all the planning and shopping and schlepping and prepping it took to make the dinner happen. It was worth spending last Sunday on the couch too tired to do anything more than watch Parade’s End and order takeout. It was it’s own kind of summer fun. 

It may not have been as relaxing as swimming in Lake Washington, eating ice-cold slices of watermelon and working on my napping skills, but I don’t regret it for a minute.