For those of you who hadn't seen my news already on Facebook, I'm very excited to announce that I've been signed on to photograph a cookbook being co-authored by Ali Rudel of This and That Jam and Elizabeth Turnbull of Old Havana Sandwich Shop. The working title of the book, scheduled to go to press in the Fall of 2014, is Starting Fresh: Stories from the Tobacco Town that Found Redemption in Food, and it is going to be fantastic. Ali & Elizabeth are both hugely talented chefs and could easily put together a cookbook all on their own, but the vision for this project is greater - it seeks to tell the tale of Durham's vibrant food culture in both locally-sourced recipes and the stories behind the people and places that have helped put Durham on the national foodie map. Enter: me! In addition to the food photography that you'd expect on the pages of just about any cookbook, Elizabeth and Ali were looking for portraits of their contributing farmers, chefs, and entrepreneurs... and as soon as they said the word "portrait," I was sold. And so paperwork was signed, hands were shaken hugs were given, and on a cold, sunny morning last week, I got started on what promises to be a huge, and hugely rewarding project.Emily Sloss helped start the Duke Farm when she was an undergraduate studying Public Policy; she loved the project so much that when she graduated, she stayed on to expand and manage the farm, which hosts classes for the university, provides produce to the various food vendors on campus, and runs a small CSA. I'm looking forward to trying the beet slaw recipe she's contributing to the book... perhaps with some of the beets she's planting here:

I can't wait to share more of these as the project continues! For more, be sure to follow the Starting Fresh facebook page and blog, where recipes will be shared and updates will be given. If you're into Pinterest, you can keep up that way, too!

xox,

annemie