Sonu Blog

John Besh's My New Orleans Gets to the Heart of the Meal

If you're anything like me, you savor every detail of a recipe.  You consume every angle of a dish and it's sumptuous colors and textures.  Your pulse races at the idea of creating a beautiful, delicious meal for friends and family.  I've come across a book that's as passionate about it's subject of food.  Chef John Besh's My New Orleans is a true cooking bible that has been lauded as "an act of soul" by musician Wynton Marsalis and complimented by Chef Mario Batali as having "captured the true, sweet, and honest voice" of New Orleans.  

Three hundred and seventy four pages with 200 authentic recipes, captivating stories, and gorgeous photos that will steal your heart and make you want to visit New Orleans, too!  Dorothy Kalins, founding editor of both Saveur and Metropolitan Home Magazine (wow), worked with John on this labor of love and was kind enough to share her perspective with me here. 

I am so inspired by this book because, like good design, it defines a time and place.  It brings you to John's hometown and paints a real story of what it's like to be from such a culturally diverse city.  My thoughts go immediately to the inspiration of color from such a rooted place.  Though we often only consider the colors of Mardis Gras when we think of New Orleans, there are layers of colors that really define this city.  Could the inspiration for decor have come from the local food?

 

I'm feasting my eyes on the colors in the book and getting colorful ideas for decor. What colors say New Orleans? 

  
 If you'd like to see photos by Nick Harris from our video shoot, see Nick's Gallery on Flickr

 

The palette could include the soft fluid colors of the air and water there or the ink-like figs and blackberries?  Perhaps the pearlescent oysters and steely blue crabs or the saturated palette of Mardi Gras?  The brilliant color of natural spices must be mixed in there somewhere!  In the end, maybe it's the harmonious balance of all  these colors as they're woven together by natives of New Orleans with confidence and style. 

 

The best part is that John's book is donating part of proceeds to Cafe Reconcile, a New Orleans-based non-profit that focuses on at-risk youth and teaching them skills needed to work in hospitality and restaurant industries. 

 

Kudos to John and Dorothy for capturing all this in full color with My New Orleans-- Bon appetite, y'all!

Home Coming at Benjamin Moore

I'm hooome!  For those of you who've found my blog through Benjamin Moore, WELCOME to Living In Color!  Let's get this party started!  Over the lifetime of the blog, I've been creating a path of colorful stories.  I'm thrilled to say that Benjamin Moore was excited enough about our colorful conversations to link over to the blog! 

Make your own Lime Sherbet Party Punch with Paula Deen's recipe.

Check out the videos on the right, search for anything colorful using the search box on the left, and make sure to browse through our blog friends for even more inspiration.

If you have specific questions or ideas about color, please drop me a line and let me know.  Color is everywhere, so every question counts!  In the meantime, take a look around, make yourself at home, and let me know what you think.  Here are a few of my favorites to get you started. 

Fall Color Take Away

Color Trends in 2010

Paris In Color from the Pompidou Center

O Magazine and Benjamin Moore Team Up

The Skinny on VOCs and Color

Color & Design by David Stark

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go get that party punch ready!

Macy's Color Week

Just wanted to share this with my fellow colorphiles!  If you're looking to inject a little color into your makeup palette, check out Macy's this week.  They're celebrating a week of Color with some great offers on many of the lines they carry.  I've stocked up on my foundation because it's the hardest color to get right for me.  Enter the code COLOR at checkout to get free shipping on $50+ of makeup. 

A little shopping spree over lunch, perhaps?  Enjoy!

What's the must have in your makeup kit?

Mine: Bobbi Brown Bronze Shimmer Brick Compact.  It's the perfect finishing touch to add a little shimma'

 

Bring Color To Life on The Day of The Dead

My weekend was filled with treats and a few little tricks, too.  Today's the last day to leave a comment here for a chance to win a custom designed sugar skull like the ones here.  Michele at Sugar Skull Gallery in San Francisco painstakingly creates each one by hand with love.  They're a part of a great traditional Mexican festival, El Dia De Los Muertos, Nov 1st and 2nd, when families celebrate the lives of their dearest friends and relatives who've passed on.  It's a beautiful and rich event that offers a refreshing take on all things that were formerly spooky and scary. 

  
Visit the Sugar Skull Gallery for original and colorful gifts like this an the one at the end of this post
  
Sugar skulls are made with meringue powder and other ingredients.  They can be covered with icing, sequins, buttons, foil, or whatever you have to work with!  They're meant to be tiny works of art that cover altars and graves.  There's even a fan page for sugar skulls on Facebook!  

What did you do to celebrate over the weekend?  Costume party?  Playing tricks on people?  Pumpkin carving?  Face painting?  Eating colorful candy? 

If you'd like the chance to win one of 3 new sugar skulls that Michele and I are collaborating on.  leave a comment as your entry to win by 12am EST, Wednesday, November 4, 2009.  Three winners will be selected randomly and announced next week.  

A little more about El Dia De Los Muertos

Across the world, there are several festivals throughout the year that celebrate what would seem macabre at any other time of year.  The Obon Festival  in Japan, the Ghost Festival in China, El Dia De Los Muertos in Mexico, and All Saint's Day celebrate spirits and ancestors across the globe.  The beauty of all these festivals is the fact that they are about honoring those who have passed on in glorious, colorful ways. 

I was really curious about El Dia De Los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead.  It's just after Halloween running from November 1-2.  Rooted in pre-colonial Mexican heritage, it's a festival in joyous remembrance of loved ones who have moved to to the next phase in their life's journey.  The Day of the Dead has become an important cultural and spiritual tradition throughout many countries with strong Mexican communities and involves elaborate altar designs, ornate cemetery decor, specially prepared foods like pan de los muertos (bread of the dead), and individually crafted sugar skulls. 

Color is a big part of El Dia De Los Muertos, too.  According to The Official Mexican and Mexican-American Fine Arts Museum of Texas, color adds symbolism to the celebratory altars or ofrendas. 

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White-- Purity and hope

Purple-- Pain, mourning and suffering

Pink-- Celebration

Red-- The blood of life

Orange-- The Sun 

Yellow-- The petals of Marigolds called "cempazuchitle" that symbolize death are used to make a trail for spirits to see their path to the altars

 

Here are some traditional and contemporary expressions of El Dia De La Muertas that boast color and design in a rich way

 

The top altar was found by two travelers in Mexico.  Students at SCAD created the one below as part of a project.  Altars can pop up anywhere-- indoors or outdoors and usually boast a photo of the deceased, some favorite foods and symbolic offerings like water and salt.  No matter the details, they're always full of color!

 
 
 You can buy this "Moo Muerte" at CarmelaJay's Etsy Shop.  A more modern take on an altar, this piece still keeps the cultural and colorful nature of the celebration alive (pun intended).

 
Decorated cemeteries remind us that The Day of the Dead is bright and uplifting.  Visit this gallery on Flickr for Rainy City's complete album of amazing shots. 

Cultural symbolism can be very influential in life and a great source of inspiration for design and decor, too. 

Tell me how you are using culture, tradition, and color for your festivities this weekend for a chance to win a sugar skull!  

So now I have plans for the weekend-- Between tricks and treats, Michele of the Sugar Skull Gallery in San Francisco and I are working to create 3 colorfully custom designed sugar skulls for you to win! 

Leave a comment as your entry to win by 12am EST, Wednesday, November 4, 2009.  Three winners will be selected randomly and announced next week.