A Celebration of small batch, delicious, hand made, sourdough based treats. Baked from scratch in Southern Maine.
I had no aspirations of being a food photographer. Then, I was at a child’s birthday party. One of the other mom’s who I knew from the parent pick-up line at school was there, and had brought some bread to share and everything changed.
I grew up with parents - all THREE of them - who at different times throughout my childhood worked in restaurants and coffee shops. I started working in restaurants at 14 which may not have actually been legal, but I continued working in food for most of my life. You could say I’m a bit of a foodie. I only drink alcoholic beverages when I feel it will complement the meal I am eating, I enjoy a wide range of flavor profiles of food. I eat most everything except for octopus (too intelligent), shrimp (too allergic), American cheese (undigestible), and any insect (I am sorry, I just can’t.) I will try nearly everything if it’s cooked the right way though and I have no problem not eating something when it isn’t good.
I have actually worked for chefs that require us to say “yes chef” and “behind you” and “hands.” I know the actual panic of a jammed order printer during a dinner rush and have lived the camaraderie that can only happen when you work in a restaurant and have a restaurant “family.” Restaurants kept me alive for a lot of my life, for good and bad, restaurants feel like home to me.
I once took (and aced) a test on wine varietals, my old manager was a sommelier. I grew up in restaurants, meaning I am, underneath it all, a restaurant person and even though I don’t work in that environment anymore, it is what made me. I love to cook, I love to bake, I love eating at restaurants. I love discovering new recipes, and discovering hole in the wall gems in cities I visit. Yes, I went through a sourdough phase, it was delicious and required a lot of maintenance. I have a sweet tooth that I’m trying to tame for health’s sake.I can usually out-bake everything I encounter. No restaurant cake is safe, If I try it, I can go home and make one that’s better myself, and yes, I do that.
What I’m trying to say is that I’m picky and a bit of a snob when it comes to food, because I am in some sort of unspoken competition with every restaurant I encounter. I think it’s important to note that when I have a meal that is particularly incredible, that I could not even dream of making at home, I am instantly a super fan.
So, when I was sitting at a particularly chaotic birthday party, and Jen from Duck-Duck Dough handed me a fresh slice of chocolate sourdough that was still just slightly warm from the oven and had big chunks of dark chocolate all melty, and sweet met savory, and sour met malty chocolate. I realized that it was the first time in a very long time that I had encountered a baked good that I could not have made myself. It was pretty startling.
Jen casually mentioned that she was toying with the idea of creating a farm stand for baked goods, where people would order delicious treats in advance and pick up when the orders were ready and I was like, “You must, this is too delicious.” I didn’t know if she would really make it happen, but I was hopeful. A few months later, when she put this dream into action, I was like, “I will take the photos for your website.” I didn’t give her much of a choice, so I am glad she said yes to this. Since then, when she is rolling out a new product, I get to photograph it, and it has been such a treat (pun intended.)
The results have been a whole new adventure in photography and one that I hope to take even further. I also understand now why there are SO many food photographers, it is incredibly fun. So, here are some of my favorite shots taken over the last year. Thank you Duck Duck Dough!
