interview series round up

I first met Corey at the sausage making class at Portland Homestead Supply. He was the instructor but seemed more like a host of a party. (If you get a chance, you really should take his class. It’s like an intimate dinner party where you get to help make the food.)

The thing about Corey is he is one of those clever and charming people that you feel like you’ve known forever. He’s a great conversationalist and super intelligent.

Jamie: Please tell us a little about yourself.

Corey: You can never step in the same stream twice.

Jamie: I’ve never had anyone answer that first question so succinctly. I am curious to know the journey of an anthropology professor into a software design and development founder. I picture one as a nutty professor of sorts, surrounded by cobwebs, dust, and musty books. Perhaps with an old desktop that is terribly out-of-date. While the other person has a pristine Apple laptop, wears a hoodie, and goes to “meetings” at coffee houses. How did that transition happen? (And don’t destroy my illusions of what an anthropology professor is like if you can.)

Corey: Actually, being an anthropology professor prepared me well for a life of software design. Anthropology’s focus on culture and ethnographic field methods have been somewhat co-opted by the user experience industry. Also, delivering over 4,500 hours of lectures prepares one for speaking at conferences – something I do quite often. This is my main form of marketing. Lastly, my talks, blog posts, and approach to digital strategy and design all derive from historical and anthropological research about things like stone tools, cave art, and medieval scrolls. So – I’m still a nutty professor, writing pedantic and oblique blog posts, surrounded by musty books. I do, however, have a shiny Macbook Air and meet with clients at Heart Coffee Roasters. No cobwebs, however. And hoodies are for hipsters and children.

Jamie: You told us a lovely story about “becoming a foodie” in the Sausage Making class I took at Portland Homestead Supply. Would you mind sharing that story again here?

Corey: I had been a line cook on and off for a few years. However, I did not yet understand the magical aspect of food. It was a meal at Wildwood on NW 21st – it had just opened and there was a real buzz about the place.

I remember the dish being set in front of me: bacon wrapped trout on a bed of lentils. Simple enough. But it was symphonic – an astonishment. The woodsmoke of the bacon, the texture of trout. And the lentils were all nose – so complex and perfect that I can STILL taste them. I put my fork down after a few bites, took a deep breath, and wiped away tears. That was when I realized I knew nothing about food.

I’ve been trying to learn a little something of that magic ever since.

Jamie: So if you had a perfect food day in Portland, what would that look like?

Corey: The perfect food day – love the concept. It would start at home with a hot mug of black Heart coffee made in a french press. I would fry eggs in walnut oil and an eventual splash of moscatel vinegar (cooked off), salt, pepper. This is eaten with good toast and enjoyed with the wife and children. Lunch at Olympic Provisions – probably one of Joe’s genius soups (beet!), a green salad, and a glass of white. Snack of nuts and chocolate at 3:00. Dinner with the fam at Navarre. Stinky wine, greens, rabbit, mussels, white beans. Right before bed, I smother a banana with peanut butter and eat this over the sink, breathing out of my nose.

Jamie: Haha! That last part! Would you like to share some internet links?

Corey: http://pdx.eater.com/

http://www.olympicprovisions.com/

http://www.homesteadsupplyco.com/

Big thanks to Corey for participating in my series! I really appreciate him answering my questions. If you think of more, ask them in the comments, I’d be happy to pass them along.

food photography: beet and beef stew

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I love stew.

In particular, beef stew. There’s nothing quite as simple and comforting as a slow cooked, filling, and savory meal. I typically have a go-to recipe that I vary little from, but I thought I’d try a new twist using golden beets, celeriac, anchovies, and herbs de Provence. The recipe I used is from Chris Kresser’s site.

Stewing meat, vegetables, and spices together doesn’t get any easier. I like the ease of starting with a lot of fresh ingredients (and perhaps a few shortcuts if you don’t have your own stock or tomato sauce at hand), and ending up with something so hearty.

You start by sauteing the onions and shallots in your heavy bottomed pot. Add garlic when your onions are nearly finished (garlic can burn easily), then add all the rest of the ingredients to the pot save for a couple cloves of chopped garlic that you’ll add at the very end for a little punch.

Golden beets

celery root/celeriac (You could also use turnips, parsnips, or carrots)

red wine and beef stock

bay leaves and anchovies

tomato sauce, tomato paste, and herbs de Provence

grass fed beef

Once you’ve put all the ingredients into the pot, you simply leave it in the oven for a few hours. The low, slow heat does all the work tenderizing your meat and vegetables, and it melds all the flavors.

You can see even more photos of this stew on my Flickr page.

Portland Photography: Sellwood Walking Tour

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I joined a walking tour courtesy of my friend Rachel from Sellwood Soap! (She gifted me a ticket!) I learned so many new things about my lovely new neighborhood and it’s layered history as a blue collar railroad and sawmill town!

Sellwood was originally settled around 1848 by the Luelling family who brought five hundred fruit trees with them in their trek. Later, John Sellwood purchased three hundred and twenty acres from the Luelling family. Eventually, the town of Sellwood was founded and named for John Sellwood.

The Sellwood Bridge 1925

Nearby was the sawmill, Pendleton Woolen Mill (still in business today in a different location), and the railroad. It’s currently under construction and will be until 2016.

Portland Rowing Club Entrance (originally located by the Morrison Bridge)

The house in the photograph below was moved from another location. It was a parish house for a local church. (I learned a lot of buildings and homes have been moved! Who knew that was a thing?) See the house below the picture of the photo to see it in it’s happy new locale.

We saw condominiums where the location of the former Mount Hood Brewery (which originally began as Wilherm’s Brewery in 1890.)

Our tour guide suggested that the house below may have been a Sears Roebuck mail order house, but she was unsure.

The red house below sits next to the private gold course which borders Clackamas county yet sits on the Multnomah county side. It also had been moved from its original location on the golf course grounds.

This was a beautiful garden hidden in a neighborhood.

There are railroad tracks in our neighborhood that are still occasionally used but were part of the original Interurban Train Line. The current Springwater Corridor Trail which is used by bikers and pedestrians sits on a former rail line running parallel to a current one.

Our lovely and incredibly knowledgeable tour guide who also writes for the local Sellwood Bee.

We walked past a building which served as a break room and place to hang out for rail workers.

A former boarding house.

There are many multi-family style houses left in the neighborhood which served as affordable housing during economic hard times. Not unlike ours.

Another former boarding house.

This house below and the house below it were built about fifteen years apart with the same plans. They sit in adjacent lots. I’m told we have a poet laureate living in one of them.

Mrs. Randall’s boarding house.

In the photo below, you can see this was a former transfer building. Below that you can see the original building now painted gray and purple.

The brick building which now houses The Bike Commuter formerly served as the City Hall building upstairs and the Sellwood Bank below.

Here’s a building which will be torn down soon. The Black Cat Tavern’s last day is Saturday. The land has been sold. Supposedly, the building is not in salvageable shape. It will be rebuilt as condos above with retail space below.

The building below is now the SMILE station which is the Sellwood-Moreland Improvement League. It used to be the firehouse.

This building was a confectionery!

The Original Leipzig Tavern Building now houses Gino’s. It also served as a silent movie theatre.

This building sits behind Gino’s but was originally situated on the corner.

I’ve wondered about this building for some time. It’s nestled in the neighborhood, but there is no sign on the exterior. Our guide said it used to be a church but now is The Sellwood Playhouse. Just opened in fact!

This last photo is of Oaks Pioneer Church. It was moved in 1960 from Milwaukee, Oregon. It was the 1851 St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. They moved it on a barge and floated it on the Willamette River. It is deconsecrated and is now used for weddings, memorials and family reunions.

There’s so much more to Sellwood, and this is just a small sampling of my neighborhood!

I’d also appreciate if I missed any information, or if you know of any that I have incorrect, if you’d let me know in the comments! Thanks!

food photography: macarons

recipe: brandied cherries

Portland Photography: Pinkham Millinery

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There’s a magical hat shop in Downtown Portland.

It’s called Pinkham Millinery. The owner Dayna Pinkham studied under the late John Eaton in Seattle. She’s a talented and inspired woman. (More of her story you can find on the web and also on her website.)

I first discovered her store by simply walking by it. It was old world. Charming. It was like stepping back in time. All of her hats are custom made. She measures your head, finds out what you want, and custom designs and builds a hat for your unique head.

She crafts using high quality felts and imported straw. The ribbons she uses are imported. The hats are amazing. I wanted one, but I am not prepared just yet for the cost. So I wistfully gawked, and I planned for the future.

But I really lucked out. REALLY LUCKED OUT. I was in Buffalo Exchange a week and a half later searching for a summer straw hat when I discovered a white straw hat with a little black tag that said Pinkham Millinery. I couldn’t believe my fortune! Fifteen dollars! I did glance around furtively to see if perhaps someone would come over and say, “Oops, we mislabeled that!” And then display it behind the counter. BUT NO! It was ignored and squashed. It looked ruined, but I was hoping that Dayna Pinkham could reblock it and restore it to it’s former glory.

I took the crumpled hat to her, and she evaluated it. She guessed it had been made about seven years prior. She said she thought she could save it, so I left it in her care and scheduled my return two weeks later.

And it was beautiful. She did a fantastic job and installed a little elastic cord since the hat was slightly too big for me (that’s why custom hats are so amazing!) I cannot wait until I can order a custom hat for myself-I’m thinking felt for the winter.

After:

What do you think? Do I look glamorous?

You can follow Pinkham Millinery on Facebook here.

before and after: chair reupholstery

Portland Food Photography: Slappy Cakes

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There’s this place in Portland that really has it figured out.

How do you combine pancakes and fun in a restaurant? I know what you are thinking, “Pancakes are already fun!”

And I say, “No, they get fun-er. More fun. Having all the funs.”

I introduce you to: Slappy Cakes.

Slappy Cakes offers several batters for pancakes, but the twist is THAT YOU GET TO COOK THEM YOURSELF AT YOUR TABLE!

You choose your batter:

Buttermilk
Whole Grain
Gluten-free
Peanut Butter
Vegan
Sweet Parsnip

You have choices of toppings and ingredients too! We picked lemon curd and blueberries.

You might be thinking, “I don’t really care for pancakes or waffles or any of the sweet breakfast foods.” And that’s fine, they have a full menu.

knitting: driftwood

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So I FINALLY finished this sweater. I have been working on it since September of last year. Not that I knit that slowly, but I was also working on another lace weight sweater at the same time. And the holidays, and then packing, and moving, oh and a beaded shawl…

It’s a gorgeous pattern called Driftwood by a designer I admire named Isabell Kraemer. She has a blog here. I knit mine up with Rowan’s Creative Linen which is a 50/50 blend of cotton and linen that I purchased from Wildfiber in Los Angeles. It’s kind of my spring sweater, really comfy and casual. I originally sewed on some mother of pearl shell buttons, but decided with some turquoise plastic buttons so I could throw this thing in the washer and dryer.

So yay! It’s finally done!!!