At Home with Kim Vallee

DINING, FOOD + drinks | December 11, 2009

Learn Food Styling on Still Life With

I find fascinating the world of food styling. How they elevate food to be very appetizing. You can learn tricks of the trade by reading Still Life With. Let’s face it, not every food looks great. But it does not means that they are not delicious. In one lesson, you learn how to turn an non [...]

DINING, FOOD + drinks | November 23, 2009

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Let’s Eat Exhibit at Chateau Ramezay Museum

Until November 2010, you could learn about the traditional food of Quebec from the first colonists to today in an exhibit that just started at Chateau Ramezay Museum. Quebec traditional food was influenced by three cultures: the first nations, France and Britain. But what is the heritage of each? Quebec traditional shepherd’s pie main ingredients blended [...]

ENTERTAINING, HOLIDAY entertaining | November 22, 2009

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Dining in a Fall Forest

It has a sumptuous and dreamy Thanksgiving all written over. These were taken at a photo shoot that Sweet Paul styled earlier this week for Colin Cowie. I love the tableware, the color, the food and the tabletop that I let you discover on his blog. + photos: Sweet Paul

DINING, FOOD + drinks | November 14, 2009

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Food Photography Tips

Food styling is an integral part of food photography. It sets the mood. These beautiful shots are from the 2010 Calendar from la Fédération des producteurs de lait du Québec. I shared them with you because they illustrated a good trick when it comes to food photography: pay attention to the backdrop. In this case, they [...]

DINING, TABLEWARE | November 12, 2009

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French Pantry Appetizer Plates

Except for the William-Sonama printed signature (I would prefer something like Bon Appétit!), I really like the look of this white porcelain plates that are perfect to serve a sandwich, a single serving cheese plate or a small tray of antipasto. The plates can also act as a message board. A customer commented on the W-S [...]

CAKES and baked goods, ENTERTAINING | October 13, 2009

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Stylish Fruit Pastry Skewers by Fou de goût

I wish the fruity fine pastry skewers by Fou de goût were available in Canada. They would be awesome for the dessert table I am preparing for my husband’s 40th birthday party. Can you believe that these marvelous fruit pastries are available at the frozen counters at Monoprix? Once again, it shows the big gap in [...]

COOKING tools, DINING | October 12, 2009

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3 Mozzarella Slicers for a Chic Kumato Caprese Salad

I bought for the first time a package of Kumato yesterday. Called the brown tomatoes, the fruits exhibit darker green, brown up to a darker red. It is sweeter than the red tomatoes that we are accustomed. The producer of Kumato, Sunset says it has an intense aroma and surprisingly sweet, juicy flavor. The Kumato grabbed [...]

DINING, DISHING tips | September 25, 2009

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Breakfast Inspiration

I love this picture. The superb crafted table, the breakfast scene, and the angle of the shot. I dream of having enough room in my house for an extra-long dining table. You save space by putting benches and stools instead of chairs. + Via July 2007 edition of Living etc