windswept | the book + behind the scenes

Even when I was a young child, I would come up with wild and crazy creative ideas.  When I said, “I have an idea”, my father often shook his head and said “uh oh . . . ”  But when I explained to him my ideas for windswept and that I needed to scout around Cape Breton, he immediately volunteered to come along with me.  Our agreement was that I could say to stop anywhere and we might explore every road, nook and cranny.  So off we went, Simon my vizsla, Dad and I, to rummage around the beauty of Cape Breton.  It tuned out to be a very long but wonderful day.  We drove down forgotten roads, hiked trails to the sea and discovered so many new places.  It turned out to be a very special Father/Daughter day and one I will treasure always.

And then the windswept team arrived,  from Nova Scotia, Ontario, and North Carolina.  We welcomed everyone with a Nova Scotia lobster dinner in my parent’s yard complete with coleslaw and potato salad.  My Mum was especially thrilled to have Fred visiting since she is a big fan.  After dinner we tumbled into my parent’s house with all of our stuff : wardrobe, props, equipment, makeup & hair implements.  It was an explosion of pretty things and activity as we took over the whole house to prepare for our shoot.  My Mum and Dad are very patient and gracious to let me follow through on yet another crazy idea.

After a good night’s sleep our windswept adventure began : 4 days, hundreds of kilometres, early mornings and late evenings, curious locals and lots of laughs. I want to sincerely thank the whole team for all of their hard work, patience and enthusiasm for this project.

I hope you enjoy escaping with me to my beautiful windblown Nova Scotia . . .

behind the scenes of winswept
Even when I was a young child, I would come up with wild and crazy creative ideas. When I said, “I have an idea”, my father often shook his head and said “uh oh . . . ” But when I explained to him my ideas for windswept and that I needed to scout …
behind the scenes windswept
behind the scenes windswept
behind the scenes windswept
behind the scenes windswept
behind the scenes windswept

a unique cup of joe | cocoa + cinnamon

Located in Durham, North Carolina there is a delightful little cafe by the name of Cocoa & Cinnamon. Stacey recently had the opportunity to shoot this adorable shop and to show some of the unique qualities that it holds. Cocoa & Cinnamon not only offers a great cup of joe but has lots of teas, chocolates and many spices as well! We love the atmosphere of this fun local shop! If you are ever in the Durham area, you should give them a try, you wont regret it!

Cheers,
Natalie

garden & gun | asheville on tap

I am very lucky to live pretty close to Asheville, North Carolina – the rising beer capital of America . . .   We loved getting this assignment from Garden & Gun magazine.  I mean who doesn’t love touring breweries & restaurants and staying in nice hotels?  I was really impressed with the young brewmasters and their enthusiasm for their craft.  And even though I am gluten-intolerant, I admit I had a few sips of some beers they worked so hard on!

We’ve included photos from the Wicked Weed, the Wedge, and Highland Breweries but these are only a few of the 40 + craft breweries located in Asheville!

We stayed at the Grand Bohemian, a beautiful hotel with the rustic feeling of a European hunting lodge mixed with old world elegance.  The have an excellent restaurant, a gallery & spa and have been named one of the best hotels by Travel + Leisure and Conde Nast Traveler!

new news | buick magazine

As we all know, Stacey is usually on the move and always behind a camera. But for this special project, the roles were reversed just a bit!

Since Stacey is an avid traveler and blogger, “B Magazine” by Buick decided to feature her as a blogger to highlight the Raleigh/Durham area. Downtown Raleigh streets were shut down and 2 photographers were set out to photograph Stacey along with a brand new Buick Encore! 

The beautiful Bmag will be sent out to customers nationwide the 1st week of June!

Cheers!

Natalie

Photo of Stacey Van Berkel : Roche Photo Collective

All other images by : Stacey Van berkel

buick magazine
buick magazine north carolina
buick magazine travel north carolina

local favorites | mateo bar de tapas

Want to try some Spanish inspired tapas with a Southern twist?  Mateo bar de Tapas in Durham is wonderfully delicious and has such a warm feel. 

I loved everything we tried there and especially I remember the roasted spring onions.  Owner Matthew Kelly told us how the onions are sold all over the streets in Spain.  We had a small sampling of the many plates offered –  Patatas Bravas, Gambas, Alemendras and of course some jamon.  Seriously yummy.  

Mateo’s also has an impressive offering of sherry.  We didn’t get to try any since it was on the job but the beautiful painted menu on the mirrors looked amazing!

Can’t wait to go back again soon!

style at home | aiken

Aiken, South Carolina, is a special place full of horsey culture.  I went down to visit my friend Erin at Newbridge Polo where her beautiful horse Fleur was training for the winter months.  How I loved to see the polo ponies going out for their daily walks and watching Julie Clark of Clark Eventing training and showing with Fleur.  We had the opportunity to do a few portraits of Erin with her gorgeous mare for her editor’s photo for Style at Home magazine – I just love the friendship they have.  And of course, Simon had his little photo session too.  After an afternoon of exploring the charming town of Aiken, it was time to go to the iconic southern hotel, the Willcox,  for a cocktail & reminisce about our idyllic day.

style at home | cabbagetown

We are so excited to have the May cover of Style at Home magazine!  I always love doing shoots in the motherland and especially with the talented Style at Home crew.

How beautiful is this Toronto house?  It is nestled back from the busy city in the popular Cabbagetown neighbourhood.  We enjoyed all the pretty cottagey details and the fresh decor through out the house and garden area. Hope you enjoy some of our favorite images from the shoot.

FYI for friends in the US – Style at Home is available at the check out at most Wholefoods
If you love this house, check out the homeowner’s Instagram account Olives.Belle

PHOTOGRAPHY : Stacey Van Berkel
STYLING : Ann Marie Favot & Morgan Lindsay
INTERIOR DESIGNER : Margie Doyle-White

wall street journal | simran sethi

What a treat it was to meet and photograph Simran Sethi and her lovely mum for the Wall Street Journal recently!  Simran’s new book Bread, Wine & Chocolate : The Slow Loss of the Foods We Love came out in November 2015 and I pre-ordered it so I could have her sign it at our shoot.  If you have an interest in food (and don’t we all?), you’ll enjoy her book.  She spent a few years traveling around the world to understand where our food comes from and the difficulties the world is facing as we lose diversity to increase production.  She talks a great deal about taste and the enjoyment we derive from food and even includes some helpful resources at the back of of the book to help define our tastes.  I have been reading her book very slowly, and as I told Simran, I am literally savouring the information and thoughts in the book.

For the photo shoot we met at Simran’s family home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to photograph her in the kitchen.  As soon as we walked in the house, we were greeted with the pungent and delicious smell of something yummy cooking.  And then the warm welcome of Simran and her mum just put us at ease.  It was fun to do the portraits and we also photographed the sweet potato dish and spices, but best of all we had to eat the food!  I adore Indian food and all the fusion foods that come from that cuisine.

More recently I was able to attend Simran’s book signing at Scuppernong Books here in Greensboro.  It included discussion and a chocolate tasting focusing on North Carolina chocolate makers :  Escasu & French Broad Chocolates   We learned to cup a small piece of chocolate in our hands and breathe in the aromatic smells before tasting the chocolate.  It is incredible when you take the time to really smell and taste food how wonderful and complex the enjoyment can be.

our state | the table

There are some shoots that are harder than others – being gluten-free is especially difficult at such a lovely place like The Table in Asheboro, NC.  Look how beautiful this bread is!  I really just wanted to slather butter on it and maybe a bit of honey and cram some on my mouth.  It took all my will power not to do it!  So instead, I tried to just look at the beautiful textures of the bread and photograph it as still life.  And besides, The Table, does offer a full menu with fabulous salads and other yummy dishes so us GF people have lots to pick from.

Dustie Gregson, the owner, is the sweetest person you’ll ever meet and has done a lovely job with all the details of the decor even down to the 1 of a kind chandelier made out of milk bottles.  So if you are in Asheboro or visiting the potteries in Seagrove, I would make a little trip to this cute and delicious restaurant!

a chef's life | behind the scenes

So fun to be behind the scenes shooting on the set of A Chef’s Life!  Vivian and her crew welcomed us to shoot them filming the confessionals and the Pea Episode shot at the Broadslab Distillery in Benson, NC.

A Chef’s Life is a fabulous award winning show on PBS created by Vivian and Cynthia Hill.  

We love the authenticity and charm of Vivian and her guests.  If you love food, you’ll enjoy this wonderful exploration of southern ingredients with a Vivian spin!

Hope you enjoy seeing behind the scenes as much as we did!

our state | vivian howard

I was joking recently that I should get an apartment in Kinston, North Carolina  – I have been there 6 or 7 times this year alone for various shoots involving the wonderful and talented Vivian Howard.  

We are so excited to have the November cover of Our State magazine featuring Vivian’s famous blueberry chicken. It’s this yummy chicken that launched Chef & the Farmer on it’s way.  

There were so many good shots from this shoot that just couldn’t fit in the Our State article so we wanted to share a few of our faves with you.  The food shots will make you want to head straight over to the Chef & the Farmer or the Boiler Room for something scrumptious – if you haven’t been . . . make it a plan!  You won’t be disappointed. 

Stay tuned for a Behind the Scenes on the set of A Chef’s Life post coming soon!

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Cover Food Styling : Susan Johnson Smith

All Photography: Stacey Van Berkel