Playing Work

It's no coincidence that food is on my mind. Larissa and I just finished eating a fantastic recipe from the November issue of Bon Appetit . . . butternut squash risotto with shrimp to be exact. Although I love the recipes in Bon Appetit, it's really the photography that keeps me opening the magazine. I'm not sure when it happened, but at some point in the last two years Bon Appetit has undergone a major shift in the way it chooses to have it's recipes photographed.

I have noticed a dramatic change in the way food is depicted. The style of shooting has become 20 times more interesting to me and ultimately keeps me interested in the magazine and its recipes. In an age where print is dying, Bon Appetit is making a strong effort to differentiate itself.

For example, when I opened the December issue the other week I saw one of the most creative Christmas cookie spreads I've ever seen. Photographer Isabelle Bonjean photographed 3 beautiful "cookie landscapes" for the December issue. I'm not sure who the food stylist was, but whoever they were, they did an amazing job. Creating surreal landscapes from sugar, flour and chocolate is no easy task. These photographs must have taken considerable time and patience to create.

It's creativity like this that sets Bon Appetit apart from other magazines. They are giving photography extra emphasis in their pages and by doing so are keeping readers like me interested in the magazine. I hope they continue to push the bar with photography and that their magazine can continue to survive in an age where many publishers are calling it quits.

And for the record, Larissa made the cardamom orange sugar cookies last weekend and they were spectacular!

What's your favorite magazine? Favorite cookie?