I love France. In a previous life of mine I worked as a PR manager for seven years at a luxury automotive manufacturer and had the amazing opportunity to visit France on numerous occasions as part of my job. We would take groups of journalists overseas for ride & drive events - in our cars we'd start in Paris, winding through the back roads out to magical places such as Le Mans, Lyon, St. Etienne, Tours, Reims, Nice and everywhere in-between. I'll never forget the enchanting scent of the lavender fields that line the country roads of Provence, or the sight of the seemingly-endless, glorious vineyards of the Champagne region, and so much more. And then.... the FOOD. Oh, dear God. The amazing, wonderful, mind-blowingly perfect-in-every-way French food. It truly is a magnificent country.
So, needless to say I was thrilled to be commissioned as the food photographer for the all-new
Pandor Artisan Boulangerie & Cafe in Newport Beach. The breads, pastries & dishes at
Pandor are the most authentic I have ever encountered on this side of the Atlantic. And as I photographed away in the Pandor kitchen last week, my senses were overwhelmed by the beauty & the crunch of the bread, the scent of lavender, and the sounds of the chefs chatting in French - In my mind I was no longer in Newport Beach, but was instantly transported to France and all of its magic.
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| French Master Baker Julien Pietravalle oversees
the breads |
The name '
Pandor' was inspired by the French words 'Pain d’Or' - or, 'Golden Bread'.
Pandor is owned by an incredibly warm & lovely couple, Raffi & Tiffany Sepetjian. Raffi & Tiffany created
the
Pandor concept after multiple visits to France where they developed their
appreciation for the art of authentic French baking & French cuisine. And authentic it is, thanks to their team of talented French chefs: French Master Baker Julien Pietravalle who oversees
the breads, French Pastry Chef Serge Bertrand who oversees the delicate
pastries, and LA-based French Chef Eric Cuenin who oversees the café menu
of breakfast, lunch and dinner items.
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| LA-based French Chef Eric Cuenin at work in the Pandor kitchen. Chef Eric oversees the café menu
of breakfast, lunch and dinner items |
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| Beautiful, vibrant, fresh Pandor salads. Pandor's menu focuses on delivering a culinary experience revolving around sustainable, local & seasonal ingredients, complex textures, and global flavors. |
In addition to their first-class cuisine,
Pandor will also be serving Orange County's finest coffee from Costa Mesa’s
Portola Coffee Lab, offering
quality, traceable, fresh-roasted coffee, presented in an artful
context.
Today,
Pandor officially opens their doors to the public - you can find them in the Westcliff Plaza at 1126 Irvine Avenue, Newport Beach, CA 92660, open daily from 7 a.m. – 8 p.m. And be sure to follow
Pandor on
Facebook and
Twitter for all of the latest news.
To tempt your appetite, below is just a small taste-through-photographs from my recent shoot at
Pandor... if you feel your tummy rumbling, then head over & pay them a visit today. Bon apetit!
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