'ART WITH FALL FOODS' | THE NEW ANNE WATSON PHOTO GALLERY INSTALLATION AT THE OC MART MIX

Autumn has always been my favorite season. Kids are back to school, there's a crispness in the air as if God's turned up the A/C, and all of my favorite holidays - Halloween, Thanksgiving & Christmas - are only a matter of weeks away. AND so many of my favorite foods make their seasonal reappearance: Squash, Pumpkin, Brussels Sprouts, Root Vegetables, Apples, Mushrooms... ahh, it's heavenly! So, as a tribute to my favorite season, I've updated my gallery at The OC Mart MIX in Costa Mesa's SoCo Collection with some fun 'Art with Fall Foods'. Up now through Thanksgiving. Stop by to check it out - and if you love Fall as much as I do, feel free to email info@annewatsonphoto.com to purchase your very own prints!

{And stay tuned for the soon-to-relaunch Anne Watson Photography web site where you will be able to purchase prints online! More details coming soon.}

The newest Anne Watson Photography art installation at The OC Mart MIX in Costa Mesa's SoCo Collection: 'Art with Fall Foods'

Butternut Squash

Turnips

Brussels Sprouts

Fall-themed Rosetta Latte Art by Portola Coffee Lab Barista, Amanda Petrocelly

Left: Acorn Squash | Right: Forest Mushrooms

Japanese Kabucha Squash

PORTOLA COFFEE LAB TEAMS-UP WITH CAKE MONKEY BAKERY | A MATCH MADE IN PASTRY HEAVEN

Change is a good thing. I've always believed this. Change keeps life interesting & keeps things moving forward. And, a perfect example of change bein' a good thing is Portola Coffee Lab's recent decision to switch things up with their pastry provider & partner with the amazing L.A.-based Cake Monkey Bakery for all of their baked goods. Can you say "YUM?!"

If you haven't visited Portola Coffee Lab at The OC Mart MIX in Costa Mesa's SoCo Collection recently, then you are in for a treat. Now not only do they have the best coffee in town, but some of the most delicious pastries too. The thing I love about their new selection is that it's not all over-the-top sugar-crazy stuff. Sometimes ya' have a sweet tooth, and sometimes ya' don't - and Portola & Cake Monkey know this. Hence the range of baked goods from uber-sweet sugar-encrusted grown-up Pop Tarts called 'Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Pies' all the way to the savory amazingness of their Bacon & Cheddar Scones. There's a little something for everyone.

So, below you can feast your eyes on just a small sampling-through-photos of what's on offer these days in Portola's pastry case... And if ya' feel tempted (which I think you might!), head on over to The OC Mart MIX to pay them a visit. Trust me, you won't be sorry you did. (Portola Coffee Lab is located in the SoCo Collection at 3313 Hyland Avenue, Costa Mesa, CA 92626 - www.portolacoffeelab.com - www.cakemonkey.com)

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Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Pie

Left: Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Pie  |  Right: Lemon Pistachio Tea Cake

Lemon Pistachio Tea Cake

Almond Croissant

Salted Caramel 'Monkey Bread'

Gruyere-Thyme Croissant

Left: Gruyere-Thyme Croissant  |  Right: A Bacon-Cheddar Scone goes perfectly with a Portola Latte

"A Roll in the Hay"

Portola Barista, Alan Gomez, Pours a Perfect Latte

"A Roll in the Hay" with Cake Monkey Bakery

 

A WEDGE OF CHEESE HEAVEN | THE CHEESE SHOP AT THE MIX - COSTA MESA

1,139.  The number of photos I shot of some of the most beautiful cheeses I've ever seen, smelled & tasted in my life at on of OC's hottest new culinary boutiques, The Cheese Shop at the MIX.  (Launched by San Clemente cult-favorite, The Cellar.)

6:30am.  The photo shoot call-time.

30 types of cheese.

32 cheese-related products.

1 photographer in food photography heaven.

The Cheese Shop at The MIX in Costa Mesa, CA -- With Mascot, Clementine the Cow

Few jobs I've been hired to shoot in my career as a food photographer have been this fun for me. Those who know me know that I am a self-proclaimed cheese-aholic. So, the 3 hours I spent photographing this vast array of cheeses from around the globe for The Cheese Shop's soon-to-launch web site were pure pleasure for me - I felt like a grown-up kid in a grown-up candy shop.

My goal was to shoot these cheeses and showcase their simple, elegant beauty - their sexiness - their sensuality. I wanted to capture the uniqueness of each cheese and let the photos speak for themselves - no narration needed - natural light, minimal props. Pure, photographic, titillate-your-gustatory-senses "Cheese Porn."

Go ahead - indulge yourself. And then stop by The Cheese Shop at The OC Mart MIX in the SoCo Collection (3313 Hyland Avenue in Costa Mesa) to fulfill your wildest cheese fantasies.... ooh la la... and, bon appetit! 

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