'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

AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL | THE ALL-NEW ANNE WATSON PHOTO GALLERY INSTALLATION AT THE OC MART MIX

While Food Photography is my passion, there are a number of other subjects that catch my eye through the lens of my camera. One of my favorites is Americana. Anything to do with this great country of ours & what makes it unique, I love. Its landscapes, its people, its monuments, its flag - everything. So, when July rolled around this year & Americans everywhere started donning their red, white & blue in celebration of Independence Day, I felt the urge to switch things up a bit on my Anne Watson Photography gallery wall at The OC Mart MIX in Costa Mesa's SoCo Collection to reflect my love for America the Beautiful.

The all-new 'Americana' Anne Watson Photography installation at The OC Mart MIX in Costa Mesa's SoCo Collection

All of the photos in this new Black & White installation were taken during my motorcycle travels with my husband, author Tim Watson. After we were married in 2010, Tim & I spent the first two months of our marriage on the back roads of the Western U.S., covering 8,000+ miles of two-lane highways, soaking up America's vast expanses of adventurous terrain from the seats of our Harley-Davidsons. Tim wrote his book, "There and Back Again To See How Far It Is," based on this journey of ours. And, I took the photos.

All of the photos in this new Black & White installation were taken during my motorcycle travels with my husband, author Tim Watson, during which we covered 8,000+ miles of two-lane highways in the Western U.S.

We rode through the dry deserts of Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico & Nevada - wound through the mountains of Utah, Wyoming & Idaho - then cruised down the coast of Oregon & Northern/Central California. All along the way we saw new & amazing things - met all sorts of interesting people - and grew an appreciation for the incredible array of Americana that is out there just waiting to be discovered.

So, my new installation is a tribute to the discoveries we made along our journey. It's a small sampling of some of the interesting places we passed through, sights we saw and people we encountered. If you want to read about them in detail, then be sure to pick up Tim's book, available through all major booksellers including Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com. And then feel free to drop by the Anne Watson Photography gallery wall in The OC Mart MIX next time you're in Costa Mesa to check out the latest photos on display. Meantime, below is a recap of what you'll find - all available for purchase - simply email Anne Watson Photo for a pricing sheet & to place your order! info@annewatsonphoto.com

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left: 'The Tree', Reserve, New Mexico | right: 'Old Glory', Yuma, Arizona

'Intimidation', SR-71 Blackbird, Pima Air Museum, Tuscon, Arizona

'C'mon In', Driggs, Idaho

'Sacagawea's Resting Place', Wind River Reservation, Wyoming

'Target Practice', Tombstone, Arizona

'Big Nose Kate's Saloon', Tombstone, Arizona

'Golden Gate Bride in Fog', San Francisco, California

left: 'The Cowboy', Tombstone, Arizona | right: 'The Railroad', Gila Bend, Arizona

'The Grand Tetons', Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

OC MART MIX VENDORS UNITE! | INTRODUCING 'THE WAFFLEGATO'

The OC Mart MIX in Costa Mesa has quickly become one of the hottest foodie spots in Orange County. With specialty culinary shops & restaurants that cover the gamut of everything a gastronome could hope for, the MIX is a foodie wonderland.

I must admit that deep-down I am a hard-core Sci-Fi nerd. (I grew up with two brothers, what can I say?!) So, I can't help but equate a lil' something from Marvel Comics with what's happening at The OC Mart MIX these days.... Because, when Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye & Black Widow team-up to save the planet, it's called 'The Avengers.' So, when The Iron Press, Savory Spice Stop, Portola Coffee Lab, The Cheese Shop and N'ice Cream combine forces to create the ultimate dessert, you get 'The Wafflegato.' The result of an Avengers-style collaboration of OC Mart MIX vendors in which each superhero brings a specialized strength to the team - making the final result stronger than the sum of its individual parts. What you get is a seriously kick-a** gourmet foodie dish that you want to stick your face in.

Because, when Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye & Black Widow team-up to save the planet, it's called 'The Avengers.' So when The Iron Press, Savory Spice Stop, Portola Coffee Lab, The Cheese Shop and N'ice Cream combine forces to create the ultimate dessert, you get 'The Wafflegato.'

The Wafflegato (a play on the term 'Affogato' - an Italian dish in which espresso is poured over vanilla gelato or ice cream) was served at a specialty station in the MIX as part of the SoCo Collection's Friday Night Foodies Art Walk this past Friday, June 8th from 5-8pm. The station was manned by Portola Coffee Lab's Store Manager & Director of Marketing, Jeff Clinard - and after just one hour of service, N'ice Cream had to make another batch of the in-demand Dauphinoise cheese Gelato. Needless to say, it was a hit.

THE WAFFLEGATO: Hand-Made Dauphinoise Cheese Gelato topped with Portola Coffee Lab 'Show No Mercy' Espresso & Alderwood-Smoked Salt with an Iron Press Waffle. Umm..... YESSS.

This will likely be just the first of many culinary collaborations that these vendors create for Friday Night Foodies. Stay tuned to Portola Coffee Lab's Facebook & Twitter feed for news - and come out each week to The MIX for Friday Night Foodies from 5-8pm! Art Walk takes place every second Friday of the month - the next one will be July 13th - mark your calendars and hope to see you all there!

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Friday Night Foodies takes place EVERY Friday from 5-8pm at The OC Mart Mix. Art Walk is every second Friday.

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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