Kerry Diamond:
I'm Kerry Diamond, the founder of Cherry Bombe and the host of Radio Cherry Bombe. Welcome to Food Stylist Secrets, a special demo and conversation that's part of the Julia Jubilee, Cherry Bombe's virtual celebration of the life and legacy of Julia Child. I'd like to thank all of you for joining us. I think some of you have already started to tell us in the chat where you are tuning in from, but we'd love to know where you are watching this special demo from. I'd like to thank our event sponsor, Crate & Barrel, for making our Food Stylist Secrets event possible. Crate & Barrel believes every meal is a special occasion, and they have an incredible selection of beautiful, modern pieces that will take anything you eat or drink up a notch. You can visit crateandbarrel.com for more. Susan and Mariana will be using some beautiful pieces from Crate & Barrel, and I'm very excited to see what they do with them.
Kerry Diamond:
Speaking of hospitality and beautiful tablescapes, our host for this event is Amber Mayfield, the founder of the events company To Be Hosted, and founder and editor of the hospitality-focused magazine, While Entertaining. I have the magazine right here. I'm going to show everybody Amber's beautiful magazine that you can order on her website. Hi, Amber. How are you?
Amber Mayfield:
I'm good. Thanks for having me.
Kerry Diamond:
Thank you for joining us. I was saying, so you're also the founder and editor of this hospitality-focused magazine, While Entertaining. You are going to be taking over the introductions, and then you will join us later to take some questions for the audience. And for those folks who are new to Zoom, we've got a little Q&A box below. You can just put your questions for Susan and Mariana in there, and maybe you have a question or two for Amber. Feel free to put those in there as well. But Amber, it's nice to see you. How are things?
Amber Mayfield:
It's so great to see you, too. I mean, I wish it was in person, but here we are.
Kerry Diamond:
I know. I know. Soon enough we'll have in person events, but for now it's just thank you for joining us, and for everyone who's joining us on this Zoom. Amber, I'll let you take it away. Have fun, and I'll see you later. Okay?
Amber Mayfield:
Thank you. See you soon.
Kerry Diamond:
All right. Bye, everybody.
Amber Mayfield:
So, hi everyone. As Kerry mentioned, I am an event planner and an incredible dinner party enthusiast, which is why I am so excited to join you tonight. Design and presentation and food styling is something that I think about so often. I think the best way to get better at those sorts of trades is to practice, of course, and then also to really study the greats, the greats being food stylists like Susan Spungen and Mariana Velasquez, who are joining me tonight, and I have the pleasure of introducing them and joining you all for this demo. I can't wait to take copious notes for my next dinner party, because I can't wait to get back in person.
Amber Mayfield:
So, I will start with introducing Susan Spungen. She is a food stylist and an author. We know her for being one of the inaugural food editorials and editorial directors at Martha Stewart Living. I'm a huge fan of her, too. And then we also know her for being a food stylist for Julie & Julia. How convenient. She's also been a food stylist for Eat Pray Love, one of my personal favorites, and most recently she released a beautiful cookbook. It's called Open Kitchen: Inspired Food for Casual Gatherings. So, yeah. She's got a copy right there. Beautiful, and it's definitely what you need as we all get back to hosting, and remember how to entertain again.
Amber Mayfield:
She is going to be joined by Mariana Velasquez, who is an international food stylist, artist, and chef. She has been featured in numerous publications, and she's also collaborated on more than 20 cookbooks. I don't even think I have 20 cookbooks here, and she's collaborated on all of them. And then most recently, she has her cookbook coming out, which I'm very excited for. It's called Colombiana: A Rediscovery of Recipes and Rituals From the Soul of Colombia. And so, that is going on sale on June 15th. Mark your calendars. You're going to want to make sure to get that one as well. Susan, Mariana, thank you for joining me. I know you have so much to get to in this demo, so I'm not going to waste any more time talking. I'm going to turn it over to you. And like Kerry said, I'll be back towards the end, so if you have any questions, audience, drop them in the chat, and I will get to as many as we can. Susan, Mariana?
Susan Spungen:
Thank you, Amber.
Mariana Velasquez:
Thank you, Amber. Susan, it's so good to see you.
Susan Spungen:
Hi, Mariana. Good to see you, too.
Mariana Velasquez:
It's such a pleasure to share this space with you.
Susan Spungen:
I know. Same here. And for people that don't know, we actually were once at the same agency, but not at the same time. I don't know that we... Did we ever meet before we did the Cherry Bombe panel that time? I don't know if we ever met.
Mariana Velasquez:
No, that was the first time we met.
Susan Spungen:
Right.
Mariana Velasquez:
Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
Susan Spungen:
So, I helped Kerry put together a little panel on food styling a couple of Jubilees ago, three or four, actually, and I asked Mariana to join us on this panel, and then that's how we met. And so, we don't get to see each other, because we're always working on different jobs. Right?
Mariana Velasquez:
It's true. But the thing is that when you connect with colleagues and with people you share the same profession and are in the same kind of world of inspiration, it's so great.
Susan Spungen:
Yeah.
Mariana Velasquez:
That's why I wanted to ask you about something that has been on my mind since three days ago.
Susan Spungen:
Okay?
Mariana Velasquez:
That I was reading your book, about this word "sprezzatura." I really want you to tell me and the audience about it, because I think it's fabulous.
Susan Spungen:
Yeah. That was sort of the inspiration for my whole book, and in case you didn't see it, there it is again. Open Kitchen. I know it came out one year ago, when everybody stopped gathering. So, bad timing. But anyway, sprezzatura, it really means... And you say it better than me. It really means studied nonchalance. So like making it look easy, and... Oh, I forgot to put do not disturb on my phone. Anyway, sorry. I have to put do not disturb, so nobody-
Mariana Velasquez:
Yeah, all those messages clicking and ticking.
Susan Spungen:
Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So it's usually applied to fashion, men's fashion specifically. Like the way that Italian men dress, and they just look so perfect, but like you rolled out of bed that way. So, that's the kind of feeling I like to apply to my cooking and my entertaining. Even if it takes a little bit of effort, it should appear to be easy, and it should also be easy. You should enjoy yourself when you're cooking. So, that's kind of one of the major ideas in my book. The other one is trying to... A lot of the things in my book have prep tips, so that you can do things ahead of time. Like for instance make a souffle, which I have in the oven, that I made earlier. So everything works really well for a demo, as well.
Mariana Velasquez:
I'm so impressed that you have the souffle in the oven, that everything flows so easily. It's perfectly timed, that it just seems like-
Susan Spungen:
Exactly. Exactly.
Mariana Velasquez:
Yeah, it's perfect. And what are you making today?
Susan Spungen:
Oh, I'm making my rosy harissa chicken, which is this chicken right here. I think Kerry actually suggested these two recipes because they're sort of Julia-esque, in that... She would never have made a harissa chicken, but she certainly would have made a souffle. Which, as you know is impossible to photograph before it falls, so that's why it looks a little wrinkled. But actually, those two things I think are going to be really nice together, the cheesy souffle and the spicy harissa chicken, which I'm going to take out of the oven in a second. But I'm sure people want to hear about Julie & Julia, right? So-
Mariana Velasquez:
Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, tell me-
Susan Spungen:
Do you have any questions? Yeah.
Mariana Velasquez:
I do. I have many questions, especially because I recently worked on a movie set.
Susan Spungen:
Oh.
Mariana Velasquez:
And so, I wanted to hear what your experience was like.
Susan Spungen:
Oh. Mm-hmm.
Mariana Velasquez:
How was it, first of all, the preparation? How much research did you have to do prior to arriving to the set?
Susan Spungen:
Well, quite a bit. I mean the script was written, but there were certain scenes that Nora Ephron actually wanted my input on, because certain ones were important to the story, like sewing up the duck. You know, there were certain things. Or the souffle. And it's funny, I just found in my book, this is my copy of Mastering the French Cook from the movie. I couldn't even say it. Mastering the Art of French Cooking. So I just have left all of my post-its in, and it says what each scene was. Because we really used this book as a bible, and then this was like the little script that you get. This is from March 26th, 2008. I just looked. I left it in the book because I like souvenirs, you know?
Mariana Velasquez:
Yeah.
Susan Spungen:
And I knew someday I would go back. So, here is the scene where Amy Adams is pulling the souffle out of the oven, which is what I'm about to make. But that was not a real souffle. And here they are looking at the souffle. This is the storyboards. I don't even think they make storyboards anymore. But, so-
Mariana Velasquez:
So it was something that looked like a souffle, but wasn't a souffle?
Susan Spungen:
It was choux, choux paste.
Mariana Velasquez:
Oh, wow.
Susan Spungen:
Like what you make, pate a choux. For those of you who don't know, what you would make a cream puff or a profiterole out of. Because it looked almost exactly like a souffle, but it actually lasted for weeks.
Mariana Velasquez:
Oh, that's amazing. So it just sat there petrified for weeks?
Susan Spungen:
Yeah. We left it on this heat rack until it got moldy, because it was like, "Let's see how long this souffle lasts?" But, I mean it's just not practical. It was food. It was eggs and flour and cheese and all the normal things in a souffle, but because it was choux paste, it was much, much stronger, and it still puffed up and looked very dramatic. Yeah. We would have gotten our heads chopped off if we had done a real souffle, because we would have been like-
Mariana Velasquez:
No. Can you imagine?
Susan Spungen:
... "Oh, we've got to go back to the kitchen. Sorry."
Mariana Velasquez:
"Have to pop another one in the oven." And so, what other dishes did you have to make multiples of, that you have to keep reshooting?
Susan Spungen:
Oh, wow. Everything, really.
Mariana Velasquez:
Everything.
Susan Spungen:
But specifically, one thing I made them more than anything is the French onion soup. Because we had this montage scene, which is actually what this little script is for, where they were just quick cuts of Julia making something, and then Julie making something. The same dish. So they would cut back and forth in this montage scene. I don't know if any of you remember it. One of them had Amy Adams eating French onion soup. It was such a nerve wracking scene, because it said... I'll never forget this. It said, "The cheese stretches from the bowl to her lips."
Mariana Velasquez:
Oh, no. Oh, no.
Susan Spungen:
And I was not the one taking the spoon and doing it.
Mariana Velasquez:
Right.
Susan Spungen:
It was Amy Adams. So I had to make it so that it was the right kind of cheese, and at the right temperature and the right timing. And so many nights they would say, "If time," on the script. "If time." So we would run out of time. So we would prepare the French onion soup, and they'd be like, "That's a wrap. We're done." And then I would have to do it all-
Mariana Velasquez:
And then you would have to do it the next day.
Susan Spungen:
... over again, because to them it was not an important shot. It was just one shot we had to get. And they didn't care about me, the food stuff. Some people would say, "Oh. Well, they should care about you in the kitchen, making all that French onion soup." They don't care about me. When you're the food stylist, you just have to roll with the punches. Right?
Mariana Velasquez:
Yeah. I mean, we're so low in the totem pole.
Susan Spungen:
Yeah.
Mariana Velasquez:
When it comes to big productions like that. You're like, "But this movie is about food, and it's souffle."
Susan Spungen:
I know.
Mariana Velasquez:
It's like, "Yeah, but we have to wait three hours."
Susan Spungen:
I know. I know. Yeah. So, I feel like I'm not answering. I forget to answer the end of your questions.
Mariana Velasquez:
No, no, no. No, you did. You did.
Susan Spungen:
Yeah. Okay, good.
Mariana Velasquez:
Did you have to teach them?
Susan Spungen:
Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Mariana Velasquez:
The Julias, how to cut?
Susan Spungen:
Actually Donna, if you're listening, maybe you can screen share that picture of me showing Amy Adams how to make hollandaise on set. She'll probably get it up on screen in a few minutes. I put it on my Instagram yesterday, so a lot of people probably saw it.
Mariana Velasquez:
Yeah.
Susan Spungen:
But Amy Adams did more of the cooking. If you really look at the movie, Julia is more in the eating scenes, and sometimes she's cooking. But Amy Adams, because she's playing Julie Powell, was cooking everything, so she needed more instruction, and she really didn't know how to cook. So before we even started, we went to the ICE Culinary when it was still on 23rd Street, and we just locked ourselves in a kitchen for like two days.
Susan Spungen:
Yeah, there I am telling Amy Adams. Very bossy. I'm pointing at her. It's because she's trying to make hollandaise, and she clearly was doing something wrong. Because Nora Ephron would call me when Amy Adams... Like this was right in the middle of shooting. This is her set kitchen. And, you know. Maybe she didn't whisk right, or it could have been anything. But she needed some instruction right then and there on how to work with the hollandaise, so I was jumping in to tell her, show her how to do things. But I did spend two days with her in the kitchen, and I wanted her to be comfortable picking up a live lobster, for instance. You know? Because she was going to have to pick up a live lobster.
Mariana Velasquez:
Right.
Susan Spungen:
So I wanted her to practice her knife skills and things like that. She'd never touched a live lobster before. Show her how to do it, so that she wouldn't be scared on the day that she had to do it. Ooh, I see the souffle coming up.
Mariana Velasquez:
How's that souffle?
Susan Spungen:
It's coming. I have to check my chicken, but I can still talk to you while I'm doing it.
Mariana Velasquez:
Okay. No, perfect. So-
Susan Spungen:
Because I'm not... I'm just talking. I'm not doing anything. All right. I'm taking this out.
Mariana Velasquez:
Where did you shoot? Where were the sets? How difficult your setup was?
Susan Spungen:
Yes.
Mariana Velasquez:
Because that, sometimes it's impossible.
Susan Spungen:
It was so difficult. Yeah, it was very difficult. Hold on. Oh, yeah. Three minutes til souffle.
Mariana Velasquez:
All right.
Susan Spungen:
So, yeah. We were at Silvercup East, and they didn't have an actual kitchen. Like when I worked on It's Complicated right after that, they actually built... Oh, there. That's the Cordon Bleu kitchen. Look at Meryl Streep standing on a box, because they wanted to make her taller. Can you see that?
Mariana Velasquez:
And look at those heels she's wearing.
Susan Spungen:
Yeah, yeah. Platform. So, I was like this is a funny picture that Mark Richer, who got nominated for an Academy Award last night but they said his name wrong, he took this picture. This was the scene in the Cordon Bleu where they're all making omelets. I think I had just finally set everything up, so I was just standing off to the side.
Mariana Velasquez:
And so, for instance, for a scene like this, where there's so much food and so many action moments, how many people did you have on your team?
Susan Spungen:
Yeah. Yeah. One.
Mariana Velasquez:
What do you mean, one?
Susan Spungen:
You know, it was always a struggle to get even someone to help with dishes, because basically because of union rules and things like that, it was... You know. And you would think that the people on your team, like on the prop team, would want to help you. But I don't know how many people are old enough to remember the movie Norma Rae, who was the union organizer. Sometimes I would call her Norma Rae, because she would actually call and tattletale if we brought someone in to work.
Mariana Velasquez:
Oh, wow. Yeah, so super strict.
Susan Spungen:
So it was difficult. It was difficult. And we didn't have... We had a completely jerry rigged kitchen, just all rental equipment. Plenty of counter space. Plenty of tables. Plenty of refrigeration. Just sort of crappy kind of electric stoves, too.
Mariana Velasquez:
Yeah. Oh my God, yeah.
Susan Spungen:
And we're right on the set in Silvercup East, which is one of the studios in New York, and no sink. That was the problem.
Mariana Velasquez:
Oh my God. So five gallon buckets with water?
Susan Spungen:
Well, no. No. We had like a fake sink setup. It had like a hose and then it drained. But we often didn't have hot water.
Mariana Velasquez:
Yeah, it clogged.
Susan Spungen:
Yeah. It didn't work very well. And when you're doing stuff like greasy duck and things like that? I mean, we were often working with seriously buttery and greasy stuff, so it was really hard to-
Mariana Velasquez:
I read on a piece that you had never gone through so much butter in your life. Is that true?
Susan Spungen:
Well, that's true. Yeah, actually there's an article that Christine Mulkey wrote... Well, actually, no. No. There's an article that Kim Severson wrote. Did you read that one?
Mariana Velasquez:
I did.
Susan Spungen:
It's in The New York Times, if anybody wants to read it. I'm making this sauce now. It's not really a sauce. It's just like this au jus from my book. But I think people are probably more interested in Julie & Julia, but I'm going to just sort of finish this while we're talking. I don't think you care about.
Mariana Velasquez:
Perfect. That's deglazing and deglazing deliciousness that I read.
Susan Spungen:
Oh, yeah. Exactly. Yeah, and it was a little bit hard, because I was... Oh, wow. Here's the souffle. Wait a minute.
Mariana Velasquez:
Let's see.
Susan Spungen:
The timer went off but I didn't hear it, because I have these headphones in. Hold on. The sauce came out a little bit thinner.
Mariana Velasquez:
I can't wait.
Susan Spungen:
All right. It's not going to stay high, but the idea of this souffle is that you can... It's in my book. You can make it ahead of time, leave it in the fridge for hours, probably the same way restaurants do it, and then you just put it in the oven, like I did right before we started the demo.
Mariana Velasquez:
Amazing.
Susan Spungen:
And it's also not in a tall dish. It's in a flat dish. And it's so delicious, and people should not be afraid to make a souffle.
Mariana Velasquez:
Yeah, it's one of those dishes that it's intimidating by reputation, but if you're prepared...
Susan Spungen:
Yeah.
Mariana Velasquez:
Oh, wow. It's beautiful.
Susan Spungen:
And it's not at all difficult, and it's so good.
Mariana Velasquez:
So beautiful.
Susan Spungen:
Even when it falls, it's delicious.
Mariana Velasquez:
Oh, amazing.
Susan Spungen:
So, imagine. You could do this for your friends. You could, at a dinner party. Like they wouldn't even know you did anything, and you just put something in the oven, and then out comes this gorgeous souffle.
Mariana Velasquez:
So delicious, impressive. And that sprezzatura is the perfect adjective for it.
Susan Spungen:
Oh, yeah. Absolutely. That is sprezzatura.
Mariana Velasquez:
Exactly.
Susan Spungen:
So, yeah. I think my sauce... So, you take this garlic. This garlic has been cooking along with the... Ow. It's really hot, though.
Mariana Velasquez:
Yeah, and it's super creamy and roasty.
Susan Spungen:
Yeah.
Mariana Velasquez:
Yeah.
Susan Spungen:
And this just all goes into the sauce, but when it cools off I'm going to squeeze it again. But let's keep talking about Julie & Julia.
Mariana Velasquez:
So after a job like that, that I'm sure took quite... I mean, how long did you guys shoot for?
Susan Spungen:
Three months, and we were pretty much on set every single day.
Mariana Velasquez:
Yeah. How would you say that it changed you as a food stylist? You know, like after that.
Susan Spungen:
Huh. That's a good question. Well, I mean, I did a couple more movies in pretty quick succession right after that, so I certainly got good at the movie side of things. I understood it a lot more. What movie did you just work on?
Mariana Velasquez:
I just worked on In the Heights, which is by Jon Chu.
Susan Spungen:
Oh, that's great.
Mariana Velasquez:
Lin-Manuel Miranda's Broadway play, that was made into a movie.
Susan Spungen:
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Mariana Velasquez:
That was supposed to release last year.
Susan Spungen:
Ah.
Mariana Velasquez:
And is releasing this year. But yeah.
Susan Spungen:
Was there a lot of food?
Mariana Velasquez:
There was quite a bit of food. Puerto Rican, Dominican dishes, a couple Mexican desserts. And the movie is not centered about food, around food. But-
Susan Spungen:
Right, right. It's important.
Mariana Velasquez:
... it's about community and neighborhood.
Susan Spungen:
Right, right, right.
Mariana Velasquez:
Right. So there's potlucks, and it's the heat of summer in Harlem, so people are drinking beers on the sidewalk and eating Ritz crackers with cheese and guava paste. It was amazing. It was really fun to also look into the foods that would have been eaten in 1970s New York City-
Susan Spungen:
Sure.
Mariana Velasquez:
... in the middle of summer, when there were the power outages, too.
Susan Spungen:
Oh.
Mariana Velasquez:
So, it was all of that kind of-
Susan Spungen:
Right.
Mariana Velasquez:
Part of this-
Susan Spungen:
That sounds great. I can't wait to see it.
Mariana Velasquez:
Yeah, it was fun.
Susan Spungen:
Yeah. And-
Mariana Velasquez:
But, so back to Julia.
Susan Spungen:
Yeah. Yeah.
Mariana Velasquez:
So, yeah. After that job, being on set for three months, doing other movies-
Susan Spungen:
Look how it's not really falling.
Mariana Velasquez:
... do you think your perception changed? Oh. No, it stayed.
Susan Spungen:
It still looks good. Do I think my perception changed? I don't really think so, because as you know, every job is different. Right?
Mariana Velasquez:
Yeah.
Susan Spungen:
Like as food stylists? People always say, "Can you show us your secrets, your tips and tricks?" Like we're doing today. And the truth is, every job is different, so it's hard. It's always hard. Because how about those jobs where you think it's going to be easy, and it seems easy? And it's like, "Okay. Something is not going to be easy," but you don't know until you show up. Is it going to be the client? Is it going to be the situation? You just don't know. There's always some hidden challenge. They're rarely just the walk in the park that they seem to be.
Mariana Velasquez:
Yeah.
Susan Spungen:
So, I always hear people... Back to food for, oh, wait for just one second. People seem so afraid to make roast chicken, which I really want to conquer that. It's like you should. It's the easiest thing in the world. This recipe's a little more complex but worth it, but I think people get nervous about carving a chicken, like I'm doing. I did this at a dinner party a couple years ago when we had one, and somebody was watching me do exactly what I'm doing now, and they were like, "Oh my God. How do you do that so easily?" You know?
Mariana Velasquez:
I mean, that chicken is perfectly cooked, so it also-
Susan Spungen:
It is, it is.
Mariana Velasquez:
You know. The bones give in so easily, and yeah. But you really know what you're-
Susan Spungen:
You have to have the right tools.
Mariana Velasquez:
Do you ever use scissors for carving chicken, like sometimes?
Susan Spungen:
Not usually, but I would if I needed them. But yeah.
Mariana Velasquez:
What are your favorite tools, now that we're talking about having the right tools?
Mariana Velasquez:
I know that everybody always asks, but I think-
Susan Spungen:
I know. I think this is my favorite tool of all.
Mariana Velasquez:
Yeah.
Susan Spungen:
Mandoline.
Mariana Velasquez:
A mandoline?
Susan Spungen:
Yeah. I mean, that's something I use all the time. But honestly, this strainer... Let me show you one thing.
Mariana Velasquez:
Show me.
Susan Spungen:
This Muji strainer is probably my favorite tool.
Mariana Velasquez:
It's amazing. Oh, wow.
Susan Spungen:
I love this strainer. If you don't, I have it-
Mariana Velasquez:
Is it really fine?
Susan Spungen:
It's not really fine, but I usually don't cook that much pasta. So I use it for pasta, I use it for vegetables. It's the best. I love it.
Mariana Velasquez:
Yeah.
Susan Spungen:
So good.
Mariana Velasquez:
And on your kits, what's the one tool-
Susan Spungen:
My what?
Mariana Velasquez:
... that you're like, "Oh my God, if I forgot this piece of equipment"? Or no? You sort of like go with it?
Susan Spungen:
Well, you've got to have tweezers on a food styling shoot, right?
Mariana Velasquez:
Yeah. Yeah. I always say that they're like the extension of my hand.
Susan Spungen:
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Mariana Velasquez:
Maybe today, but to make it like, you know, home.
Susan Spungen:
Oh. I was going to show you my favorite tweezers, but I don't know. They're not handy, so yeah. So, my sauce did get a little darker than it's supposed to today. Really hard to do a Zoom and cook at the same time.
Mariana Velasquez:
Well, then so you coat it, it sits overnight, and then how long does it roast for?
Susan Spungen:
About an hour and a half. You know, typical time.
Mariana Velasquez:
Yeah.
Susan Spungen:
But I guess I'm going to move over to here, but maybe I'll turn the camera around.
Mariana Velasquez:
Yeah, that would be good.
Susan Spungen:
Because I'm going to try to show, do some plating on the table here while we continue to talk.
Mariana Velasquez:
Perfect.
Susan Spungen:
So, what I like... I'm going to turn this around so you can still see me.
Mariana Velasquez:
Okay. Good, good.
Susan Spungen:
I don't know if that's turned around right, but-
Mariana Velasquez:
Yeah. No, I can see you.
Susan Spungen:
Wait. Oh, now you can see my camera setup. Here I am. Hi.
Mariana Velasquez:
Hi.
Susan Spungen:
All right, so I also made some carrots here, because I have this cute little dish. Isn't this the most adorable dish from-
Mariana Velasquez:
It's beautiful.
Susan Spungen:
This is from Crate & Barrel, and like Kerry said, we picked some things off of the website. Now, this recipe doesn't normally have carrots, but... Sorry.
Mariana Velasquez:
To make it a full meal.
Susan Spungen:
Well, I wanted to use that dish, but it was too small for the souffle, you see? So-
Mariana Velasquez:
Okay. And is it cast iron? What is it made out of?
Susan Spungen:
No, it's ceramic. It's ceramic.
Mariana Velasquez:
Oh.
Susan Spungen:
Yeah, it's really nice. And now I have this platter, so I'm going to put my little souffle over here.
Mariana Velasquez:
Oh, beautiful.
Susan Spungen:
But let's keep talking. So, I'm going to put the sauce... Which, like I said, got a little bit dark, but it's still good. The idea of this chicken is that you sort of put the carved chicken so it's kind of sitting in the sauce, so that way when people go to take some, it's kind of got the crispy skin on the top, but the juicy sauce on the bottom. It looks like mole right now, but it's not mole.
Mariana Velasquez:
When you were saying earlier that maybe Julia would have never made this harissa chicken-
Susan Spungen:
Right.
Mariana Velasquez:
... I wonder, if Julia were here today. You know, with the world being smaller the way it is, and our palates adjusting to spices and flavors from so many places in the world.
Susan Spungen:
Right, right.
Mariana Velasquez:
I wonder if because of a Moroccan influence in France, maybe she would have explored that... Sorry for the ambulance.
Susan Spungen:
Oh, yeah. Oh, that's okay. No, I think she would... You know, having met Julia, and knowing her a little bit, she just liked good food.
Mariana Velasquez:
Oh, wow.
Susan Spungen:
She just liked good food, you know? So if you made something and it tasted good, she would like it. So-
Mariana Velasquez:
And when did you meet her? How did you meet?
Susan Spungen:
Oh. Well, when I was at Martha Stewart Living, there was a book and TV series called Baking With Julia, and we did a wedding cake. So, we had a two day shoot. I don't know if you saw. Cherry Bombe just posted Nancy Silverton, and Julia crying over her dessert. That was the same series. We had different bakers would come, and in this case it wasn't me. It was Martha. But I was the one in the basement, and the one making the cake for days ahead of time, and actually behind the scenes. So if you look in the beginning of the book, you'll see a picture of me looking like this to the cake, like-
Mariana Velasquez:
Like completely doctoring it.
Susan Spungen:
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And so we went up there for two days, and we stayed overnight in Cambridge. Because our shoot was a two day shoot, of course. Martha, right? We had to have a longer shoot. And-
Mariana Velasquez:
Splurge. The luxury of time.
Susan Spungen:
Yeah. Speaking of time, do we need to switch over? Oh, not yet. Wait.
Mariana Velasquez:
Not quite.
Susan Spungen:
Okay.
Mariana Velasquez:
I think we're good.
Susan Spungen:
So, Martha. Oh, Julia made us dinner. She made us dinner in her garden. Yeah. And she took a very old-
Mariana Velasquez:
What did she make?
Susan Spungen:
She made grilled steak and twice-baked potatoes. That's what I remember.
Mariana Velasquez:
Oh, wow.
Susan Spungen:
And she took a very old bottle of wine out of her cellar, but it had gone off. You know, like something Paul had put there.
Mariana Velasquez:
Yeah, it corked and... Yeah.
Susan Spungen:
And I had met her a couple of other times in professional settings, because when I first started at Martha Stewart Living, she was still active in the food community. She would come to IACP, and i saw her at the Cookbook Awards. We won an award for the Hors d'oeuvres Handbook, and I was there to accept it, and she said... Should I do my Julia impression? Should I do my Julia impression? She said, "Oh." As I'm on my way to the stage, she said, "It's a wonderful book. I bought it at Costco." That's what she said.
Mariana Velasquez:
Okay.
Susan Spungen:
Yeah, I'm going to.
Mariana Velasquez:
No, go ahead.
Susan Spungen:
You can keep talking. I'm sprinkling these rose petals over. I like to buy these whole rosebuds, because the petals, they have more color than when you just get the-
Mariana Velasquez:
The petals on the rose. Yeah.
Susan Spungen:
So, this is just to make it look kind of pretty. It's not necessary. But I want everyone to notice-
Mariana Velasquez:
Oh, but it looks so beautiful.
Susan Spungen:
I want everyone to notice how the souffle, it might be a little bit wrinkled, but it's certainly not too deflated to serve. Should I try it?
Mariana Velasquez:
It looks amazing. Try it.
Susan Spungen:
Well, I don't... All right. I have to get a plate.
Mariana Velasquez:
Yeah, I want to see that texture, and that steaminess coming out of the souffle.
Susan Spungen:
Yeah.
Mariana Velasquez:
I'm sure it's going to be fabulous.
Susan Spungen:
As it usually is.
Mariana Velasquez:
So, if you could describe Julia in three words, how would you describe her?
Susan Spungen:
Oh. I would describe her as gracious... Look at that. Can you see that?
Mariana Velasquez:
Oh, wow. Oh, spectacular. Oh my God.
Susan Spungen:
I mean, look at that. It's so delicious for-
Mariana Velasquez:
So good.
Susan Spungen:
... like a brunch, or... Actually, Steve and I had this on New Year's Eve a couple years ago. We just had caviar, and then we had this. Like a little bit of caviar.
Mariana Velasquez:
And souffle and bubbles, it seems like the perfect combination.
Susan Spungen:
Oh, so good.
Mariana Velasquez:
Yeah.
Susan Spungen:
So good.
Mariana Velasquez:
So good. Susan, you're making me very jealous and very hungry. Lunch is very far away.
Susan Spungen:
All right. Three things about Julia.
Mariana Velasquez:
Yeah.
Susan Spungen:
Let me think. She was really friendly, very down-to-earth, and curious. I'd say curious is another word I would use to describe Julia. Very curious about a person and what they're doing, and the food that they're making. You know. She was genuinely curious about people.
Mariana Velasquez:
Wow. I love that. That's so beautiful. Curiosity and being open is the key to not having any judgment, right? If you-
Susan Spungen:
Right. Yeah.
Mariana Velasquez:
If you're curious, you're-
Susan Spungen:
Yeah. Exactly.
Mariana Velasquez:
Yeah, you're willing to listen.
Susan Spungen:
Exactly.
Mariana Velasquez:
Yes.
Susan Spungen:
And that's another characteristic of Martha Stewart, too, that is very much... She's a super curious person, and that was something she really valued in the people that worked for her, too. So, I would say I'm curious as well.
Mariana Velasquez:
Amazing.
Susan Spungen:
Sometimes too curious.
Mariana Velasquez:
Yes.
Susan Spungen:
But I'm curious. Okay, I'm going to segue into your book, which I looked at the PDF last night just on my phone, and I just couldn't stop looking. I'm very excited to see your book. Even though I have some Colombian friends, I don't really know anything about the food of Colombia, and I think it hasn't gotten a lot of attention. So, I'm very excited for you to have written this book. I read your intro, and I didn't know that you worked at the Post Ranch Inn.
Mariana Velasquez:
I did.
Susan Spungen:
No. Yeah, so I read more about you than I knew before. I'm really, really excited to get this book, and I've already mentally bookmarked a bunch of recipes, which somehow you've managed... I mean, they seem very modern and very accessible. So I think that's great, and I think everyone's going to love it. And of course, actually, I want to know. I know you meant to shoot it in Colombia, so what happened? I mean the pandemic happened, so what did you-
Mariana Velasquez:
The pandemic happened.
Susan Spungen:
But I also saw that you had portraits, and did you shoot those portraits where?
Mariana Velasquez:
So, because the vision was to travel by car all along Colombia, we had pre-produced these amazing shoots, starting in Bogota, down the windy roads through the Andes and up to the coast. The vision was that we would find these women, cooks and makers along the way, and take their portrait and tell their story. So we were scheduled to shoot in April, and so they were here in lockdown. Colombia was completely closed. And I told the publisher, "Please give me until September, when the world goes back to normal." You know?
Susan Spungen:
Or so you thought.
Mariana Velasquez:
Or so I thought. "So that we can go and take this trip, and do these amazing production that I'm dreaming about."
Susan Spungen:
Right, right.
Mariana Velasquez:
But, you know. The world happened, and we had to readjust. And so, I had been collecting all of these props made by different makers and ceramicists and textile and weavers. And so, I had everything shipped from Colombia to New York. And then we found these Colombian women here who are in food, and they tell the story of women, Colombian women in the U.S.
Susan Spungen:
Wow. Oh, wow.
Mariana Velasquez:
Which turned around to be even more special, right?
Susan Spungen:
Yeah.
Mariana Velasquez:
Because through this book, I'm looking to tell the story of the cuisine of my country, right? And make it accessible to be able to be made here.
Susan Spungen:
Right. That's great. It's great.
Mariana Velasquez:
It was great to then tell the story of women who actually live here, and they make arepas.
Susan Spungen:
Yeah, right.
Mariana Velasquez:
Yeah, so it was really beautiful.
Susan Spungen:
That's fantastic. Do you want to tell us about your recipe, and start on it while we're talking?
Mariana Velasquez:
While we're talking.
Susan Spungen:
Yeah.
Mariana Velasquez:
So, this is a dessert that I grew up eating on the weekends. I grew up in Bogota, which some of you may or may not know is a city. It's the capital, and it's very high up in the Andes. It's quite cold. And imagine, it's 9,000 feet up-
Susan Spungen:
Oh, wow.
Mariana Velasquez:
... but then adjacent to it it's one of the highest valleys in the world. So basically the mountains open up, and you have these 9,000 feet out into the valley, that it's sprawling with dairy farms, with flower farms, with incredible, incredible pieces of land, all eucalyptus. It's always surrounded by fog. It's a really dreamy place to drive through to escape the city.
Susan Spungen:
What is that valley called?
Mariana Velasquez:
It's called La Sabana de Bogota. Like Bogota Savannah, basically.
Susan Spungen:
Okay. Okay.
Mariana Velasquez:
And when you were driving on the road, you would see these station wagons with their trunk popped open, and these trays of meringue doused in whipped cream and strawberries, and all of those were the ingredients from those farms. And even though it has a total European influence, right? Like meringue is not very Colombian.
Susan Spungen:
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sure.
Mariana Velasquez:
But we adopted it, and it became kind of like the street food, the street dessert of La Sabana.
Susan Spungen:
Wow.
Mariana Velasquez:
And they were made by families, who on the weekend would bring these trays of dessert and sell them out of the trunk of their cars.
Susan Spungen:
Wow. And would they get all soggy and mushy, sitting there all day?
Mariana Velasquez:
Oh my God, of course. So soggy and mushy. Sometimes they would be really hard and dry. Other times they would be perfectly chewy. The cream would sometimes be a little off. I mean, imagine like under the beating sun. But it's one of those flavors that it's so dear to... I don't know. I really remember it as something so special, because we grew up looking forward to it. And sometimes instead of strawberries they do guanabana, which is soursop. I don't know if you know that fruit that is super milky, creamy, and it's encased in this green, almost like crocodile-like skin.
Susan Spungen:
Yes. Yeah. Yeah, I know what it is. Yeah.
Mariana Velasquez:
And it's really delicious. Yeah, yeah. So-
Susan Spungen:
Does that have the big black seeds in it? Does it have big black seeds? Yeah.
Mariana Velasquez:
Yeah, it does.
Susan Spungen:
More sirens.
Mariana Velasquez:
So, you know, they take them out and then put them on the desserts. So, this is a recipe.
Susan Spungen:
So, show us. Do you have the meringue made already?
Mariana Velasquez:
I do. I do.
Susan Spungen:
Do you have the meringue made? Yeah.
Mariana Velasquez:
Yes. So, but I want to show you something first.
Susan Spungen:
Okay.
Mariana Velasquez:
Speaking of like food styling tricks for everybody who's watching.
Susan Spungen:
Yeah.
Mariana Velasquez:
So, I made this meringue. I have another sheet ready. But sometimes people ask me, like, "Oh, so you're a food stylist. Do you actually make the food?" I'm like, "Yeah, you have to make the food."
Susan Spungen:
Oh my God.
Mariana Velasquez:
"You have to shop for the ingredients." Imagine that-
Susan Spungen:
People have no idea. They have no idea what we do. No idea.
Mariana Velasquez:
If somebody else made the food, you would not be able to really style it.
Susan Spungen:
No. no.
Mariana Velasquez:
You would be like, "Eh. I guess it looks sort of okay." Right?
Susan Spungen:
Yeah. No, they don't understand.
Mariana Velasquez:
So, I just wanted to show how it's all about the process. I'm not being very good at this. Here.
Susan Spungen:
Sure you are.
Mariana Velasquez:
It's all about details, right? And the weaves, right? Like the way that you use your spatula to create the creases and the movement in the meringue is to how the cream will sort of nestle itself in.
Susan Spungen:
Oh, yeah. Yeah.
Mariana Velasquez:
Right?
Susan Spungen:
Mm-hmm.
Mariana Velasquez:
And then I don't make it too big, because I actually like my meringue kind of tall and chewy.
Susan Spungen:
Right, right.
Mariana Velasquez:
So, this one will go in the oven. The recipe's in the book. And then, so this is what came out earlier. Let's see this here. Here. Perfect.
Susan Spungen:
Tell us about the marigolds, and the significance of that.
Mariana Velasquez:
Right. So, the fields of this region, I mean, I think it's always actually pretty acidic, so there's marigolds and dandelions that grow wild all over. So I thought I want to incorporate that visual, and that experience of the dandelion into the dessert, even though it's not traditionally made like that. But it also, by adding the bitters, the dandelion bitters to the cream, it sort of makes it more adult, a little bit more sophisticated and less sweet. It just adds a lot of good texture.
Susan Spungen:
Where do you get dandelions? Where do you get dandelion bitters? Do they sell it at Kalustyan's?
Mariana Velasquez:
They sell it at Kalustyan's. Yeah, yeah. It's really good. Also, I'm going to use the blowtorch. But this dessert, I mean imagine, without the burnt deliciousness is not the same, so that dimension, the bittersweet, sour, tangy. It's so good.
Susan Spungen:
Yeah. But let me ask you something, Mariana. This meringue is already baked in a low oven, right?
Mariana Velasquez:
Yeah.
Susan Spungen:
It's already baked, right?
Mariana Velasquez:
It's already baked.
Susan Spungen:
Oh, but you're still going to torch it. Okay.
Mariana Velasquez:
Blowtorch. Hold on.
Susan Spungen:
Yeah, sorry. Don't set your apartment on fire.
Mariana Velasquez:
I'm going to torch it to get a little bit of a burn. No, no. Can you imagine? But as Julia would say, "Never apologize." Even if the apartment-
Susan Spungen:
Ah, that's right. That's what Julia said. "Never apologize."
Mariana Velasquez:
I mean, you are already cooking. You're doing the dishes. You're serving everybody. Something goes wrong, keep it to yourself. Okay. I wonder what happens.
Susan Spungen:
Can you show us? Can you show us the meringue?
Mariana Velasquez:
Yeah.
Susan Spungen:
Yeah, there we go.
Susan Spungen:
There, we're back. Now we're back. Okay, good. Yeah, yeah. Beautiful.
Mariana Velasquez:
And now it's all toasty and delicious.
Susan Spungen:
Yeah. Looks wonderful.
Mariana Velasquez:
It's really good, and really chewy inside.
Susan Spungen:
As you know, I love things like this. I have a similar recipe in my book. You know, the Brita Cake, that has the-
Mariana Velasquez:
Yeah.
Susan Spungen:
It's very similar, except-
Susan Spungen:
... the meringue is baked right on top of the cake. But yeah, like this. The Berry Brita Cake.
Mariana Velasquez:
Oh, wow. Beautiful. And does it have cream-
Susan Spungen:
Very simple.
Mariana Velasquez:
... and berries?
Susan Spungen:
Yes. Yeah.
Mariana Velasquez:
It's very similar. Yeah.
Susan Spungen:
The only difference is it has a layer of sponge as well.
Mariana Velasquez:
Oh, wow.
Susan Spungen:
It's all baked together.
Mariana Velasquez:
So, talk about really good textures combined. Yeah. No, amazing.
Susan Spungen:
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Mariana Velasquez:
Amazing. Amazing. And then I'll do the cream, which I keep it a little bit loose.
Susan Spungen:
Yeah.
Mariana Velasquez:
And again, it's all about wrist movements. When people say, like, "What are the tricks?" I think it's, I don't know. Practice, right?
Susan Spungen:
Well, actually-
Mariana Velasquez:
Like understanding how food behaves. What do you think?
Susan Spungen:
It's true. It's true. But especially with doing that, spreading, I think everyone already knows you have to have offset. I like offset spatulas, but I also, sometimes I like using... Because I think, what do you use to swirl meringue? I only like these really weird, old... These are my favorite rubber spatulas, by the way.
Susan Spungen:
I have all these fancy, other fancy... These are the best ones.
Mariana Velasquez:
Yeah.
Susan Spungen:
The basic ones.
Mariana Velasquez:
Yeah.
Susan Spungen:
But sometimes I'll do something like, I think you're using a rubber spatula. Are you?
Mariana Velasquez:
I am.
Susan Spungen:
Are you? Yeah.
Mariana Velasquez:
And you know what? I have these mini ones that I absolutely love.
Susan Spungen:
Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah.
Mariana Velasquez:
They're incredible. They get into everything, and you can just scrape a measuring cup fully.
Susan Spungen:
Right, like one of these?
Mariana Velasquez:
And get everything out of it.
Susan Spungen:
Mariana, like one of these?
Mariana Velasquez:
Exactly. Yeah. They're so good.
Susan Spungen:
So, you have to use the right tool when you're doing something like that, and you have to do what... Like this is going to make a very different swoop than this.
Mariana Velasquez:
Yeah. Yeah.
Susan Spungen:
And that's what we call them. That's the technical term, is swoop. So, you have to use the right swooping tool. I always used to tell people, because at Martha we had food stylists that worked under me in my department, and I would tell them... Especially one particular person, because she would make things look beautiful, and then when it was time to do the shoot, it would be very, like, ugh. Too tight.
Mariana Velasquez:
Yeah.
Susan Spungen:
And I would just say, "Loosen your hand. Loosen your hand." You know?
Mariana Velasquez:
Yeah, like make it... Mm-hmm.
Susan Spungen:
Like it goes back to that nonchalance, again. You know?
Mariana Velasquez:
Exactly.
Susan Spungen:
Just, ah.
Mariana Velasquez:
Yeah, just do it. Just let it be. Don't force it. Don't. If someone asked me to replate... Say a client, to replate something three times, I'm like, "You know what? Let me just start over. Fix this, fix this, add... "
Susan Spungen:
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. The worst.
Mariana Velasquez:
Clean plate. Start over.
Susan Spungen:
The worst.
Mariana Velasquez:
Make it look.
Susan Spungen:
I always say it's on life support. The dish is on life support.
Mariana Velasquez:
Life support. You know, I learned something from you that I love.
Susan Spungen:
What?
Mariana Velasquez:
The one is none.
Susan Spungen:
Oh, yeah. One is none. Yeah.
Mariana Velasquez:
Can you please tell that story, because it's so good, and I use it with my assistants all the time.
Susan Spungen:
Yeah. Oh. When did I tell you about it? When did I tell you about it?
Mariana Velasquez:
I don't know. I think when we were talking one day, and you told me.
Susan Spungen:
Okay. All right, all right. So, Diana Burton was the prop master on Julie & Julia. That was the first movie I ever did, and she would... I mean she said a lot of funny things, but one of them was always, "One is none." So, if I ask you to go to the store and buy passion fruit, do not bring me one passion fruit. You might as well not bring any. That's what one is none means. It's like bring one is bring none. You know?
Mariana Velasquez:
Yeah.
Susan Spungen:
It's like you have to have a lot. When you're a food stylist, you have to have a lot of options. So yeah, one is none.
Mariana Velasquez:
One is none. It's true.
Susan Spungen:
Words to live by.
Mariana Velasquez:
Like... Exactly. And I feel that for Colombian cooking, one is none is true for everything. You know? It's like more is more. You know?
Susan Spungen:
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like Jewish cooking, too.
Mariana Velasquez:
It's all the components. Exactly. More is more.
Susan Spungen:
Is it Colombians are-
Mariana Velasquez:
Not one dessert. A couple desserts.
Susan Spungen:
Yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah. And always more than you need, not not enough. You know?
Mariana Velasquez:
Yeah. Oh, exactly. Exactly.
Susan Spungen:
So now you're putting your-
Mariana Velasquez:
So, Susan, I did-
Susan Spungen:
Yeah.
Mariana Velasquez:
So, I put the strawberries. Which, you know, in selecting ingredients, if I go... Let's see where that camera is. If I go to find strawberries, thankfully right now it's kind of closer to strawberry season. But it's always looking for the good ingredients, right?
Susan Spungen:
Yeah, yeah.
Mariana Velasquez:
And looking for the right size, and the brighter colors.
Susan Spungen:
Right. Sure.
Mariana Velasquez:
And so, I saved the bigger ones for breakfast for tomorrow with yogurt. For this dessert, I chose small ones, so that I could keep some whole and some cut in half. And I macerated them in lemon and sugar for a little bit longer, so that all the juices really run, and then you get these beautiful streaks. There were no dandelions available right now, sadly, but I did find pansies, so I'll just decorate with some flower petals.
Susan Spungen:
Any edible flower obviously would work, right?
Mariana Velasquez:
Exactly. Yeah, exactly. Any edible flower. And I kept it in the color palette of the dandelions. Keep it monochromatic, and all the oranges and reds and yellows.
Susan Spungen:
Yeah. I have a little pot.
Mariana Velasquez:
And I have them floating here in water.
Susan Spungen:
Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah, it's a very-
Mariana Velasquez:
No, sorry. I had them in warm water. That's a good trick.
Susan Spungen:
That's also another good tip. Yeah, for lettuce or anything. That's a great tip for not just home cooks, but food stylists, too, if you need to refresh something. It's like people forget that vegetables and fruits are plants, and they like to be in water. So if you ever have anything that's wilted or dying, just put it in water, and you'll be amazed what happens.
Mariana Velasquez:
I mean, you'll be good. Yeah, it really comes back to life. These came from the market pretty wilted, and then voila. They're done. So, then I'm going to go over to the table and just serve it, so I can show you some of the props that I also chose from Crate & Barrel.
Susan Spungen:
Right.
Mariana Velasquez:
Let's see. We're going to go around the camera.
Susan Spungen:
I know you're on your acacia board there, right?
Mariana Velasquez:
Yes. I love serving things on boards.
Susan Spungen:
Oh, those plates are nice. I think the plates are the same as the platter that I used, actually.
Mariana Velasquez:
Exactly, with these really pretty indents?
Susan Spungen:
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Mariana Velasquez:
Yeah, it's really good. So, you know. The Bogotanian Meringue for all of you. And, you know. Diego will have to eat meringue for dinner, not like you and Steve, that will have delicious chicken and souffle.
Susan Spungen:
No, Steve is in the city, so I'm on my own. I'll be eating chicken for days. But also, flowers. I was just thinking I wanted to mention that I got the vase. I don't know if you can see it in the overhead shot, but I just cut some of these beautiful magnolias from the outside to put, because I didn't go to the flower shop to get anything. This is right up my alley. I'm a big Pavlova, meringue, berry lover. It's just such a great combination. Who doesn't love it, right?
Mariana Velasquez:
It's so good. No. Plus, you know, you can do any seasonal fruit, like anything that's available and delicious.
Susan Spungen:
Yeah.
Mariana Velasquez:
It's perfect. You can dress it with whatever you want. So yeah, I'm going to [crosstalk 00:48:31].
Susan Spungen:
Peaches would be great, too, wouldn't they? Peaches?
Mariana Velasquez:
Peaches or apricots or nectarines I think would be... Yeah, it would be so good. Blueberries.
Susan Spungen:
Right. I think we're trying to leave some time for questions.
Mariana Velasquez:
Yeah.
Susan Spungen:
I don't know who... I forget. Oh, is Amber going to join us again, and have some questions? Oh, I see someone in the chat saying, "Where do you find edible flowers?" That's a good question, but you normally... A farmer's market is probably the best place. You know, or if you have any kind of fancy stores. Or if you grow your own and don't spray pesticides. Chamomile is super easy to grow. I have strawberry plants outside, so I have little strawberry blossoms. They're already blossoming.
Mariana Velasquez:
Oh, they're so beautiful.
Susan Spungen:
I mean, and I have Johnny Jump-Ups, little violets. I grow them. So to answer, I just happened to see one question in the chat about edible flowers. So, Johnny Jump-Ups are just those little violas. Those are so easy to grow, and they come back every single year. So those are a very easy edible flower to grow, that you could probably grow on your windowsill. But that was beautiful. Thank you for sharing that with us.
Mariana Velasquez:
Thank you. No, no. It's my pleasure.
Susan Spungen:
Hi, Amber.
Amber Mayfield:
Hi, I'm back.
Mariana Velasquez:
Hi.
Amber Mayfield:
I have so many questions for you all. First of all, thank you. That was amazing. Everything looks so yummy. I'm going to try and get to as many questions as we can.
Susan Spungen:
Okay.
Amber Mayfield:
So Susan, I'm going to start with you, because I was feeling empowered to make souffle after watching you. At first I was like, "Never," but now I'm almost convinced. So, I have a question from Kenzie about what is the secret to making sure your souffle does not fall?
Susan Spungen:
Well, it's going to fall a little bit. But wait. I'm going to grab it, because I want to show you. The big difference with a souffle, in this kind of... There's no secret. It's going to fall. But cooking it in this kind of a dish, it doesn't have as far to fall. When you cook it in a big, tall souffle dish, it's going to really cave in, so that's why I... You know. This is still serve-able for a long time.
Amber Mayfield:
Yeah, right.
Susan Spungen:
And it's a little bit caved in. But the other key is whipping the egg whites correctly, which is not over-whipping them. And in my recipe... I noticed it today, what I had said, and I thought, "Yeah. That's a really good description." It says, when you're whipping your egg whites, "Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Be careful not to over-beat. It should still look creamy and smooth, not crumbly and dry." Because you have to remember that when egg whites, they're still gathering strength when you're whipping them, and until you get to that point where they look all clumpy and the water is starting to come, then they've lost their strength. So you always want to kind of err on the side of under-beating than over-beating egg whites, because then they're still going to work their magic in the oven, and they'll just be stronger.
Amber Mayfield:
Oh, perfect. Okay, so don't over-beat.
Susan Spungen:
But, but, but. One more thing. Have people wait for the souffle, not the other way around. Like if you have people? This recipe, you wouldn't think you don't... You don't have to sit here and do all this whipping right before you make it. You can make the souffle, stick it in the fridge, and then just look at your watch and think about when you want to serve it. And then put it in the oven, and just bring it out and eat it right away.
Amber Mayfield:
Perfect. Okay. And then one thing people were asking a lot of questions about is the actual dish.
Susan Spungen:
Yeah. Oh.
Amber Mayfield:
So, is that like cast iron?
Susan Spungen:
This? Oh, yeah. This is actually... Well, yeah. They have this at Crate & Barrel. This is a Staub cast iron baking dish. Or Staub, I guess people say. But this is a baking dish I use all the time. And I love this one rather than a ceramic one, because you can put it right on the stove top if you want to like... Maybe you're making a clafoutis or something. Maybe you want to cook the fruit a little bit. You could put this on the stove. You can put it on the grill. I've made cherries on the grill in this.
Mariana Velasquez:
Oh, so good.
Susan Spungen:
It's so versatile. Or you can make a gratin. You can make anything in this dish. So, highly recommend this dish. They have it at Crate & Barrel. This one actually I own, but they do have it. I love it so much.
Amber Mayfield:
Nice. Okay.
Susan Spungen:
Yeah.
Amber Mayfield:
Two more questions for you. They're movie-related. So, take us back to this iconic onion scene. Were they real onions? Joanne wants to know.
Susan Spungen:
Oh, yeah. Absolutely. And there's actually a good story. A lot of people love that scene, and it's funny to me, because it just didn't seem like a major scene. So yes, they were real onions, and there were a lot of them. So we chopped them up in the kitchen, and we actually soaked them in cold water maybe overnight, thinking, "Well, Meryl Streep's not going to want to... " You know, "She'll cry if she has these onions." So, but then when we were ready to shoot the scene, she said, "No, no, no. I want real onions, because I want to cry." But yes, they were real onions. There was a lot of onions.
Amber Mayfield:
A lot of real onions. Okay, wow.
Susan Spungen:
Yeah.
Amber Mayfield:
Glad we got that answered.
Susan Spungen:
What else would they be? What else would they be? Are we going to have fake onions made?
Amber Mayfield:
There's nothing that it really looks like.
Susan Spungen:
No.
Amber Mayfield:
Fair enough. Okay, another movie-related question for you. Did Stanley Tucci make cocktails for the crew?
Susan Spungen:
I think he might have. No, he would have martinis in his trailer. I used to hear about that. But he didn't really make them for the crew. But when I worked on It's Complicated, Steve Martin played his banjo for the crew. So that was something he could share, and he did.
Mariana Velasquez:
Oh, wow.
Susan Spungen:
Yeah, that was fun. But I never got a martini.
Amber Mayfield:
Fair enough. I mean, at least there was a banjo.
Susan Spungen:
Yeah.
Amber Mayfield:
Mariana, this next question is for you. I know you said that you worked on In the Heights, and we've gotten a lot of excitement about that. So, what were some of the most important styling tips that you learned while working on that production?
Mariana Velasquez:
I mean, more than styling tips it was all about being ready, and having many, many of the same. So for instance, for this one scene I had to make 40 flans, because the actor would cut into it and slice it onto a plate, and they had to do it a million times. So, I had to do-
Susan Spungen:
Well, you're lucky it was flan.
Susan Spungen:
You're lucky it was flan and not roast chicken, like I had to do.
Mariana Velasquez:
True. True.
Amber Mayfield:
40 flans. I mean, yeah. That takes us back to the one is none. So, [crosstalk 00:55:09].
Mariana Velasquez:
Exactly.
Amber Mayfield:
My next question is actually for both of you. So, we have a lot of content creators that are in the chat, and they want to know how can you as a food stylist really multitask, and think about your shop's multiple platforms? So whether it's how can you get the shot for your blog, your Instagram, your book, the different orientations of that. How do we do that?
Susan Spungen:
You want to try that one, Mariana?
Mariana Velasquez:
I'll try that one. I think it's key that you capture first your process. You know, the process of making the recipe. The ingredients, the step by step, then the plated food. And I think the more versions you have, and the more options you capture throughout, it's kind of like there's this photographer who says, "Take the journey." So see the process through, and photograph it through, so then you have... It's not just the finished meringue on the frezza. It's everything that happened with it. The end, and even kind of like the crumbs after. That would be my take. Susan, what would you say?
Susan Spungen:
I would say the same thing. Yeah, you just have to... Well, first of all you have to know do you need horizontals, verticals. I mean, we are usually working for a client, although I do, of course, things for my Instagram and whatnot. But this person is talking about doing their blog and a book. I mean, you would not normally shoot a book at the same time that you're just capturing a picture for your Instagram or your blog, but usually a book shoot should be segregated and focused on where you're just shooting the book. Whether you're shooting it yourself or with a photographer, you still should have separate time set aside just to focus on a book shoot. So, you know. Other shoots, like let's say you do it for your blog, that would be like the study that an artist would do for the painting. The book would come later.
Amber Mayfield:
Got it. Okay, so not so much multitasking. Another question that we have from Sara is your food styling essentials. What are the tools that you always have with you? If you can give us three.
Susan Spungen:
Well, always Evian. I like Evian spray. I use that a lot. I also have a different sprayer that is a continuous spray, like that I think it's hairdressers use it. It's like... It's a mist. Things always have to look fresh, so water often does the trick. Because if something is looking dry... Like let's say you have a plate of food, but things are starting to dry out. Maybe it's a salad. It could be anything. Give it a quick spray. It just brings it back to life. And like I said before, tweezers and q-tips. But the kind that cosmetologists use, the pointy ones that aren't fuzzy. They're the best.
Amber Mayfield:
Got it. Okay. Mariana?
Susan Spungen:
Mariana, do you have your top three?
Mariana Velasquez:
So, my top three. We know tweezers for sure. I feel they're an extension of my hand, and I have all shapes. I have the really pointy, fine ones, the round ones, the ones that I can get closer to the heat. I would say my heat gun I really love. You know, like the ones that you use to strip wallpaper. It's so great. You know, to brown meat or to add that last touch. I really like. And then I have to say, I mean, paper towels. As much as I try to economize, and I cut them in squares to be more environmentally friendly.
Susan Spungen:
I know.
Mariana Velasquez:
Paper towels save my life every time.
Susan Spungen:
Yeah. True.
Mariana Velasquez:
You know. They keep food fresh when they're moist, and you just throw them over things that you're prepping. So, yeah. I try to use less, but they're key.
Susan Spungen:
It's true. They're very handy.
Amber Mayfield:
So nothing too crazy. Paper towels, q-tips, tweezers. We can get that.
Susan Spungen:
But you should see what's in my kit. But, like for instance, like if you have a roast, roast meat of any kind? So, what you're doing as a food stylist is trying to control things. A lot of times, after you put it on the platter the juice will start to run out, the blood. But guess what works really great under there? A mini pad, because they're highly absorbent. So if you want to control liquids, you put a mini pad under the meat.
Mariana Velasquez:
Yeah, it works really well.
Amber Mayfield:
Wow.
Susan Spungen:
It's true. It's true.
Mariana Velasquez:
It's true.
Amber Mayfield:
Fair enough. Well, I think that we are reaching the end of our time. I want to thank you both for all these incredible, incredible tips. I have been taking so many notes over here. This was awesome. I know Kerry is going to come back and join us, but before she does that, I would just love to hear from both Susan and Mariana, which recipe should we make first from each of your books?
Susan Spungen:
Oh. Took me by surprise. Let's see. Well, I'm going to say actually the Brita Cake, because it's similar to Mariana's... Like I said, it's been one of the most popular recipes in the book, and the season for strawberries is coming in, and it really is one of my favorites. So I'm going to say the Brita Cake, if you want something sweet. Oh, yeah. I didn't show this picture before, Mariana. Do you see?
Mariana Velasquez:
Oh, wow. That's amazing. So beautiful.
Susan Spungen:
So, not to be a copycat.
Mariana Velasquez:
No. Come on.
Amber Mayfield:
And Mariana, which one are we making in June?
Mariana Velasquez:
So, I feel like for the weather change, I would love for you to try the papaya gazpacho. That's so good. It has tomatoes. It has papaya. It's really savory and tangy. And I love cold soups. As soon as it gets warm enough to serve a cold soup, I'm all in. Because I can garnish it beautifully. I can serve it in glasses, in mugs, in cups, in bowls. I don't know. I love it.
Amber Mayfield:
So good.
Susan Spungen:
I love that, too.
Amber Mayfield:
Okay, papaya gazpacho and Brita Cake. All right. I am turning it over to Kerry.
Susan Spungen:
Bye, Amber.
Kerry Diamond:
Thank you, Amber. Amber, thank you so much. Oh my gosh, papaya gazpacho. All these beautiful meringues and Pavlovas, and Susan, everything you made. That chicken. I wish you two were in the same room, and we could all come over and have dinner with you, because-
Susan Spungen:
Me, too.
Kerry Diamond:
... that food was so beautiful. And we're also inspired. I was reading the chat, and it's just amazing how... I mean you two are so talented and gifted, but I think you showed us all how we can kind of elevate our own tablescapes and dishes-
Susan Spungen:
I hope so.
Kerry Diamond:
... when we don't have you here guiding us. A few thank yous. Of course we want to thank Crate & Barrel so much for providing all these beautiful props that Susan and Mariana used for this demo, and for supporting the Julia Jubilee, and making so much of this content free, which we really, really appreciate. Make sure you head over to crateandbarrel.com. We've also got some fun Crate & Barrel stuff over on Cherry Bombe that you can check out. I want to show everyone Susan's book again. Susan's book is so beautiful. If you want to be inspired by these gorgeous recipes and lots of gorgeous photography, pick up Susan's book.
Susan Spungen:
Same photographers. We have the same photographers.
Kerry Diamond:
Oh, you do? Oh.
Mariana Velasquez:
We do, yes.
Kerry Diamond:
Oh, how wonderful.
Susan Spungen:
Yes.
Kerry Diamond:
And Mariana, I do not have a copy of the beautiful Colombiana yet.
Mariana Velasquez:
I don't either.
Kerry Diamond:
It's not out yet.
Mariana Velasquez:
Not yet.
Kerry Diamond:
Can you tell us the release date again?
Mariana Velasquez:
It's June 15th.
Kerry Diamond:
June 15th. Great. So the book is available for prison-order now, so everyone call your favorite indie bookstore, or whatever your favorite bookstore is. Call them and tell them you'd like a copy of Colombiana. And Amber, last but not least, Amber's beautiful magazine, which you can find on the While Entertaining website. It's a terrific magazine, and Amber cares deeply about the same things. Making things beautiful, and elevating everything in ways large and small. So, thank you both. Thank you to everyone who tuned in. You can check out the schedule for the rest of the Julia Jubilee over at cherrybombe.com. We've got more demos coming up, and lots of wonderful panels. I'm always sad when these demos and talks are over. Mariana and Susan, you two are wonderful. Thank you for sharing. Oh, and I forgot our magazine. Lastly, this is our special Julia Child issue. Mariana, I see it behind you.
Kerry Diamond:
We do have a wonderful story in here with Susan about the making of Julie & Julia, so if you'd like to know more about how that movie came together, please check out the story. And thank you, Susan, for sharing your wonderful tales from the set.
Susan Spungen:
Thank you. Thanks for having me in, Kerry. This was fun.
Kerry Diamond:
This was. All right. Bye, everyone.