3.20.2012

yes, i'm still here...

...although by the long absence of activity, you might think otherwise.
what i can share is that i have been completely and delightfully immersed in the 'small' side project that i began this past december by the name of 513{eats}. this project has quickly grown into a full blown 'grown up project' and i am so thrilled at the direction and momentum it has taken.
in december, i shared with you the first, mini gazette, our holiday issue. i am equally as excited to share, albeit, a few weeks after the fact, the second, our very large spring issue.

i am asked why i started 513{eats}, what are my goals and then it goes something like...and, you're not going to stop at the end of the year, are you?
the answers:
i have completely fallen in lust with the idea of food documentation and of course, food photography.
admittedly, i had plenty of fun playing around with the shoots that i was posting here...and, by the way, with no external pressure of the self-imposed kind. what changed? i wanted to document and share stories deeper than just the steps of the recipe. i wanted authentic people, their stories, their food and where it's coming from. a sense of the whole picture. i asked myself how i could accomplish this. i live in cincinnati, ohio. a blooming playground filled with food renegades, food entrepreneurs, food enthusiasts and, of course, artful, creative, accomplished chefs. so ~ what if i documented what was happening with those people right here around me. good for me and what i'm after and so so good for the many talented people that grace this city.
a win-win. yes.
that's how it happened. and once it was born, the plethora of stories abound. the response has been overwhelming and i am beyond thrilled.
my goal? just what is happening...and to shoot a cookbook or two or three, to travel and do the very same thing for other magazines in other cities, countries, anywhere. i love to tell stories. i love people and i love food. pretty simple.
lastly, it isn't stopping here, we are working on new ideas that will only add to our 513 overall.

as for my little gretchalina blog? i'll keep her close by. she is dear to me, as she helped me define what i want to be doing for the next ~ many years.  much of my time for the rest of this year will be spent on stories for upcoming issues, so she may seem a bit lonely, although i don't want my little blog to be an orphan, so i promise, for her, to visit as often as i can even with simple pretty food images. she deserves at least that.

i also warmly invite you to hop over to the 513eats blogsite for goodies in-between quarterly issues.

we, the 513 girls, are so proud to share who and what we are finding in our own backyard!
here is the link to the spring issue. we hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed creating it.

xo~gretchalina

{click on image for link}



1.02.2012

food drop off

i am greek. i like the heat. the cold...not so much. it's flurrying outside and although it is pretty, it's still...cold. i had just refilled my cup of tea, so now at least something was giving off heat.
i've been in my office perusing the net trying to find the perfect template gallery to use for my '365 days of gratefulness' project that i am picking back up (don't ask from when, the answer even shocked me.) i've detoured down so many online clicks, i've lost the one template that i think will work the best for this project. i am interrupted (again) in my search back, this time by the dogs barking and the doorbell ringing. really? who is bothering me now! not my usual first thought, but it's been that kind of day. i look out the window and i see my mom's car. i just talked to her a few hours ago (and a few more times before that) what could she possibly want, why is she out in this weather and why is she ringing the doorbell instead of just coming in?
well, because she was holding this in her hands. my mom left her warm and cozy kitchen, drove in the gray, cold to my house to hand deliver one my favorite greek snacks. tiropita, or cheese pies. piping hot. a wonderful, thoughtful, yummy surprise.
(of course, i completely take back being annoyed)
instead, i am more than grateful and exceedingly humbled.
i think this will do perfectly for today's grateful image.

mαμά ευχαριστώ. sε αγαπώ.
(thank you mom. i love you)
tiropita