Roam Artisan Burgers, Butcher Box Campaign / San Francisco, CA
It was the summer of 2020, and this beautiful lamb chop and potato dish was a true labor of love and team effort. It was the first major photo shoot since covid lockdowns began. We photographed at the client's home and worked, double-masked, with the windows open. Breaks and lunch were outside. Of course, now we look back on all the extra precautions and think, we were all acting a bit paranoid. But then, we couldn’t be too careful. “Superspreader events” were still common. So many people died. When I see this shot now, I remember how satisfying and thrilled we were with how it all came out, despite all the hurdles. I remember a robust, laughter-filled lunch on the back patio, dwarfed by cypress trees, with the most amazing freshly caught salmon one of the roommates brought. It was sunny and breezy in the presidio neighborhood of San Francisco, and we all held in our hearts this collective inner sigh that life could be collaborative, carefree, and good again. We’d had a glimpse. /
Rafalias Pharmacy / Island of Hydra, Greece
Founded in 1890 on the Greek Island of Hydra, the Rafalias Pharmacy is currently run by the founder’s great grandson, Andreas Rafalias. Using old family recipes and notes—dating to the Greek Pharmacology of 1923 and 1931, and passed down through the generations—the pharmacy still produces their own creams, lotions and perfumes from all natural, pure ingredients. During our stay in Hydra, we were lucky enough to stay in the historic Rafalias family home, directly above the iconic pharmacy. For a short time they rented it out to larger groups as a way to help pay for much-needed renovations. Andreas, shown here with his father, greeted us upon arrival and arranged for the donkeys to take our luggage up the narrow, winding, cobbled lanes of the island, and booked a few excellent, off-the-beaten path reservations during our stay. Before departing, I made sure to purchase one of the Rafalias brand creams, which came in a pale pink 1950s era jar, with a simple handwritten label in blue and white. I used it for the remainder of my travels, and all summer long—remembering with fondness the island, the pharmacy, and the wonderful hospitality of the people who live on Hydra every time I opened the lid. /
Vineyards weave over the rolling green hills of northeast Healdsburg like stitches on a quilt. Nestled in a quiet, shallow valley is Single Thread Farm. The sun shone bright, promising to warm up the brisk air, as dawn broke the morning of my visit. On cue, chickens clucked in the distance as I made my way toward the greenhouse to see the happy, cozy beds of tatsoi ready for this evening’s dinner service. Farm to table is more than a trendy catchphrase here. It is an ethos. It is literal. /
On the Chania Harbour / Crete, Greece
On the quieter, eastern edge of Chania’s old Venetian harbour, clusttered with humble tavernas, dotted amongst the fisherman’s boats, a woman sells sea sponges from a boat. Crete, the southernmost of the Greek Islands, is a land with abundant natural gifts—olives and olive oil as far as the eye can see, but also mountain greens chock full of vitamins, hillsides of oregano, fish from the Aegean, tomatoes truly dry-farmed, unique wines, and the list goes on. It’s a bounty that belies a sparse, mountainous, bone dry landscape. Without the tourist hoards of Santorini or Mykonos, despite several archeological treasures, Crete feels more accessible. And a place you can glimpse the real day-to-day life of those that live there, like this contented woman. /
View toward the Malecón / Havana, Cuba
Mosquito gas wafting through the streets of Havana on a hot August evening as the sun sets. From 2016-2018 a mysterious illness, causing dizziness, headaches, blurred vision and even memory loss, affected about forty US and Canadian diplomats working in Cuba. It was originally thought to be some kind of secret sonic weapon, causing the US to withdraw all but a minimum of representatives and the Trump administration charging Cuba of an attack. But a report released in 2019 and commissioned by the Canadian government, found the symptoms were consistent with an overexposure to cholinesterase inhibitors used in mosquito fumigation. Cuba had increased the gasses all over the city, and near the homes of the diplomats, in an effort to combat Zika virus. /
Philosophenweg / Heidelberg, Germany
Beautiful views can be had looking either direction along on the Philosophenweg above elegant Heidelberg, Germany. Though I lived in the small German city on the Neckar for four years, I didn’t make it up to the famous philosopher’s walk until shortly before I moved away. It cuts into the hillside above the Neckar river, overlooking the gorgeous, historic old town along a meandering, flat path that may eventually lead to ruins of a monastery, or picturesque beer garden. While the graceful old city, in the shadow of a castle with its medieval facades and charming lanes is the view most tread here to see, I found the views into the forrest just as striking, particularly in at dusk, in autumn when this was shot. /
All the beaches on the island of Hydra, in Greece, are essentially rocky and only reachable via water taxi or similar boat. As the island is vehicle-free, the roads get creatively narrow and it's blissfully quiet. Donkeys remain the main mode of transport and hauling goods. Which is rather charming. Until you think about the searing heat and the lives those donkeys must be living. Much like the circus, I try not to think about it.
What a place for a morning swim. Santorini, Greece.
