good reads: a spoonful of sun.

i’ve been observing French creative director and photographer Pauline Chardin plate and serve her beautiful meals on instagram for a long while now, and i was always mesmerized by how she could take the most simple, fresh ingredients from around her kitchen and turn them into little edible works of art, almost effortlessly. she’s just got such an enviable and artistic talent for it. so i’m very excited to tell you that she now has an equally beautiful Mediterranean cookbook out, a spoonful of sun published by gestalten. it’s ideally titled since pauline lives in the south of france in provence, in a stunning home she and her husband have created for themselves, surrounded by her lovely, wild gardens. i have an extra bit of interest in this book because i’d been speaking with gestalten about the possibility of a book of my own when i told the editor about pauline’s incredible instagram feed and asked if i could put them in touch. so i’m thrilled this book has now become a reality with all the credit going to pauline’s incredible eye for detail, her mad creative skills in the kitchen, and, not to mention her photography skills, as she’s photographed the book as well.

pauline is a one-woman renaissance artist if i’ve ever seen one and you’re going to cherish this cookbook from her Mediterranean kitchen. This is more than just a cookbook, with a keen sense for design, pauline knows that the eye takes the first bite. it will have you digging out your most interesting serving pieces and table linens just to step your game up a few notches. she’s definitely inspired me to make presentation a big part of my own meals. everybody knows a Mediterranean diet is the healthiest way of eating, but how does a modern cook approach it? Pauline experiments with local fare, seasonal products, and flavors inspired as much by her surroundings as by her travels around the world. A self-taught cook, she has an eye for beauty that translates into her effortless and nutritious recipes for the day-to-day. the cookbook is also an invitation to living slowly, rediscovering what nature offers seasonally, and transporting it to the table with endless creativity. here are just a few pages from a spoonful of sun, along with a peek at her instagram feed — i think you can see why i became so enamored of her culinary and photographic talents. bon appetit!