Tomato Month at Maude

Last night I dined at Maude for the first time. This tiny restaurant located in Beverly Hills is the creation of celebrity chef Curtis Stone. The restaurant is named after his granny who opened his eyes to cooking and food. As the website states: "Each month a single ingredient inspires a menu of nine tasting plates, and this celebrated ingredient is creatively woven, to varying degrees, through each course." I love tomatoes. I mean I REALLY love tomatoes. And when I heard September was tomato month at Maude I knew it was high time I check this place out. Happy to say I tucked my camera into my bag "just in case." It's fun to photograph restaurants, especially what happens in the kitchen. The flurry of activity. The syncronicity of movement. The plating creativity and precision. I found this tiny elegant space with an open kitchen impossible to resist and had to capture just a few photographs.

The tasting menu is meant to be a surprise. It's so exciting to see these gorgeous plates set in front of me not knowing what to expect. That said, you will only see one food photograph below since September is far from over and I refuse to spoil any surprises. A listing of courses is presented to each guest at the end of the meal along with a special take-home gift made with the star ingredient. The three hour dining experience did not disappoint, absolute tomato-y heaven!

PS: In case you missed me bragging all over Facebook last month, another one of my kitchen photographs was featured by the Los Angeles Times. :D