behind the scenes of picture perfect parties

I know that many of you have followed my behind the scenes as I work for clients all over the world. Here's a peak at my team and what went into creating Picture Perfect Parties. Of course when it came to producing my own cookbook, the hard work, endless hours and countless photo shoots were shear joy. As you can see from these BTS shots we had loads of fun. I could not have done anything without my my amazing team: Janice, Deborah, Justin, Emily, and Marian and of course Lesley who came by one day to shoot these images while we were shooting the Retro Riviera party. These photos were taken at my favorite designer Bill and Melissa Peace's gorgeous home. We had the perfect weather on this shoot. It rained and rained the day we shot Sunday Supper at their house (which was perfectly alright since the darkness helped produce a cozy result.)As you can imagine, we had lists and lists of food, props and a shot list that was simply daunting everyday. It's a good thing I do this for a living that's all I can say. All in all the entire experience was a career highlight for me from start to finish. The Rizzoli team was amazing to work with and my editor offered great notes throughout the process. I am a lucky girl to be working with one of the best publishing houses in the world!I have said it before and I will say it again... Deborah is the most quiet, humble genius I know. In a world full of egos (she should probably have the biggest) it's just not there. She's a team player, a collaborator, and a great friend as well. Lucky me.Marian is one of the best food stylists in the biz. She is hard working and a perfectionist with great insight and experience. She has an unflappable personality and gave her all along with Emily her right (and left) hand. Marian is the hardest working person I know + she does every chore with a smile to boot. Yes yes yes, I had a food stylist work on my book. Why you might ask, since I am a food stylist myself? The thought of cooking all the food and focusing on my creative vision and food styling as a whole was not an option. At the pace we were moving Marian was a must have!There's a lot that goes into shooting a cookbook. There are so many moving parts, but as you can see from the result, it was a finely tuned machine. It was so much fun that perhaps I will do it again! *wink wink...we shall see.In the meantime I hope you pick up a copy and enjoy your parties. Make them all Picture Perfect! Until the next behind the scenes post... cheers!Quick side note * we must have run up against some big challenge you ask? What was the biggest? Oh, I think getting my assistant Justin (who eats like a 5 year old) to try new food groups. He found out quickly that he liked a lot of things that he thought he never would. I think for Marian and I this was one of the most rewarding experiences... getting Justin to eat something other than Chik fil a and Zaxbys. Ha!photos by lesley graham