Meet Our Guest 'Grammer of the Week: @Jewelsofny
Are you as obsessed with Instagram #foodporn as we are? Love to document all of your #eeeeeats? Every week we’re teaming up with a popular food-stagrammer who will be taking over our feed to fill it with some of their own delicious pics. Head over to @YahooFood, give us a follow, and check out the #TastyTakeovers tag to watch their foodie adventures unfold all weekend long.
This week on #TastyTakeovers, we turn to A Simple Feast cookbook author Diana Yen. She runs the creative studio The Jewels of New York, is mother to the famous fluffy bunny Cleo, and sister of Yahoo Food’s own Donna Yen. On her Instagram you get a glimpse into her test kitchen and the gorgeous dishes she cooks up and, if you’re lucky, a guest appearance from Cleo herself. Check out the Q&A below!
Name/Instagram handle: Diana Yen, @jewelsofny
Yahoo Food: Tell us a bit about yourself!
Diana Yen: I’m the owner of The Jewels of New York, a food styling and consulting studio in the LES. My work is inspired by seasonal produce from the farmer’s market. At the studio, typical projects range from recipe testing and photo shoots to menu consultation.
Cleo the Bunny is our produce specialist at the studio. She does quality control and makes sure that everything we serve is top notch. Cleo’s also a great composter and eats all our leftover veggie scraps.
Photo: Kimisa H.
What first got you interested in food and photography? Where do you draw inspiration from?
I became inspired by Alice Waters when I lived in San Francisco. She pioneered the seasonal food movement in America. On Saturdays, I would visit the Ferry Building Market and take pleasure in all the local produce.
I was also inspired by Gourmet magazine at the time. It took food to a new level. It wasn’t only focused on delicious cooking, but it also invited the reader into the entire setting. It was the first lifestyle and food magazine I remembered seeing. I wanted to live out the fantasy on those pages.
How do you take your photos (with a camera or phone)? What are your favorite photo editing tools and/or tips for taking exceptional food photos? Give us the scoop!
I take my photos daily with my iPhone, and for shoots I use my Canon 5D Mark II. My favorite filters for my phone photos are through VSCO. The key is to shoot in natural light and go easy on the filters, don’t use the full effect.
Photo: Diana Yen
Who are three of your favorite Instagrammers? What do you like about them?
@Alice_gao: An amazing photographer I love working with. Her work is minimal, modern, and feminine.
@Andreagentl: Another photographer that has lush, rich photography. Her work mostly focuses around food, lifestyle, and the natural world.
@FurheadandErnie: I love bunnies! I love Furhead because he looks like Cleo’s soul mate.
Photo: Diana Yen
What do you enjoy about Instagram compared to other online communities?
I like that it highlights the beauty of the everyday. There’s a great community of artists, designers, stylists that I’ve met through Instagram that I wouldn’t have otherwise!
What’s the best thing you’ve eaten recently?
Animal style burger at IN-N-OUT. It’s a must if you’re in California.
If you could throw a dream dinner party for any three people — living or dead — who would they be and what would you cook for them?
I’d cook for Yayoi Kusama, Quy Nguyen, and Damien Hirst. I would make a polka dot dinner for us since we’re all dot obsessed. Everything spotted like baby tomatoes, spotted raviolis, and speckled radicchio.
Photo: Diana Yen
What’s the best dish you’ve ever made or the dish that you’re known for?
Crème Brulee French toast. It’s super simple and can be made the night before. It has a caramel sauce that lines the pan, topped with slices of brioche and egg mixture. Bakes up fluffy with crispy edges.
What’s your favorite food (if you had to pick one)?
My favorite food is ice cream! I always have room for something sweet after dinner and could eat a scoop of ice cream everyday.
And lastly — what does the new food revolution mean to you?
Eating more in-season produce and home-cooked meals.
Photo: Diana Yen
More on Instagram:
Meet last week’s ‘grammer @Gilliehouston
