Everyone’s Welcome
Developing my own cookbook was a dream of mine from a very young age. I always knew that I would create a book of inclusive recipes to suit multiple different allergies, intolerances, or dietary restrictions. The name, Everyone’s Welcome, was the perfect fit.
My vision was to create something wild, colourful, and gently chaotic. I was so fortunate to land an agent and a publisher who understood and valued my mission and sense of creativity. They handed my creation to talented graphic designer, Tree Abraham, to bring it to life.
What we have created together is a work of art that I am so proud to put my name on.
I was frustrated by food allergy cookbooks that lacked pictures, colour, or imagination; I found they often felt institutional and hurried, and didn’t ignite feelings of excitement inside of me. I found that food allergy books tended to be free from the top 8 allergens, which didn’t often suit my needs. What if you are only allergic to dairy and nuts, and want to learn how to make a kick-ass wheat bread containing gluten? So with my book, I took a more flexible approach.
Celebrated!
That was the response to this book, from everyone I shared it with. I had a public launch party at one of Indigo Books & Music’s flagship stores, where I did a live cooking demo to show off a few favorite recipes from the book. I then did a private launch party at Ben McNally Books. I appeared on CBC radio syndication across Canada, penned an article in The Globe & Mail, and was interviewed on Global National’s The Morning Show and Newstalk 1010 radio, among other moments of media coverage and events.
100 unique photos
…and 75 original recipes were produced for this cookbook in a 6 month period, while at the time I was still working my 9 - 5 job. From recipe shots, to tablescapes, to simple views of people interacting with and enjoying food. It was a big undertaking but one that allowed me to grow exponentially as an artist.
Simplicity & Colour
One of the biggest learning experiences I gained while shooting the photos for this book was how to work with a creative team to bring a vision to life. We knew going into it that graphic design would be of great importance to communicate and pull together my vision. But as a photographer, I had to learn how to put together compositions that would compliment the graphic components. I found myself taking and re-taking shots to perfect them, and felt drawn to organic shapes and colours such as palm fronds and other varieties of large leaves. Overall, I scaled back on props and focused on allowing the textures and colours of the ingredients to stand out.