Proef part 2

Photos of Proef Rotterdam

I little while ago I posted a very brief entry about Amsterdam based food designer Marije Vogelzang, and her inspired 'eating design' business and restaurant - Proef. Since then I have found out a little more about Proef, and have also collected some beautiful photos of Marije's work, so I thought this deserved an update post!

I dug up a great article about Marije from Wallpaper magazine a while back... It explains that Marije's culinary creations caught the attention of Li Edelkoort, chair of The Design Academy Eindhoven (and now revered trend forecaster) back in 1999 when she was in her 3rd year of Industrial Design there. It was around this time that Marije's relationship with Dutch design collective Droog came about.... and from there spiralled project after project... one of my favourite stories from this article was Marije's approach to a brief by a pediatric clinic in the Bronx, New York. She was asked to devise a program to encourage kids brought up on a diet of fried, unhealthy foods to be more adventurous in their food choices. Instead of focusing on the academic arguments for eating low fat rather than high fat foods (which I'm assuming would bore most kids to death), she based her approach on colour philosophy - offering kids a rainbow of 'good mood foods' where red foods are associated with energy, green with wealth, yellow with friends... What an inspired way to tackle this problem!

Marije now travels the worls making 'edible installations' and food-based events for prestigious clients including BMW, L'Oreal etc... whilst her two restaurants (in Rotterdam and Amsterdam) continue to delight customers. The Rotterdam Proef has a homely 'open kitchen' approach, in which diners can share a lunch table with working chefs. Proef in Amsterdam in a more industrial space (an old factory), and here diners help themselves to DIY gourmet sandwiches, salads and simple soup... mmm. Feeling hungry anyone?

The photos above were taken by my friend and colleague Victoria, who read my post and said that Proef in Rotterdam was her favourite coffee spot while on holiday there last year! So the photos above are Victoria's holiday snaps - love the plate of tea options - beautiful presentation. Thanks Vic!

Images below - Wallpaper article (sorry not sure which issue... but it was a while ago)

The pictures above are from a 'late lunch' Marije designed for Wallpaper magazine... the theme was 'shades of grey'... Marije said she tried to make a feast that 'looked like a black a white picture'. She sprinkled sea salt and poppy seeds over the whole table, and used squid ink to print text onto the foods and plates. She labelled the cheese with 'really expensive ash-covered goats cheese', and printed words like 'dull, dull' and 'boring' onto the vegetables. Ha! Love it!

Bloesem's shots of Proef Amsterdam

Lastly - I was reminded by Irene of Bloesem yesterday that way back in January 07 she posted a weekend read about Amsterdam which included a review of Proef, and some info about Marije... I can't believe I didn't remember reading this at the time! I think it was Irene's first weekend read and I remember it made me want to visit Amsterdam so badly! You must check out the weekend reads section of her blog...

Proef Amsterdam

Please forgive the hurriedness(?) of this post... My laptop is in mac hospital and I have been without it for a few days now... it died last week and I may have lost lots of recent work.. and a fair bit of blog stuff :( Anyway, the motto of the story is BACK UP your hard drive! I was lucky I backed up maybe 2 months ago? So it's bad but not awful.

Anyway I have limited access to the internet until tomorrow when hopefully my laptop will be all shiny and happy with a new hard drive... soooo that's my excuse for a quick, short post. Sorry! All will be back to normal tomorrow (fingers crossed!)





I don't know exactly what Proef is... But here's what I gather - a 'food design' company based in Amsterdam and headed up by Marije Vogelzang.. she's a kind of eccentric food designer who does crazy food-based events, installations, artworks, collaborations... things like printing people's meals at a dinner party with odd statements in edible ink... making a 'ham man' installation(!)... making an entire feast of all blue food.. etc etc... it looks like a crazy, very experimental and super-fun place to work. That's all I know for now! Will research more tomorrow... meantime look at the fun photos on their blog and try to decipher the Dutch (there's some English too!)

Interview - Janet Lodge

Photos - Chris Daile, Stylist - Janet Lodge

Janet Lodge is a fantastic food stylist based in Melbourne. I have had the pleasure of working on a handful on TV commercials with Janet and I can say in all honesty her job is one of the most stressful on set! There are often between 5 and 10 ad agency executives and clients peering over her shoulder whilst she diligently works away perfecting the all-important product shot! The results are always stunning... and amazingly, Janet always seems so calm and unaffected by all the fuss and stress around her. She is a true professional!

Janet took a moment out of her busy schedule to answer some of my questions about her background, the ups and downs of her exciting job, and her creative inpiration...

Tell me a little about your background - what did you study and what path led you to food styling?

I initally wanted to teach cooking so that children would learn how to make great food for themselves, rather than the blancmange and sago pudding I was taught to cook in High School (yeah, even in the 80's!)! I studied Home Economics at RMIT then decided that teaching wasn't for me, so ended up (thankfully) working as an assistant to a great food stylist and food consultant in Melbourne. This naturally led me to do some styling work myself.

What are a few brands, companies and/or publications you have worked with?

I work on a lot of packaging eg. KR Castlemaine, Birdseye, Coles, Black Swan, etc. Magazines such as Gourmet Traveller and Table. TV commercials for Old El Paso, Coles, Maggi, etc.

What does a typical day at work involve for you?

There really is no typical day! It could be writing and testing recipes at home. Spending a whole day shopping for a TV commercial, running around looking for the the ultimate little blue bowl or perfectly shaped platter. Preparing food on a stills photographic job, tweaking food with tweezers and skewers! Making and running food about on a TV commercial over a very long day.

What has been one of your most memorable jobs and why?

I recently worked on a Maggi TV commercial involving mega quantities of food! Scene after scene required tables and tables of platters of food! Tables ran through city streets, along suburban paths and through parks – up to 40 tables at a time. We were working out of a catering van making massive pots of casseroles. It was exhausting, demanding and amazing.

Do you have an agent? How does work come your way?

I am lucky enough to get work through word of mouth alone.

Where do you find inspiration?

I collect magazines and cookbooks constantly. Often just leafing through them to look at the images. I also love eating out and am frequently in op shops picking up strange and unusual props.

What's the best thing about your job?

The opportunity to work with great people in all sorts of strange and wonderful places. The chance to spend time just playing with food!

And the worst?

The last minute pressure. I am often working late into the night before a job - packing the car and collecting last minute bits and pieces. It can be very difficult to guess what the client is thinking, so I have to pack lots of prop options and think of anything that could go wrong and dream up a solution (just in case). Also preparing recipes that just don't work can be very tricky, especially when you have a photographer, client and designer waiting for the food!!

What would be your dream project?

I would love to work on a food movie. Working with extravagant food settings, with beautiful colour combinations - with enough time to feel that I have done a great job.

Do you present all your meals as beautifully at home as you do at work?

I wish!! Let's face it, my dinner would be stone cold if I fussed around with it as much as I do while working!! After a long hard day in the studio I often sit down to a reasonably plain salad and a glass of wine, with maybe a chunk of watermelon for dessert!!

Do your friends and family expect perfection at your dinner table!?

They might expect it, but I generally opt for the casual dining experience! It is a 'help yourself' kind of affair! I like to keep the food simple and seasonal.

What/where was the last great meal you ate in Melbourne?

I have really enjoyed Movida and The Press Club. Beautiful food, intense flavours - not too messed about with! I also love my frequent bowl of Vietnamese soup - always delicious!

What are you looking forward to?

A life that is less frantic. Enjoying cooking and sharing slow food. Growing some more vegetables and laughing with friends!