Danny Bowien. Chef. Rad dude. SF.

Danny Bowien is the chief chef at SF's Mission Chinese Food, an original project started by partner Anthony Myint (Mission Street Food) in 2010. Operating out of Lung Shan Restaurant, a rando Chinese joint on Mission St., Danny's food has received national acclaim and the resto will soon open a 2nd location in New York's L.E.S. "The idea behind mission chinese food is quite simple." says Danny. "Alot of people think of chinese food as sweet and sour pork and walnut prawns. And no matter what they say on the menu, it's usually not 'spicy'...And although we enjoy sweet and sour as much as the next guy, there are so many different types of chinese food that we are excited about and feel challenged to make. Islamic chinese. Sichuan. Taiwanese. (no stinky tofu, sorry can't get behind that one.) So there. We want to make delicious, frequently spicy chinese food, besides what everyone already gets delivered, without m.s.g., with responsibly sourced proteins and vegetables." Even more impressive than the menu, is their charity involvement: the resto donates .75 cents from each dish to the SF Food Bank (the NY resto will work the same-with a local charity yet to be determined). Danny says, "Donating to charity is our biggest goal. We have no fine-dining aspirations.” Awesome.
Check out the VBS MUNCHIES feature on Danny here
missionchinesefood.com

Happyolks. A Food Blog. San Diego.

"I’m Kelsey, he’s Shaun. We’re two young folks with a passion for soaking up, drinking in, and celebrating the good stuff in life. Here at Happyolks, we want to share the experience of creating a wholesome meal and the happiness that inherently grows from it (...) Eat organic, BUY LOCAL, experiment, make your own, hug often, laugh, cry, celebrate the little things, and most importantly be kind. Be kind to your body, be kind to the earth, be kind to everyone you meet – you never know who is fighting a hard battle. "
-happyolks.com
Capturing the beauty of food... Happyyolks is one of my fave food blogs... well designed and photographed.

Grown in Detroit. A Documentary.

Cinematography by Suzan van Steenwijk. Filmmij AKA Mascha and Manfred Poppenk are the Dutch filmmakers behind this doc. They met in Africa, where they shot the wildlife film 'Serengeti Symphony'.
Grown in Detroit focuses on the urban gardening efforts managed by a public school of 300, mainly African-American, pregnant and parenting teenagers. As part of the curriculum, the girls are taught agricultural skills on the school's own farm located in what used to be the playground. The young mothers learn to become knowledgeable about the importance of nutritional foods, the process by which these foods arrive at their plates, and to become self-empowered through the process of farming. Urban farming is an effective solution for Detroit... as industrial models fail, this is a sustainable model to be replicated in other North American cities.
'Pay what you want' to watch this beautifully inspiring film and you'll have on-line access to the doc for 24hrs: grownindetroitmovie.com

Hog Eat Hog. AKA Blair Sligar. Wood Furniture. Florida.

Props to grainandgram for their beautiful feature on Blair.
Watch the recent MONOCLE feature on Hog Eat Hog HERE.
Furniture and sculpture from salvaged and local materials. Brilliant craftsmanship.
hogeathog.com

Ben Howard. Musician. Singer. Songwriter. Babe. London.

By Mickey Mmith.
Next-lev insane skills...continue to be blown away by this music... listen lots.
benhowardmusic.co.uk

Lucy Chadwick. Artist. Gallerist. Tastemaker. Brit. NY.

mega girl crush. Lucy Chadwick for Zara by the Selby.








Lucy and partner/wicked hair dresser Duffy / Lucy and sister Emma Chadwick.

Native Shoes. S/S 2012 Collection.

nativeshoes.com

Kinfolk Dinner. Brooklyn.

The Kinfolk dinner series is about inviting people to gather and take advantage of the rich community that already exists around them, opening up and drawing close to the people that share a common place. Kinfolks aim is to encourage collaboration amidst local artisans and small businesses. The plan is to have 12 dinners, 12 cities, once every month. Austin's next as they team up with Ann and Alice of Any Style Catering.
kinfolkmag.com

We Are All Radioactive. Film Trailer. Japan.

WE ARE ALL RADIOACTIVE is a film project created by TokyoMango blogger Lisa Katayama and TED film director Jason Wishnow. It's about surfers rebuilding northern Japan after the earthquake and tsunami on 3.11.2011. In the summer of 2011, a few months after the quake, the crew went to Japan to shoot interviews with locals, anti-nuclear activists, and global experts on radiation. They also gave four video cameras to the locals so they can film their experience through their own lens while we're not there. Looks good.

Mathias Dahlgren. Restaurant. Chef. Stockholm.

tour of the epic restaurant located at the beautiful Grand Hôtel.
"Natural produce and natural taste are essential for the natural cuisine." -Mathias Dahlgran
Mathias Dahlgren - Creative Leader. Martin Berg - Executive Chef. Daniella Illerbrand - Service & Beverage Manager.
mathiasdahlgren.com

The Design Files Open House. Melbourne.

In December 2011 The Design Files filled a beautiful home in Fitzroy, Melbourne with the work of 72 local artists and designers and invited the public to come and visit.
Directed by Jessica Leski. Cinematography by Edward Goldner. Additional Camera by Ash Koek + Stills by Sean Fennessy.
SO Melbs... I miss you.
thedesignfilesopenhouse.com

Marché Jean-Talon: Recettes & Portraits. By Susan Semenak.

Montreal Gazette reporter Susan Semenak has captured the essence and soul of the much loved Marche Jean-Talon in Montreal's Little Italy. Her book tells the stories of the people behind the market, who supply the beautiful food everyday and feed the city of Montreal. She also provides simple, comforting recipes that celebrate seasonal, local food. Having been born and raised in Montreal, Marche Jean-Talon has a special place in my memories of life there. Most weekends I would visit the Marche, try all the samples of fresh fruits and veg offered by the venders, and take photos of the colourful produce beautifully arranged.