Getting Glacial with Sam Barker

Photographer Sam Barker and his team travelled to the southern shores of Iceland to the largest glacier in Europe, Vatnajökull  Meeting Sam through a good friend of mine, here in New York and getting to hear about this spectacular scenery and dream like trip, I couldn't wait to see the photos and of course do a little feature on the ol'blog. The shoot in conjunction with Harrods and Men’s Health took place in the natural ice caves that form within the glacier. Now these caves come and go in a matter of days and are pretty volatile - making finding the perfect location to shoot, somewhat tricky to say they least. 

Nonetheless, this shoot is something that even Elsa would be proud of yes that’s a Frozen reference. With lights clamped to the sides of the ice rocks and just a dingy to manoeuvre along the river which slowly precipitated as the cave melted, not a moment was spared to capture the perfect moment in this exceptional shoot. Crystallised luminous blue hues in one of the most naturally beautiful settings. Over a day and a half locations were set up both inside the caves as well as on top of the glacier, resulting in a pretty spectacular spread.

Be sure to check out the rest of Sam's amazing work on his website (click here) and stay up to date with all his exciting shoot adventures around the world on his blog (click here). 

Eataly

I always knew that when I came to live in New York I would have pretty much every single type of cuisine available to me. From Thai to Mexican and from French to Moroccan I almost feel like I have travelled the culinary world, one restaurant at a time. Yesterday I journeyed over to Italy, as I ventured into Eataly in New York's, Flatiron District. 

Eataly is an Italian food shop with a few different restaurants to tantalise the whims of every customer that comes through the doors; whether it's a light bite, or a sit down meal they have it all. Stocking Italy's favourite coffee, Caffee Lavazza welcomes you on the way in, followed by the Gelateria and then the Pasticceria, which are all casually mixed in amongst shelves of some of Italy's best produce.

I've always felt that one sure way to know if the food is good in a new restaurant, is to have a look at the crowd. For example, if you go to a sushi place and there is not a Japanese person in sight, the sushi probably wont be any good. However, Eataly was bursting with Italians - many tall dark handsome suit wearing Itaians,  come to think of it - all siping on fine wine, eating delicious cheeses and finishing it all off with a double expresso or two. Yes, Eataly is food shopping, the Italian way. 

Think Harrods food hall in Lake Como... 

Despite also offering a pizza & pasta restaraunt, 'La Pizza La Pasta', and a cheese & meat bar, 'La Piazza', we decided to opt for a true multistar sit-down meal at the Manzo Ristorante. Having to wait over 45 minutes for the table we were positively staving, however the wait was well and truly worth it!

Baby Wild Rocket, Beef Carpaccio, NY Strip Steak, Torta di Nocciole and Vanilla Panna Cotta - we ate like true Italians.