Imagine what real life would be like without imagination? Without people expanding their minds, seeing past the stars, the concept of creativity would not exist. This can be applied to any creative medium. Imagine a world without poetry, music, photography, or food… not a pretty place. When people embrace imagination, people create, and when people create the world benefits.

My latest project in culinary school was to design a chocolate showpiece. Instead of following the trend of using American elements to compose our showpiece, my partner and I decided to side with the French. We used very organic looking shapes to represent our 101 Dalmatians (our project’s theme was Disney movies) concept. What I like most about our piece is its simplicity. Every piece present is clean, eye catching, and not too busy. While complexity is not necessarily a bad thing, there’s just something special about a simple and effective design.

It was truly a pleasure to witness my entire class use their imagination to create chocolate showpieces representing their favorite childhood movies.

If the 90′s is your thing, then you are in for a treat with this brand. Their clean cut patterns have that vintage feel to them, whilst cleverly blending in with some of today’s iconic Indie art. Their bold, and sometimes, outrageous colours make for a real individual feeling. What’s more, is that X C V B clothing is just as great for the ladies as it is for the lads.

Their A/W 2011 line has been well received, with their variety of items, including sweaters and snapbacks (I remember when these were just normal hats).

Already being stocked by stores solely providing independant clothing brands, I suggest you get your hands on their items before they sell out!

Samfar

In the beginning, I could not stand tempering (the process of melting and raising the temperature) chocolate. It was time consuming, messy, and well… boring. Although I understood the importance of the tempering process, my classes dragged. That all changed once I tasted the finished candies. There’s something special about eating chocolate that is shiny (and that contains sea salt).

That does not mean out of temper chocolate is not delicious (and cool looking)!

I am currently working on a showpiece with my partner, Danielle, and needless to say it has been a challenge. You never know what is going to break until it does. Our theme is 101 Dalmatians and I must admit I love the direction we are taking it in. We are combining the organic flowiness (not a real word) of French showpieces opposed to the blocky (also not a real word) American style. I am a big fan of symbolism, so this should be a fun ride.

To see more pictures of my chocolate adventure, follow me on Twitter and Tumblr.

Starting only in mid 2011 they already have a themselves a huge fanbase.  From a girls perspective, it’s nice to see a brand that also uses female models to showcase their tees. But this is the message that Small Victory Clothing are trying to get out there “With an outlook to create an alternative, heavily unisex fashion brand”

I’d really like to see Small Victory Clothing blow up this year. If you like traditional pieces of art/tattoos this brand is for you. Their fashionably vintage, traditional prints are crazily affordable and unique.

Samfar x

Coffee is one of the most important things in my life. Aside from being one my favorite research topics, it helps me focus on assignments and carry on throughout my busy schedule. Whether its late night sketching out dessert ideas or early morning hours baking breakfast pastries, chances are there’s a cup of coffee by my side (although I have been really enjoying cortados lately).

A few weeks ago, an unexpected event happened during one of my espresso bar/coffee shop outings. What happened exactly? Well… I had a chance to meet and chat with a well known coffee guru and wonderful coffee shop owner. The man is a genius and I am pretty sure he’s going to blow up New York’s coffee scene within the next few months. While chatting about coffee, Mets loyalty, and an array of other topics, he hinted contacting him for a job. My heart dropped due to over excitement and I did exactly what he asked of me. The rest was history; within a week I was training and loving each minute.

For the first time, I was training under someone who knows coffee and I was able to make sense of topics I read about (as well as learn things that are not in books). It was like when Luke Skywalker met Yoda for the first time, I was determined to take in as much knowledge as possible. However, another opportunity opened presented itself (I’ll explain in a later post) and I was forced to say farewell (sadly) to my newly caffeinated job.

In the end, the shop will still continue to set the bar for artisan coffee and New York City will be happier place thanks to them. Unfortunately, the life of a pastry chef (in training) is an unstable one with long hours, countless amounts of trials, and difficult decisions.

But…

I could not be happier with my life and I will never let an opportunity pass me by.

Two weeks ago, I was walking up and down the aisles of the International Restaurant & Food Show pondering what it must be like to be a restaurant owner. Although I am only a culinary student, the dream of opening a small shop with my best friends is always in the back of my mind. While the exhibitors pitched their products in the background, I was deaf to what they were saying and was focused on the bigger picture; dedicating my time, sharpening my skills, and achieving my goal.

I heard from a number of chefs that when they started their careers the workload was brutal. While I can not say I am looking forward to the extremely long hours and even less sleep, I know it comes with the territory and I am prepared. Sometimes I have my doubts and I gradually grow worrisome, but then I see things like this…

The thought of a team of pastry chefs (normal people like you and I) planning and executing every detail of this piece is nothing short of amazing. Art and pastry go hand in hand, but it is sculptures like this that really set me back. It inspires me, it challenges me to do better; I must try my best. Again, I am merely a student, but I strive to be someone of influence.

What would you add to this mega dessert? Let me know!

If you have never baked before or are scared of the electric whisk, this book makes for a brilliant start point for beginners; including kids! Not only does it flag which recipes are ideal for beginners and also great for kids, a fair few of the recipes actually have step-by-step photos so you can tell what each stage should look like. The book also has how-to-guides for the basics, such as making the fluffiest of choux pastry, many different fillings and icings, even making the perfect meringues and so much more.

However, if you think you are a bit of a Baking Wizard, I still recommend you pick up this book. As it also has some of their infamous “technical challenges”

The book itself is beautiful and I am glad to see there is something out there that doesn’t let Britain forget what it is best at; BAKING.

Samfar x

The brand originally caught my eye when they did a charity tee for Help For Heroes. I fear some people are getting into the design business purely for the money, but these guys show that there is much more to offer from a design house.

As far as UK brands go, their items are rediculously affordable and because their designs are classic and timeless, you’ll get a t-shirt that could last you a lifetime.

Samfar x

I’ve been honored to meet many creative people through Oven Fresh Dreams and Serji and Taira are no different. These two are the driving force behind, Dream Gold, a brand out of Toronto.  I first caught wind of their brand around May 2011 and let me tell you, the progression their brand has shown is simply amazing. Dream Gold is a prime example of what happens when you’re passionate about something and work at it constantly.

Why is it a good time to start dreaming? Well… Serji and Taira just released a new winter collection. From t-shirts to hoodies, Dream Gold provides you with enough threads to fill a closet (well unless you’re like me… I have a t-shirt problem). Prices range from $14.95-$39.95, which is not bad considering the quality of the designs. While I am somewhat picky when it comes to t-shirt design, Dream Gold delivers with simple yet clean series (you did a great job guys. If you’re interested in looking at what is available, visit their shop today!