Month: October 2017

Chef Chang’s Little Italy

The owner and Executive Chef of Little Italy (who prefers to be known simply as Chang) said he has learned not to underestimate the people of Bakersfield.

“They know good food,” said Chang, He can be found seven days a week at his 85-seat, full bar, white-tablecloth restaurant, tucked away in the South-East corner of The “Town and Country Shopping Center” located at 8200 Stockdale Hwy in Bakersfield, CA 93311-1029 Phone: (661) 833-4055

“Most of our customers come at least twice a month, and many three times a
week,” said Chang, who prepares every dish himself.

Chef Chang was born in Thailand and moved his family to The United States in the early 1970’s, stayed here to complete his education and make his way up in the restaurant business. Chang chose the location for his Little Italy restaurant because he found the shopping center pleasant and relatively quiet. He chose Italian cuisine because he finds it easy to prepare and enjoys the many flavor combinations he can create within this genera.

Personally, I find it fascinating when someone can break through the confines of conventional thinking. “How can an Asian cook Italian?” …is a ridicules preconception. Chef Chang’s abilities are amazing and have nothing to do with coming from an Italian heritage. 

I highly suggest going to Chef Chang’s Little Italy and trying the numerous exceptional menu items. It is wise to make reservations! ..There is usually a waiting list around 6:PM every night, fortunately the full bar can help easy your delay time while waiting for a table.

 

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Calamari Friti

Lightly fried baby squids served with a Tomato sauce shown with Little Italy’s fresh baked Bread served with olive oil and their aged balsamic vinegar.

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Chicken Piccata

Boneless chicken breast sautéed with pepperocini & capers

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Grilled Pork Chop with Pine Nuts

12 oz. center cut pork chop, garlic and rosemary topped with pine nuts

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Chicken Francaise

Chicken breast sautéed in garlic butter & lemon juice

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Cappellini Scampi

Jumbo shrimp in a light white sauce, parsley and pine nuts

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Linguine Frutti di Mare

House-made linguine with thick marinara, large shrimp, cherrystone clams, mussels, calamari, and scallop

 

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©2017 Eric James Swearingen

#ArtofEricJames

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Tony’s Firehouse Grill & Pizza

Tony’s Firehouse Grill & Pizza

located at 10701 Highway 178 in Bakersfield, CA 93306 

Phone: (661) 366-0129

Tony’s Pizza was founded in 1979 in the small town of Delano, California. At the time, Tony’s was one of the only pizza parlors in the primarily agricultural town. As time went on and new pizza chains were established in Delano, Tony’s business grew due to their passion for serving a traditional pizza, with only the finest ingredients in a welcoming family atmosphere.

Anthony “Tony” Martinez Jr. branched out to Bakersfield, CA in early 2005, and was an immediate hit serving up the same great tasting pizza that the Martinez family has been making for over 30 years. Little has changed, except for the obvious firefighter decor that you will find in all seven Tony’s Pizza locations. Anthony and his family are involved in every aspect of the business and at any given time you can always find a member of the family at one of the locations to greet you or make you one of their specialty pizzas. So whether you have a hankering for a big slice of “Bubba’s Chicken BBQ”, a “Toni’s Veggie” or the classic “Tony’s Combo” you won’t leave Tony’s Pizza disappointed.

 

 

 

 

Pepperoni Pizza

 

 

 

Choose from a number of TOPPINGS…

ANCHOVIES, BELL PEPPER, BLACK OLIVES, CANADIAN BACON, CHORIZO, GARLIC, ITALIAN SAUSAGE, JALAPEÑOS, LINGUICA, MUSHROOMS, ONION, PEPPERONI, PINEAPPLE, SALAMI, SPINACH, TOMATO

 

 

©2017 Eric James Swearingen

#ArtofEricJames

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GoodNut.com Product Shoot

I recently collaborated with life long friend and fellow photographer Cheryl Mestmaker on a project for GoodNut.com shooting a variety of commercial images for website end use and cataloging of products illustrating locally grown (Kern County) pistachios, almonds and a most delectable gourmet toffee perfected by Cheryl Mestmaker from an old secret family recipe.

We had an outrageous amount fun and spent the better part of four days creating a wide variety of images with multiple props, lighting & settings to play with, creating numerous set designs and layout possibilities for the clients to choose from. Here on my blog, I have uploaded just a few of what I feel are the best example of what we created during this session.

It is sometime quite difficult to find the right mix of props to product ratio, when given so many choices of peripheral objects to either discard or use in a setting. I find that the dissension to include set pieces really depends on whether or not it adds to the image a mood that is indicative to the clients target market or if it furthers an editorial content that accompanies the images in publication. Something that will reach that market on an emotional level and results in additional sales for your clients. If you believe those extra items tell the right story… use them, provided that they do not distract from the primary subject.

Here are a few “straight forward” product shots giving the client the ability to show their product without any distractions. Very important when the product is physically small in size, like nuts are. These seemingly simple images were some of their favorite shots from the session. Largely in part because they display the product directly without confusing the audience. “Less is more”, especially when it comes to displaying tiny subject matter.

Cheryl’s amazing gourmet toffee will be available in the near future for online ordering at GoodNut.com just as soon as possible. The final selections are currently be made for the best packaging and delivery methods that provide the freshest and most pristine arrival conditions to the recipient. I highly recommend this toffee! …It is so addictive in such a great way, you will truly enjoy every sumptuous bite!

 


 

©2017 Eric James Swearingen

#ArtofEricJames

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