Coconut and blood orange mini cupcakes
Last week at the 60th Berlinale Film Festival, the lovely Alice Waters asked a few of us Chez Panisse alums to join her in making a meal overlooking the Brandenburg Gate. The occasion was to honour her friend, the incredible artist Christina Kim who is the creator of the beautiful and socially responsible clothing company DOSA. Based in L.A., Christina makes the softest scarves in the world and the lady knows how to wear neon pink like nobody (see below)! This year the Berlinale commissioned her to make a curtain to cover the Brandenburg Gate that was then pulled back for the opening of the festival to reveal a newly remastered print of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis.
The Mayor of Berlin came along with the Berlinale’s entire international jury and Tilda Swinton too. She looks so stunning in real life, you just feel like jumping in a trash can. But she is completely cool and bohemian and she brought her adorable kids who gobbled down the mini cupcakes!
Watching the curtain go up
The curtain
Metropolis at the Brandenburg Gate
view from the dining room
It was freezing, but we wore our vintage furs and new fleeces and puffer jackets to source organic food from the Berlin area for the dinner. Here are some pics for you of the process.
- The bread tasting
David Tanis and David Lindsay choose the best veg for our lasagna
Our menu
Best rosé in the world x
Spinach pasta
Black truffles for the creamy sauce
The spinach and kale lasagna with truffle cream
I served my apple galettes with buttermilk ice cream. I LOVE German buttermilk
candied violets on violet cupcakes
I was listening to Billie Holiday today while I was working and heard this song for the first time. How is it possible I have never heard this before? Here are the words for you. Still don’t know how to add a song to the blog. Do you? Enjoy the lyrics anyway. x
It was winter in manhattan, falling snow flakes filled the air,The streets were covered with a film of ice,But a little simple magic that I learned about somewhere,Changed the weather all around, just within a thrice.I bought you violets for your furs and it was spring for a while, remember? I bought you violets for your furs and there was april in that december.The snow drifted down and the flowers, and that is where it lay.The snow looked like dew and the blossoms as on a summer day.I bought you violets for your furs and there was blue in the wintry sky,You pinned my violets to your furs and gave a lift to the crowds passing by,You smiled at me so sweetly, since then one thought occurs,That we fell in love completely, the day I bought you violets for your furs.
papered window through the security grates
the sun came out today, hooray!
a table was delivered to the shop (our future work-top was an old art school desk)
it is all getting closer. sigh.
i papered the windows so no peaking!
i want a few surprises.
x x claire
marshmallow cupcakes YUM!
I have taken a break from photographing my customers in order to show you a little of the goings on at Violet on Wilton Way, sorry if it bores you…
There is SO much to do when you are opening a business.
Permits,painting, plumbing, electricity, phones, internet, choosing colours, sanding,sourcing, building, demolishing, ordering, canceling, the list goes on. it makes it hard to breath.
Best friend ever! Aidan is back again this weekend doing some fine painting and keeping it prana in his and his wife’s line of super cute yoga gear, BuddhaMonkey – x They are even planning to have stuff for your pets to stretch in! Where do they find the time?
I would also just like to thank the men of Chilango for bringing good burritos to London. If you are from California you are aware of the craving, like none other in the world, for a burrito. Though I think Chilango has to get rid of that basmati rice and go for long grain, it still hits the spot every time.
burritos and beer, oh yeah
There is quite a lot of anxiety attached to this project, but I tell myself to just keep breathing (through respirators) and keep thanking my incredible husband and friends for helping.
namaste.