Cooking with Nathalie for Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles
Written by Marie Nygren, Posted in "atlanta homes and lifestyles", marie nygren, nathalie dupree
In the over 30 years I have known Nathalie, I had never cooked with her. When the class was scheduled at Serenbe, Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles magazine asked if they could do a feature piece on it. Nathalie agreed to fly in early for a photo shoot on Sunday morning before the class started. We agreed to cook several of the items that would be taught for the class.
My friend Dana helped me that morning to get the kitchen “camera ready”- the prepped food in pretty bowls and vegetable vignettes. Nathalie and I were to have food and ourselves camera ready at 11am. The photographer and writer would show up at 10 am to set up for the 11 am shoot.
My friend Dana helped me that morning to get the kitchen “camera ready”- the prepped food in pretty bowls and vegetable vignettes. Nathalie and I were to have food and ourselves camera ready at 11am. The photographer and writer would show up at 10 am to set up for the 11 am shoot.
Well, our set up became the shoot. The photographer just started snapping away as we started cooking. And as we cooked, Nathalie and I started a playful banter about our philosophy of cooking and eating.
Joking and jesting were as much a part of the morning as were the finished dishes. Nathalie would turn a pot up to caramelize the onions and I’d turn it down because I thought she was burning them. Then she’d turn it back up. We obviously had different definitions of caramelizing!
Then she’d say something about a particular technique and I’d chime right in or vice versa. It became the Fric and Frac show in the kitchen. I loved the banter as much as the cooking. Nathalie has such a wry sense of humor. It is one of her many gifts and created a hilarious morning for all those in the kitchen with us.