Tasty Catonsville

So, for the past several years, I’ve been juggling around the idea of  “what do I want to do when I grow up,” meaning what category of photography am I most interested in turning into a career after college? For years, “photography” is as far as I got. I eventually had my sights set on doing  newspaper photojournalism. THEN, I met Rissa and Nathaniel, and documentary wedding photography, a type of photojournalism that was strange and new, yet  fascinating to me, came into the picture.

Now I’ve worked with balance photography for over a year, and I’ve assisted “I don’t even know how many”  weddings, but I would have never guessed my sweet tooth would guide me on my career path. Funny enough, weddings brought me to wedding cake, which brought me to food photography, the category I love best so far in the world of photography.

 The Candlelight Inn

Knowing where my enthusiasm lays, food, Rissa and Nathaniel have been amazing enough to grant me as many opportunities in photographing cakes and entrees at weddings as possible. And this past February, they gave me another chance to practice my passion.

The Greater Catonsville Chamber of Commerce (GCCC) asked balance to do the photography for  the upcoming Taste of Catonsville event. To prepare for this event, it was necessary to get photographs of all the restaurants and an entrée they’d want to “show off” for various areas of advertising. So, one night after work, they sat down to tell me they’d like me to organize and photograph the first set of restaurants, which added up to 15 restaurants! It literally took my breath away.  They were letting me out on my own - they had faith in me - and I like to think I was the little bird being pushed out of the nest, praying I could fly.

Indian Delight

Like I said earlier, I’ve worked with Rissa and Nathaniel for a while, but I’ve never had the responsibility of organizing my own project, and this was certainly a big first project. My job was to call each restaurant, somehow reach a busy manager or owner and make an appointment to stop by and make pictures of the dish they wanted to feature. So I'd call. Call again. And eventually get someone to help me make the appointment.

The Catonsville Gourmet

Once I made an appointment, all the while making 14 other appointments at the same time, I waited in anticipation for shoots to begin, and this all occurred in just a couple of weeks. My visits were always pleasant, and a full learning experience. I was part of the food industry for a moment. I handled the business world on my own, I networked, made friends, and most of all, I got to meet people who loved what they do, whether it was working over the stove, decorating the entrée, managing the restaurant, or taking the pictures of it all.

I could not have asked for anything better. And I'm so proud of the pictures I created. They will be used in the program for the Taste of Catonsville and have been printer on flyers and currently are the main feature in the GCCC's display window at 1002 Frederick Rd in downtown Catonsville.

The Rumor Mill

All in all, there are 25 restaurants featured in the Taste of Catonsville. The list includes The Candlelight Inn, the Catonsville Gourmet, Cafe on the Grove, Dimitri's International Grill, Edible Arrangements, El Nayar, G.L. Shacks, House of Audrey, Indian Delight, Jennings Cafe, the Rumor Mill, Ships Cafe, Tiffany's, Chef Paolino's, Duesenberg's - An American Cafe, Lucy's Paradise Cafe, Spicy Garden, Sugarbakers, Moontimes Cafe, Prime Central Sandwich,Catonsville Village Bakery, Sam's Bagels, Whitehouse Catering @ Overhills Mansion, McDonald's and The Rolling Road Country Club.

El Nayar

The Taste of Catonsville will be held at the Rolling Road Country Club on Monday April 20th from 5pm to 7:30pm. Tickets are $35 in advance and $45 at the door. It's the kick-off event for Restaurant Week in Catonsville and I have to say, having sampled the goods at so many Catonsville eateries - I can't wait!

See you there!

~Josie