Erika

Hi, I’m Erika. In the past few years my lifestyle has changed from DINK to SAHM, but one thing has remained the same: I love Mexican food, and I love margaritas and red wine. And I love food photography. I’m a sweet and quiet Southern girl transplanted to New Hampshire, I’m a wife and mother to two little crazy boys, I’m an advocate for my autistic son, and because I’m so homebound these days as a mom, I frequently reminisce about my old adventures travelling to various places around the world, and I just wish I knew then what I know now.

I’m passionate about great food (although I hate to cook) and dining out, and the ambiance and anticipation of dining at a restaurant.  Combine a genuine love of dining out (although it happens so rarely these days –see the bit about SAHM above) with the artful appreciation of a food photographer and you’ve got me.  Someone who can see with fresh eyes the beauty of a well-designed restaurant, with an attention to the experience, and a magazine-like vision for the documentation of such a restaurant. Nothing captures my imagination and passion like that of a beautiful restaurant with great light.  Food photography is truly my artistic passion, and I find such incredible inspiration in the way the sunlight streams through the windows of a downtown tacqueria, as well as the stylized table lighting of a boutique restaurant.

An important life lesson that I’ve learned is to embrace your home, wherever that may be. I desperately miss my home, family, memories, and lifestyle in North Carolina, and I’ve spent the past decade trying to reconcile everything that I love about it with my new residence (of 10 years now)  in New Hampshire. Finding no common ground whatsoever, I try to embrace what is local and unique about any location and recognize the authenticity and distinction of wherever you hang your hat. You can’t always change where you live, but you can change the way you deal with it, so my philosophy is always to celebrate local & authentic. In New England that means fresh local food, prepared simply, with recipes that appeal to comfort and familiarity.  Because of this (or maybe precisely in spite of this) I find that so much creativity goes into the creation of awesome downtown menus which has transformed Manchester into understandably a foodie destination in recent years.  There is so much local talent to be celebrated, lifted up, and shouted about, and I think that there is no better way to to do that than through beautiful, thoughtful photographs. While words are cheap, photos speak to our senses of sight, taste, smell, and additionally to the heart.