Tea Time with Noisette & Kate Osborne

For a while now, I've been wanting to get together with Noisette baker and creator Megan Whittaker, and pair my dishware with her delicious treats and macaroons. Enter Kate Osborne, who is able to capture light and dark moodiness in her work perfectly, and we've got a terrific trio.

This shoot was so great- and not only because we got to eat everything during and after, but also because we had free-reign over how and where these ideas were going to go. I drew up some backgrounds and illustrated about 30 different languages onto a sheet of paper with the words, "I am hungry", along with a big happy yellow hungry woman, and a ink-worthy cat (see top photo background). With a few hours to spare, Kate happily got to work and we danced around her, arranging, and talking, and tasting.

Our vision in the first few photos was to capture my Asian background and the influence that is seen in my dishes and illustration work. I love how they turned out because they remind me of those moments in Hong Kong or Beijing when I would stop with my mother in little apothecary shops or stores, and there would always be newspaper strewn about loaded with some sort of herbal remedy. Usually with a large mug of tea steeping beside them. We wanted these darker and moodier. I loved that we were able to utilize my darker studio room for these. (The wallpaper you see in some of them is the original that came with the house).

The rest we deemed lighter, and fresher, with the whites and blue table in the other, lighter side of my studio, where we paired my Parisienne map and the macaroons easily and obviously. That's me drawing on the macaroons, but not with marker- with edible pens! Who knew they would be so easy to work with! Give me an edible pen every single day and I will write and draw on everything I eat. Sandwiches... pizza... lettuce! (apparently those are the three things I eat often...)

But seriously guys. Megan has some of the most unique types of macaroons and they are so flavorful. I told her that hers and the ones from Ladurée in Paris are probably the best macaroons I've ever had. They are that good. Her Earl Grey will make you die. I love it so much. And her chocolates and sweet sugar cookies- oh so charming!

Check out more by these ladies and Bon appétit!

Photography by Kate Osborne

Treats & macaroons by Noisette 

Dishware, gloves & illustrations by Me