initiation.

chocolate.

lunch.

verbena.

grandma grows her own verbena tree

picks the leaves to dry

for a home made sachet bag.

cigar night.

a bottle reborn.

a beautiful champagne bottle

turned into a beautiful olive oil bottle.

squid and scallops.

well marinated

and cooked together with a dried tomato and garlic sauce

turned into a tasty pasta dish the following day.

chef's kingdom.

homemade anchovies.

wild duck with lentils.

sushi.

dobin mushi; a traditional Japanese seafood broth 

served in a tea pot with shrimp, fish, lime, and matsutake mushroom. 

beautiful sake cups chilled over ice.

heavenly sushi platter.

hakone.

tomato chicken stew with zucchini.

precious towels.

grandma had kept daddy's cloth diapers from his baby years.
now grandma o had sewn them into cloth towels.

an unexpected family collaboration over time.

afternoon tea.

baby chicken.

oven delights.

grandma and mommy whipped up oven dishes for a family dinner.

grandma's roasted baby onions.

mommy's lasagna with extra extra cheese.

pot bouille.

a cozy bistro in tokyo.