Chef Richard Blais joined evian for an Instagram takeover at the Grand Tasting Village during the South Beach Wine and Food Festival. During this two day takeover, Chef Blais captured his moments “through the lens of a chef” as he experienced SOBEWFF and uploaded them onto the @evianwater Instagram for viewers to see. I was invited by evian to join them for some behind-the-scenes action while Richard Blais took his chef inspired photos.
This was part of the #evianeats Foodie Photo Series, which included an interactive photo booth experience at a SOBEWFF Grand Tasting Tent. Chef Blais was also hanging out at the evian booth, taking photos with fans.
The evian booth provided a fun way for attendees to be interactive and take photos using props. The photos were uploaded by a user’s own Instagram account and by using the hashtag #evianeats, photos were printed live at the evian booth. The booth was a popular spot and the build was great. Incorporating a camera into the booth’s structure and having a flat screen tv to replicate a camera’s back LCD screen were awesome ideas. Also picking up photos that were hanging on a line gave a nod to old school drying film photos. Just a cool booth to see, it brought out the photography nerd in me.
Here’s my photo with Chef Richard Blais that I uploaded on the @Droolius Instagram account.
The photo that printed a few minutes later at the evian booth. How cool is that? Printing from a hashtag! #evianeats
Richard Blais viewing some of his recent photos “through the lens of a chef”.
After picking up my photo, it was time spent walking with Richard Blais and the evian team to different parts of the Grand Tasting Village to take photos. Here’s some of my behind-the-scenes photos, along with Chef Blais’ photos that were shared on @evianwater Instagram.
“#sobewff through rosé colored glasses, get it ? #evianeats this is @RichardBlais taking over @evianwater Instagram!”
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I title this, Blais upon Blais. Chef Blais taking photos of his new debut cookbook, “Try This At Home: Recipes From My Head To Your Plate”
“Continuing the @evianwater #evianeatstakeover… Look what I found at the#sobewff bookstore !”
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I watched as the chef takes photos of a steel drum performer/singer. Why? Check out the next photo and see his caption.
“You know I had dreads in college right ? Here’s a steel drum from #sobewff ! Tag #evianeats with your photos today and they get printed at the @evianwater booth! This is @RichardBlais continuing the takeover!”
Photography side note – Richard captures himself in the photo as well in the reflection of the steel drum.
Chef Blais wanted some coffee so we stopped in for some espresso. He get’s up close to snap a photo of the espresso being brewed. The iPhone being used for photos is from the evian team by the way, and NOT his phone or his case. Ha ha, he wanted to be clear on that.
“You can’t do Miami and #sobewffwithout cafe Cubano ! Check out my reflection in machine ! This is @RichardBlais continuing the #evianeats takeover on Instagram…”
Again, nice capture in the refelction! Good attention to detail, Mr. Blais.
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Walking around the event, people spotted Richard Blais and asked for photos and autographs. He was happy to oblige to everyone and it was really cool to see this. Even if people didn’t ask for a photo, you could see the smiles people had on their faces when they spotted him and could hear people passing by saying “Hey, there’s Richard Blais”. Being a fan myself, it was very cool to see him in person and interact with people.
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Chef Blais continued to take photos of many objects, food, and scenes at the festival. Some of the photos were uploaded on @evianwater, while others were just captured as a chef’s memory. To watch him spot things that caught his attention and take photos of them was a fun experience in itself.
“Grabbing a small bite to eat. So nice of evian to provide my own custom cutlery here at #sobewff #evianeats”
The behind-the-scenes photos I took were during Saturday’s Grand Tasting Village and there are a few more in the gallery below. Also, check out a few photos of Chef Blais from Sunday’s event, courtesy of evian.
I admit, I’m a fan of Chef Richard Blais; his cooking style, his brand as a chef, his execution of his ideas. Needless to say this was an awesome day and BIG THANKS goes to evian for making me part of this experience. Chef Richard Blais, nice to meet you sir!
Words and photos by Julius Mayo Jr.
Some photos courtesy of evan water
© Droolius.com 2013
Disclaimer: I was invited to attend this event on behalf of evian water. I was not compensated to write this post and all opinions are always my own.
Love what you’re sharing about SOBEWFF! And this must have been so cool. Seriously, your photographs are awesome, Julius!
[…] Prior to the festival, Evian launches a social media campaign with chef Richard Blais using #evianeats to post photos on Instagram. In order to promote the use of the hashtag, each day that lead up to […]