A garden walk with award-winning chef Melissa Kelly

A few days ago I was privileged to take a garden walk with Melissa Kelly, who just won the prestigious James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Northeast. We strolled the farm that surrounds Primo, her restaurant in Rockland, Maine. The light wasn’t perfect because it was early afternoon, but Melissa obliged by saying hello to her ducks and piglets while I clicked away with my Canon 1Ds Mark III. If I had been thinking ahead, I would have brought along a macro lens to capture the color and texture of the flowers and vegetables. If she’ll have me again some day, I’ll make sure we meet in late afternoon when the sun casts its golden rays across her little slice of Paradise. I took this photo as Melissa was explaining that the piglets are clean, healthy, intelligent, and will continue to grow for seven months before they become table fare.