Friday, February 20, 2009

Cooking Ameristyle with Tracey Lee

Hi.....  My name is Tracey Lee.  There is so much to tell you I barely know where to start.
Ok, here goes.  A few years ago I came up with this idea called Ameristyle..  It is all about the way we live and who we are and what we do with our lives.  (see my website http://ameristyle.com/  ).  Anyway, part of the whole Ameristyle idea was about cooking and decorating and well our heritage.  So, I went to Scripps Howard Corp in Cincinnati, Ohio and talked to the CEO Ken Lowe.  YOU know I gave him the "pitch".  I really believed that what i had was a great idea for HGTV or Food network.  Scripps owns them.  Ken Lowe loved the idea and had a few of the other execs in the office while I showed them what it was all about.  

Anyway, he sent us to Nashville to the headquarters of HGTV and so the next day we (my friend Marion, who was helping me along with a couple of great and talented guys)  went to HGTV,  but , could not get in to see the "big guys" even though Ken Lowe had called and said we were coming..  Oh well..  so we left a pitch book we did and home we drove.  A few weeks later I get a call saying that they would like a "video" sample of me.  

HUmmmmm......  so, the guys start planning a video to do and well we sent it and they said the "idea" was too big.  well, I was discouraged and just gave up on it.  I know  I know..  I shouldn't have given up so quickly but, I felt in over my head and needed someone to just take the idea and run with it..  anyway, I have always had great ideas, it is just getting them to fruition..  

So,  I poured myself into my "real work" producing photo shoots for advertising and stock.  Then I also, started "shooting" myself.  You know its funny, but, a good friend of mine Ariel Skelley, a world class photographer said years and years ago that I should start doing photography myself.  I have a good eye and know models and locations and styling and producing and directing and well, it took a while but I did start.  I love it..  and I started with shooting food.  

I love  LOVE to cook.  and so I thought well, I should try to photograph what I cook. The tables capes I create to serve the food.  Lord knows that I produced enough food shoots and did the cooking and styling for them.  Mark Atkinson and I did the Tidewater of Virginia  Junior League Cookbook, Taste of Tidewater.  I tested the recipes and cooked or prepared what needed to be shot and well it is beautiful.. Mark is soooooo talented and the book and photos are just gorgeous.  I guess that is what got me started on this whole IDEA..    

I want to do a cookbook, with great fun quick recipes and beautiful photos to give the cook an idea of what they should be looking to create and well.... thats the beginning of what I am doing.  Pallavi, a very good friend told me to do a blog.  she got me the info and well,  we shall see right???
you can look for more of my story and for recipes and when I figure how to add photos maybe you will see them too..  bye for now Tracey


1 comment:

  1. hey if you cllck on COMMENT at the bottom of the article then you can make comments to me..

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