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D E C E M B E R S AN S
COLOR
WI T H
PAUL JUNG
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Contents
13 prdouct
game of thrones // set the tone with royal thrones
16 frontice
a note from casey collins
06 editor’s letter
a note from casey collins
17 cover story
concrete jungle // the works and words of Paul Jung
08 food
bee, please // the honey debate
09 travel
California Kitsch // welcome to the Madonna Inn
10 fashion
steampunk’d // a look into fidm’s fall window displays
25 femme creme 8 top chefs in SF
34 last page that’s it
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editor and chief casey collins creative director mark greer director of photo sandy thomas lifestyle + culture marketing editor karen cook associate editor reece madewell contributing writer damien rouse intern max heinder art + photo art director sara maskett digital photo producer erin pollak production copy chief oliver greene copywriter vivian din digital director of digital coleen hartz art director toby reets graphic designer stella kodde contributing editors delilah thorne mark ďŹ nnek rocket thame parket stone
editorial oďŹƒces 1124 saturn blvd los angeles ca 90027 0684 4th avenue new york, new york 00031
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letter from the editor
Points of intersection are important. In art. culture. all sides and angles of lifestyle. t h e r e ’s a p o t e n c y i n the crossroad. The blending of lines and the contrast of two points intersecting. Planes interbreed; art. The blending of lines; art. dimensions unwound; art. Croix is a collective vision and appreciation for all niches of counter culture, lifestyle, and global themes meant to be fringed. For the love of croix,
Casey Collins Editor in Chief
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fore
bite vogue rove
bee, please. Honey. And its glorified debate. Is it vegan, or is it not?
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S HONEY VEGAN? The answer simply depends on how you define vegan. Those who define a vegan diet as devoid of animal products may claim that the honeybee is an insect, and therefore honey is indeed a vegan product. However, those who believe that a vegan diet is devoid of products that exploit any creatures would argue that an insect should be respected just as much as any other being, and therefore, honey is not vegan.
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he bee population decline is rapid and dramatic. US-
managed bee colonies have dropped by half since 1945, much of which has happened in recent years. The cause of these deaths was widely theorized as a product of cell phone emissions, viruses, and other causes until recently. It is now widely believed within the beekeeping industry that this massive decline is due to use of specific pesticides.
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ECASE BEE POPULATIONS are now so rare, and because
industrial-sized farms have thousands of acres of crops that desperately need to be pollinated, beekeepers truck their bees across the country and “rent” their bees out to farmers for months at a time. This is where they make the majority of their money. This practice of moving bees from state to state, climate to climate, is not natural for them. It also involves a lot of energy to raise bees and truck them all over the country … not a very good carbon footprint.
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THE BEES HONEY, which is made by the bees for bees, is taken from them to be sold to humans, and they are given a form of sugar-water to eat instead- just
like mother’s milk is better for a baby than formula. Furthermore, some beekeepers clip the wings of the queen bee to prevent her and her colony from swarming. Is this a cruelty-free practice?
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N THE FLIP-SIDE, Steve Blake, Doctor of Holistic Health in Nutritional Biochemistry and author of 29 health books, says that honey is actually healthy in small quantities – something rare for a non-vegan food. He says, “Honey is unusual in that it is a healthful non-vegan food. Raw, unfiltered honey contains propolis, which is a powerful antimicrobial. The pollen in unfiltered honey is also very nutritious and energizing.” However, Steve does not eat honey as a vegan, because he says, “flower pollen is available directly, without bothering any bees.”.
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T SEEMS ONLY FAIR to reccomend you think it through, and decide what is right for you. (and the bees, of course).
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food BOW
fore
bite vogue rove
steampunk. FIDM students embrace counter culture couture in their newest windowdisplay series.
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I DM ME R CHA NDI SI N G students fully embraced the Victorian sicence fiction aesthetic through their most recent window showcases, titled, “Steampunk’d”. Steampunk references a time period and an aesthetic: the industrialized 19th century. This period saw the development of many key aspects of the modern world (mechanized manufacturing, extensive urbanization, tele-communications, office life and mass-transit), FIDM students warped “My group wanted and these inspirations into retroto try something a futuristic displays, steaming at little different than the brim with classic steampunk - gears, goggles, bronze the usual dark motifs craftsmanship, and all.
and grungy feel of steampunk. We looked up different cultures and styles and thought it might be fun to try a (pseudo) Chinese Garden.”
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bite vogue rove
food BOW
fore
kitsch kitsch bang bang I
down the kaleidiscopic and coastal rabbit hole the Madonna Inn.
N A WORLD where businesses seem to be shelling
out less and less while asking for more, the Californiabased Madonna Inn stands in stark defiance. What started in 1958 as a meager 12-room motel along California’s Central Coast has transformed into a 110room beast of uniqueness that has inspired countless road trips. Today, the sole commonality between the Madonna’s rooms is their fierce loyalty to the obscure.
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NOWN AS the world’s kitschiest hotel, it stands to reason that decor varies from room to room, with each room typically being three times larger than a conventional hotel room, and much more colorful. This landmark hotel is sprawled out over 2,000 acres, with multiple buildings containing all of the individual rooms, eateries and shops.
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“the street lights and trashcans are pink and, until customers protested, so was the bread.”
ESIGNER AND ENTREPRENEUR Alex Madonna famously
scribbled the first floor plan of his dream motel onto the back of a napkin, and since then it has been nothing short of a labor of love to bring this hotel to life.
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game of thrones you’re gonna want to sit down for this
the morning wood
contour arm chair by robert reeves. at Eco First
the weave
the rhino
cocoon-like tropicalia arm chair by Moroso. $2700.
a rhino chair by Maximo Riera, based in London UK. $40,000.
Art. $2,800.
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the clean line
clean industrial accent. 3d printed Shiven 2 chair by Varsa. Made of synthetic wood. $2000.
product food BOW
s the whale’s tale
whale’s tale chair by Maximo Riera has the highest pricetag of his animal collection- $65,000.
the harp string
fluid form container chair by bae sehwa. steam collection. walnut. $650.
the electric chair
antique italian Renaissance chair. tooled leather and walnut. Inessa Stewart’s Antiques. $950.
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AU JU
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UL UNG \\ New York based photographer Paul Jung transforms models into contemporary sculptures, ďŹ nding art fragments in the ordinary.
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“
Art and fashion both can be seen as completely absurd and useless aspects of life, which makes them the most interesting pursuits I can imagine.
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Words by Grace McBrierty
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“Perhaps contrary to popular stories and myths of photographers, I actually hated photography as a child,” Paul Jung – craftsman of the lens and creative type of other capacities – explains from New York. A producer of visual stimulation – whose attitude toward image production falls somewhere between categoricallynv abstract visual manipulation and the simplicity of the traditional craft – Jung’s work is a far cry from the “annoying family photos and boring situations” of his initial perception of a photographer’s world. But Jung’s beginnings as a contributor to the wider creative environment didn’t stem from America’s centre of fastevolving ingenuity, and is perhaps why it is fitting that he is present for the ‘Almost International Issue.’
lithe figures clothed in a way that converses modern beauty. But the foundation of these images is not of a material or physical nature, but one built on the institutional union of art and fashion combined. They have almost Dali-esque fluidity, as if to be effortlessly floating within the continuum of their surroundings. “The little nook between art and fashion is very interesting,” says Jung. “Both can be seen as completely absurd and useless aspects of life, which makes them the most interesting pursuits I can imagine. The work becomes interesting when it allows me to stop for a moment and daydream, like when I was a child.”
Having lived in Australia until a decade ago, Jung was first enthralled by the process of design in the cloak of architecture at the Queensland University of Technology, though grew restless with pinpointed focus, “like many eighteen year olds.” As Jung explains, “there was a film called ‘All my Friends Are Leaving Brisbane.’ It was a period where I really was curious about the world beyond what I knew, so I took the plunge to see what else was out there.” Hopping across continents before settling in New York to forge a creative path unique to his skillset at the city’s School of Visual Arts, Jung tuned his skills in graphic design before tinkering with the idea of photography as a plausible profession, minus the familiarity of distasteful family portraiture. “Studying design was hugely beneficial for me, as it gave me the vocabulary and the tools to navigate the world with a new set of eyes,” says Jung. “During this period I found myself constantly curious and looking more closely at fashion photography, until I finally make the decision to pursue it after I quit working as an art director,” a role he procured in Milan post-studies.
“NAVIGATING PEOPLE’S PERSONALITIES CAN BE A DISTRACTION.” -
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“THE WORK BECOMES INTERESTING WHEN IT ALLOWS ME TO STOP.” -
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It’s this state of daydream that has led to collaborations with mega-brands like the Shiseido Company, Conde Nast Publications, New York Media, and most recently IMG Models, where Jung directed blonde beauty Anmari Botha through the streets and subway tunnels of New York in a monochrome fashion film. “That was actually a nerve racking day, as she had to fly to Paris in the early afternoon and I had never met her before,” Jung says of shooting. “We basically had to shoot everything in two hours and get her on the plane!”
But it’s not Jung’s aptitude for geographical adaption that has grasped the attention of the global creative industries, but more so his ambition in eradicating work of generic means that is an e xciting prospect for change in the area of more traditional practices. Working with plaster, paint, silicon and other mediums in correlation with time and movement, Jung’s ‘Studies’ offer a pristinely beautiful perspective of what in actuality are mundane objects transformed to replicate objects of an ethereal quality. “[The studies are] a nice break as it allows you to get lost in details and abstractions. Working with people, often you get caught up in the ‘interaction’ with your talent, and navigating people’s personalities can sometimes be a distraction.”
Moving film is not something that is a recent revelation in the creative environment, nor is it something that has always held a definite place in the art and fashion industry. And it didn’t necessarily mean unchartered waters for Jung either, having previously worked on his constant state of tradition manipulation through GIF’s and moving images. “I definitely see a new dimension of reading as we are getting more and more accustomed to still images,” he explains. “The fourth dimension of time and how we perceive information in this dimension is still very new to us. It is something unique and not previously explored much before the twentieth century,” a quality that no doubt has Jung excited for its potential in the burgeoning New York scene of artistic experimentation.
Though don’t let this diminish the detail and focus expended on works of the ‘Male’ and ‘Female’ variety, of which have been featured in publications across the globe and collected clients along the way. Part of the appeal of Jung’s mortal works may be that they feature an array of universally admired chiselled features and
“Like everything else, [New York] is moving at 1000km/hr,” says Jung. “It’s really like no other place I’ve lived or worked before and it really pushes you to not settle for less, though it is very intense to be so ‘on’ all the time. There are amazingly creative people from everywhere and often in surprising places. 23
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P
AUL JUNG IS CONSISTENCY PERSONIFIED. His singular polished style spreads across his fashion photography, music video direction, and even his daily routine. Taking a spin through his work, it’s hard to miss. Sharp lines, minimalist textures, bold colors—Jung applies this kind of practiced and perfected nature to his everyday life.
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ASED IN NEW YORK, Jung arrived there by way of two different continents. His varied youth and globetrotting studies gave him a noticeably observant attitude that came through in our interview. Now, everything serves as a potential influence, and Jung is keen on it all.
Tell us about your early life.
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WAS BORN BY the seaside in Taiwan, and grew up in Australia. I did my studies in Italy and lived in China and Thailand over the last ten years. I wouldn’t really say I’m typically Taiwanese or Australian! Generally though, [my early life] was filled with long periods of quietness and wonder, being the only child.
How were you first exposed to photography?
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ACTUALLY WASN’T very interested in
photography specifically until I was much older. I hated it actually, as it was something that we always did as a family—taking photos of each other on trips. I found the whole experience to be staged and awful. Though I did like to observe. I took photography in high school, though wasn’t particularly fond of the whole process of film photography. The slowness wasn’t particularly interesting for me. It wasn’t until digital photography came to be norm that I actually accelerated my learning through the quick trial and error methods that it offers.
What do you appreciate most about what you do?
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WORKED FOR short period as an art
director, [and] the intense computer work exhausted me. The thing I appreciate most now is the need of doing a good amount of work off the computer, interacting with different people, and working in different environments.
How has your work changed in recent
years? And have there been any bumps along the way?
THE WORK IS always evolving, though
there’s always a core that I am working towards. It’s the daily learning and growing that really adds up. Living in different cities has really allowed me to learn things from different people, cultures, languages and ideas.
What’s the perfect portrait?
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ACTUALLY have very little interest
in portrait work. The connections between people, and how certain emotions and feelings are invoked through certain situations, gestures, and memories—those are what interest me. HE MORE ANONYMOUS the image is, the more powerful it is, as it can convey to more people and more situations. The translation to your own personal world from a suggestion is very powerful. Perhaps this is why perfume or music is so powerful.
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What’s a typical day like?
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TRY TO START early, as long as I
get my 8 hours of sleep—waking up anywhere between 6 and 8. I always start the day with calisthenics and stretching, before having a large Paleo breakfast smoothie. After, I meditate before commencing work. MORNING IS preferably spent on research or writing a screenplay. If I can get anything out on paper, I focus on studying something new. Right now it’s French and philosophy. LUNCH I COOK something simple followed by a nap and meditation. I wake myself up with emails, and any other productionrelated work. Around this time I also do
my daily and weekly planning together.
EVENINGS I GO for a stroll before dinner.
After dinner, if I have some energy left, I would work on current projects. Otherwise I would prepare for sleep. If it’s a shoot day, after my exercises it’s straight to the studio until we wrap.
Speaking of your workday, do you have anything you’re especially excited to be working on?
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HE CONVERSATIONS and ongoing work between [German fashion designer] Melitta Baumeister and I is very exciting, as we really discuss what the core values are that we believe in with each other’s work. The directorial projects are also the most exciting, as the new dimensions and possibilities are just endless.
Do you find that any music or particular films influence you and your work?
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USIC DEFINITELY influences me,
though lately I listen to less and less music, as I like to listen to it with full concentration. During my work I prefer to have silence. HERE ARE SOME musicians that really help to put my work in the right frame of mind, such as Alva Noto, or Schubert. LOVE FILM, though these days I’m not sure if I can truly say that I go enjoy the cinema purely from a leisure point of view. [Instead] it has become a part of my research, reflection and analysis for my own work. Although I do enjoy some cheesy blockbusters when I get a chance. These are actually enjoyable— like having a cheeseburger with a Coke.
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creme de la femme 8
San Francisco Chefs Prove a Woman’s Place Is at the Head of the Kitchen
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HEN THE WORLD’S 50 Best Restaurants
recently released its 2017 list, just three women-run businesses made the cut. And, as of 2016, it has been estimated that only 4.7 percent of American chefs and head cooks are female. The professional kitchen, it seems, is still a man’s turf.
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UT BAY AREA DINERS
are quite accustomed to seeing talented women at the helm of their favorite restaurants, following in the footsteps of such culinary trailblazers as Alice Waters, Traci Des Jardins, and Dominique Crenn. This year, in fact, some of the city’s most promising restaurants star lady toques in executive and ownership roles. O SIT DOWN and talk with them about their challenges and goals is telling: There are tales of kitchens fraught with subtle and not-so-subtle discrimination, snubs from investors, and a lot of dudes telling dirty jokes. Nearly all of these women said they are driven by the hope of nurturing young chefs and restaurant talent, men as well as women, and of fostering community, whether through collaborations with nonprofits and school programs or among their own teams and customer base. Every last one of them has, as Barzotto’s chef Michelle Minori put it, “developed plenty of grit” to get their jobs done to delicious effect. EET EIGHT OF THE CITY’S HOTTEST CHEFS (who just happen to have xx chromosomes) who are leveling the playing field in San Francisco.
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3 Michelle Minori, Executive Chef, Barzotto
4 Kim Alter, Chef/Owner, Nightbird and Linden Room
BONA FIDES: Formerly executive sous chef of Thomas McNaughton’s Ne Timeas Restaurant Group, overseeing corporate culinary operations for Flour & Water, Aatxe, Cafe du Nord, Salumeria and Central Kitchen. PASSION DRIVER: “I like seeing how much respect the public has for where their food comes from and how it is grown and raised. People are not only showing more of an interest in what they are eating, but also how it makes an impact on the world around them.” PRIORITY (FE)MALE: “The biggest challenge as a young female chef is that people sometimes don’t take you seriously— whether you’re dealing with problematic purveyors or aggressive behavior from delivery drivers or bad attitudes from the staff. However, I’ve been doing this for 10 years now, and I quickly developed plenty of grit to nip that shit in the bud.” FUTURE PERFECT: “I will continue to do my best to foster the young cooks in this city who want to learn and who care about where their food comes from and how it is made.”
BONA FIDES: Four years with the Daniel Patterson Group at the helm of Haven and Plum, plus stints at Manresa, Ubuntu, Aqua, and Gary Danko. PASSION DRIVER: “I like being able to be creative, but also to be able to use business logic, travel, teach. I don’t like the strong opinions of people who don’t understand the first thing about our business.” PRIORITY (FE)MALE: “The most recent challenge I faced was raising money for Nightbird. I was told that my business plan was great, that I had an amazing location and great food, but that I must be ‘emotional’ because I am a woman and that they would ‘have to pass.’ That kind of opened my eyes.” FUTURE PERFECT: “When I think about 2017, I think about growth, evolution and balance. My mindset is to finalize any kinks we are still working out, continue listening to our customers, and grow as a team to be the restaurant I see in my mind. There is so much I want to do in this small space we created, but you have to walk before you run, so I’m quickly walking right now.”
Avery Ruzicka, Head Baker/ Partner, Manresa Bread
Sarah Rich, Chef/Co-owner, Rich Table and RT Rotisserie
BONA FIDES: She trained in baking at the French Culinary
Institute in New York and began at Manresa as a food runner before later starting its bread program. PASSION DRIVER: “I really fell in love with bread and with making it. I like to experiment a lot, and I love the fact that with a simple recipe you can have endless variety of breads.” PRIORITY (FE)MALE: “Women think that they can multitask, but it is very difficult. They cannot do it all at once. This has been a big revelation for me. Women think they have to know how to do everything, but it is not possible and it is a process of learning and time.” FUTURE PERFECT: “I would like to take on more and more opportunities to teach people about bread and pastry-making, showcasing the process at demos and hands-on classes throughout the year.”
BONA FIDES: Formerly of the two Michelin-starred restaurants Michael Mina and Coi. PASSION DRIVER: “Making people happy. I want them to enjoy my food.” PRIORITY (FE)MALE: “Being in a kitchen with men, you have to learn to make dirty jokes, but it has never been a big deal for me. A few years ago, I was all about my career, now I have kids and they are my priority. I don’t feel like less of a business person or a chef because of my choice. I feel lucky that I can spend time with them.” FUTURE PERFECT: “We are opening our second restaurant, RT Rotisserie, in Hayes Valley in early spring. The restaurant will focus on whole-roasted chicken (one of my favorite dishes to make), porchetta and cauliflower, with sides like umami fries and seasonal salads.” 29
Melissa Chou, Pastry Chef, Mister Jiu’s
BONA FIDES: 2017 James Beard Award semifinalist for
Outstanding Pastry Chefs; stints at Quince, Presidio Social Club, Aziza, and Mourad. PASSION DRIVER: “Making things like a sponge cake, where air is incorporated to make it light and fluffy but there are no chemical leaveners. There are a great number of variables in a sponge, and I love trying to control them into a consistent product every day. I also love working on a team.” PRIORITY (FE)MALE: “A certain level of bad behavior from male chefs is tolerated. When a cook has worked with a hardass chef—meaning they’ve endured yelling and screaming and tantrums and general disrespect—it seems like a badge of honor. You’re a badass if you’ve worked for someone like this because you took it and came out the other side. If I acted this way, no one would tolerate it. They’d say I was a bitch and quit and I’d have a hard time finding people to work with me. However, being a woman, it’s also very important that I not be seen as a pushover, so on many levels I have to be strict. This doesn’t win me any friends and puts me in a very difficult position.” FUTURE PERFECT: “It feels like I’m just getting started on creating a Chinese-focused dessert menu. There’s still a lot to explore within the Chinese pantry as well, so I’m excited to continue developing and honing the menu.”
Angela Pinkerton, Pastry Chef at the forthcoming Che Fico and Theorita
BONA FIDES: The first executive pastry chef at Eleven
Madison Park; production kitchen lead at Craftsman & Wolves. PASSION DRIVER: “Pie—it brings me back to my childhood. It’s so simple, but the love and practice of the baking craft is very evident in the results.” FUTURE PERFECT: “I consider myself very committed to my staff (my “kids”), and I will continue to push them to build skills that help them maneuver through life, not just through the kitchen. I hope this translates into the cultures they create when they run their own kitchens. I am also focused on Theorita, a pastry shop/dinette opening in San Francisco this fall. I want to translate what I learned about food and cooking in my past fine-dining experiences, and meld it into meals that everyone has familiarity with while elevating the quality and craftsmanship of the experience.”
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Marian Owner, (openin
BONA FIDE del Chabot in
PASSION D
a living. Shar Hopefully cre they can then positive work happy to com
PRIORITY
professionally stressful being taken seriousl being the low have to endur professionally heavy, you ha physically, bu my skills. I’ve compassion, wonderful bus
FUTURE PE
fellow chefs a lessons they’v the kind of po who are just s at La Cocina a mostly women get their busin
Cortne Motze
BONA FIDE
author of the Tartine: Techn
PASSION D
experience th on from the in certain way, to
PRIORITY (
and I want to b I grew up with the gender, b struggle. The
FUTURE PE
to give back school garden continuing to misos, soy sa
nne Despres, Chef/ , El Sur Empanadas ng May 2017)
ES: Originally from Argentina, she trained at Potel Paris and the French Laundry in Yountville.
DRIVER: “Being able to do what I love for
ring my culture and upbringing through food. eating wonderful food memories for others that n share with the people in their lives. Creating a environment for my employees so that they are me to work everyday.” (FE)MALE: “The first kitchens I worked in y were in Paris. It was very intimidating and g a woman in those kitchens. It was so hard to be ly. In addition to the humiliation that comes with west in the pecking order (man or woman), you re a lot of derogatory comments. Also, cooking y is very physically demanding. Things are ave to be strong. I always feel at a disadvantage ut just had to figure other ways to showcase e always tried to treat others with kindness and and I think it’s served me well in this crazy and siness.” ERFECT: “I have gotten so much support from and restaurateurs who have passed along the ve learned and contacts they’ve made. That is ositive impact I want to have. I want to help others starting out in this industry. I currently volunteer as a member of the advisory committee, helping n with immigrant backgrounds who are trying to ness off and running.”
“
It was very intimidating and stressful being a woman in those kitchens. In addition to the humiliation that comes with being the lowest in the pecking order (man or woman), you have to endure a lot of derogatory comments.
”
ey Burns, Chef/Partner,
ES: Formerly co-chef at Bar Tartine, and coe James Beard Award–winning cookbook Bar niques & Recipes (Chronicle Books). DRIVER: “Cooking is the medium that I use to he world. It helps me understand what is going nside out, and allows me to engage people in a o nourish them, to show them love.” (FE)MALE: “I am not my gender, I am a person be good one. I don’t think I have ever felt attacked. h women in the kitchen....The challenge is not in but in my insecurity as a person. This is the real bigger challenge is to be a better person.” ERFECT: “In 2017, I’d like to find more ways and teach kids cooking classes and work with ns. In the restaurant format, I’ll be focusing on o grow our larder for Motze, playing with more auces, and vinegars to round out the pantry.”
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