Meet The Team / Rachel Been

Rachel Been

Photo Editor Rachel has worked with Magnum Photos, TimeOut Magazine and the Smithsonian Institution before joining AOL. She fell in love with food photography after beheading chocolate bunnies and artistically capturing their essence. She enjoys hummus platters and long rides on her vintage moped.

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Creme Brulee - Feast Your Eyes

by Rachel Been, Posted Jan 13th 2010 @ 10:00AM

It may be one of the most perfect desserts in existence. At its base, custard: what's not to like about a decadent combination of cream, eggs, sugar, and vanilla? The creamy, sumptuous taste and texture is the bedrock of sweets the world over. Next, a sprinkling of coarse sugar: add an open flame and you have a delicately crisp, caramelized crust that could bring even the most rational person to their knees with its startling depth of flavor.

It's safe to say the French know what they're doing in the kitchen--now you give it a try with a coffee-flavored version.

Become a member of the Slashfood Flickr pool to get a shot of having your photos featured in Feast Your Eyes.

Filed under: Feast Your Eyes

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The Traveling Foodie - Guatemala's Chichicastenango Market

COMMENTS 0

by Rachel Been, Posted Jun 24th 2009 @ 5:00PM

AOL Food's photo editor Rachel Been travels the world in search of deliciousness. Her most recent journey brought her to Guatemala's Chichicastenango Market.

Chichicastenango

Chichicastenango Market in Guatemala is one of the most vibrant markets in the country. Every Thursday and Sunday, vendors from around the region travel to Chici to set up varietal stands surrounding the Church of Santo Tomás. The assortment of food ranges from fresh produce to deep-fried chicken, and is available for only a few quetzales. ...

Rachel Been

A family of women make tortillas from blue- and white-corn masa, a dough paste composed of pestled corn. The women diligently pat out the thin, small dough discs throughout the day. Ten tortillas will cost you 2 Quetzales (50 cents).

Rachel Been

Fresh carrots and vegetables line the walls of the indoor produce market.

Rachel Been

At the end of one of the main roads, a group of women sell clucking hens and other animals such as dogs and turkeys out of woven sacks.

Rachel Been

And eventually those clucking chickens end up deep-fried in the market's dining area, served with fresh beans and tortillas.

Rachel Been

Fresh watermelons are covered with a plastic tarp that attracts swarming flies, apparently attempting to camouflage themselves as vagrant seeds.

Rachel Been

Women sell freshly cut onions in the indoor produce market.

Rachel Been

The market is so vast that for every item of produce, there are dozens of vendors offering the same food. Onions, avocados, carrots and tomatoes are some of the most popular items sold throughout Chichi.

Rachel Been

Outside of the produce market, vendors sell nuts and seeds out of buckets used for seasonings and snacks.

Rachel Been

Filed under: Food Porn, Stores & Shopping, Feast Your Eyes, Food Politics

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The global gummy conspiracy

COMMENTS 10

by Rachel Been, Posted Jul 30th 2008 @ 10:00AM

I've always had a weird obsession with all things gummy. I was thrilled when my friend returning from Berlin brought me gummibonbons courtesy of Bear's and Friends Fruchtgummi, and told me, 'you must go to Berlin, it's the gummy capital of the world!" Before I knew it, I had entered the magical realm of digital gummy love, complete with sing-a-longs and frolicking gelatin.

Bears and Friends is apparently a revered mecca of gummy-ness in Germany. The website welcomed patrons with dancing bears and a synthesized gospel choir rejoicing gummy... and miraculously the experience got even better. After some translation difficulties, I stumbled across the diversified melange of products, and squealed. My findings:

- Playboys and Playgirls for only 5.90 euros per kilogram.
- White Mice, only available in Vanilla and Citrus, obviously
- Some variously sized gummies that appear to have the words 'Wine' and 'Bum' printed on them (?)
- Some cowboy looking nuns holding produce (???)

Filed under: Ingredients

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Same day cheese delivery

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by Rachel Been, Posted Jul 25th 2008 @ 2:00PM

I was walking on Broadway the other day, and I was nearly side-swiped by a peddling man, swerving in a red buggy. Obviously, it was a cheese delivery man.

Artisanal Premium Cheese recently launched their "Same Day Rickshaw Delivery" service in Manhattan, offering patrons between 34th and 63rd streets a 5pm delivery of an assortment of cheeses. Artisanal paired with Revolution Rickshaws (those lanky bicyclists in Central Park who offer romantic carriage rides) to add a little flavor to the service. Why they specifically choose a 29 block radius for cheese delivery? Well, its considered their "initial kick-off" phase, but I'm hoping for a complete expansion. I'm sure the cheese gets prime-time refrigeratory treatment, and the the site does say "Rickshaw Revolution will start peddling your way", so Ill be patiently waiting in my downtown apartment for the Rickshaw Celebration Collection.

I must admit, I'm fantasizing about owning one of those rickshaws. Can you imagine how popular I would be if my mobile bumper sticker said professional cheese delivery?

Filed under: Stores & Shopping, Food Politics, Ingredients

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Cattle branding in Arizona

COMMENTS 1

by Rachel Been, Posted Jun 11th 2008 @ 10:26AM

image of cowboys branding cattle in arizona

I recently went to Arizona to eat some BBQ and drink 12 packs of Fresca, drive through river beds, trot ignorantly on a stubborn horse (groin = bruised), and of course, photograph cattle branding.

Although I am not a big advocate of red meat, I wasn't squeamish during the dance of burning leather, even though the smell permeated for a few hours after the event. I met some amazing cowboys who have been working the land their entire lives, and much to PETA's amazement, confessed a sense of respect for the animals. Unlike most of the cattle in the country, detrimentally being fed corn and forced into claustrophobic pens, these rodeo cows roam fresh Arizona soil and eat actual grass... and now they have an aesthetic sear to match their posh lifestyle.

Click on the photo above for the entire gallery.

Filed under: Ingredients

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