Taste of Forest Highlands {Event Photography}

Behind the gates of Forest Highlands lies a beautiful golf community with epic mountain views. Summer at Forest Highlands is focused around golf, tennis and great food & wine! The big summer kick off event is the Taste of Forest Highlands. Forest Highlands describes this event, “ Taste is the premier wine and food event of the season that will showcase our incredible hospitality and culinary talents. The Taste of Forest Highlands will feature over 100 different wines to sample and purchase. The culinary team will be creating an assortment of extravagant chef-driven food stations. Don’t miss this opportunity to stock your wine cellar for the summer and experience all that our culinary team can deliver. “

Kim of Kim Duncan Design always finds a way to out do herself on event design and decor. The 2019 Taste event decor included a circus tent, bright whimsical floral, eclectic furniture and live entertainment from Arial artists. The Taste was the perfect summer food and wine event!

Venue & Catering: Forest Highlands

Designer: Kim Duncan Design

Rentals & Decor: Bright & Dang Fine Rentals

Floral: Foster-Wright Floral Design

Linens: La Tavola

The Gregory Family {Phoenix Family Photographer}

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of catching up with the Gregory Family. Last year I captured their family portraits at scenic Papago Park so we decided to mix it up and do something more urban. We met at the Central Avenue Corridor and played around the cityscape of Central Phoenix. With two young boys there was plenty of spaces to climb and run free, occasionally stopping to take photos of the Gregory’s all together. I love being a family portrait photographer, I feel like I get to share in something special every time I have a photo session. Can’t wait to see how much the boys change again this year! ~Kristen

Cape Town - South Africa {Travel Photography}

The last three days of our South Africa trip were spent in and around beautiful Cape Town. It is one of the most multicultural cities in the world, reflecting its role as a major destination for immigrants and expatriates to South Africa. The city has been named the World Design Capital and the best place in the world to visit so I was VERY excited to explore. Some of the highlights included the drive to Simon’s Town & the African penguins at Boulders Beach, Table Mountain, Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and our bike ride around Camps Bay.

After all of our exploring, we treated ourselves to more fantastic restaurants. We absolutely LOVED everything about Janse & Co. The design and styling of the restaurant and food were stunning but tasted even better! The restaurant has an outstanding tasting menu that allows you to chose between 3 - 7 courses. My husband and I asked the server to surprise us with the best dishes for 5 courses. He also paired our meal with some beautiful South African wines. Janse & Co. did not disappoint, great food, lovely ambiance in a very cool part of town.

South Africa Winelands {Travel Photography}

The South Africa’s winelands are located on the Western Cape nestled in gorgeous rolling hills and mountains, hands down one of the most picturesque places I have ever been! We decided to stay in the quaint old town of Franschhoek. In 1688 French Huguenot refugees began populating the valley establishing farms and businesses bringing with them their experience in agriculture. The name of the area soon changed to le Coin Français ("the French Corner"), and later to Franschhoek (Dutch for "French Corner"), with many of the settlers naming their new farms after the areas in France from which they came. La Motte, Champagne, La Cotte, Cabrière, La Provence, Bourgogne, La Terra de Luc and La Dauphine were among some of the first established farms — most of which still retain their original Cape Dutch farm houses today. These farms have grown into renowned wineries.

with a population of only 15,000 Franschhoek has the most spectacular food and wine scene, you can truly eat and drink your way through this small town. My favorite meal was lunch at La Petite Ferme perched on the hillside overlooking vineyards and the cape-dutch countryside. The food was not only exquisite but all delicious and perfectly paired with their well crafted wines. After lunch we were able to walk down the road to another lovely spot, Haute Cabriere where we tasted some beautiful dry white wines, rose & Pinot Noir. We finished our afternoon by visiting Grand Provence Estate & Winery which was established in Franschhoek in 1694. Their grounds showcased the Cape-Dutch architecture of this region and some incredible local art pieces. My love of great food, wine and a beautiful backdrop found it’s perfect place in Franschhoek!