This week we wanted to give our post a more familiar twist, so we contacted designer David Wiseman, who arranged a family lunch and asked his uncle, photographer Mark Hanauer, to capture the meal. David’s work focuses on the beauty of natural forms and so does his way of cooking as he makes the most the seasonal ingredients he loves and grows in his backyard.

AC: Is there something in particular that keeps design and food related?

DW: Design and food are irrevocably linked by the people who value both. It is my experience that every single person who values the aesthetic of a beautiful object, places the same emphasis on food. To me, they are both the essential ingredients of a happy life.

AC: What do you like about food/cooking?

DW: I love the relative immediacy of it—especially when using seasonal ingredients that are fresh. Not too much needs to be done to make the dish delicious. In contrast, so much of my design work is incredibly labor intensive and sometimes takes weeks or months before you see the result.

AC: Where do you buy your food in LA?

DW: My all-time favorite place to get food in LA is in my backyard. My recipe features some of the fruit that’s in season now. Beyond that, I love the abundance of great produce at little Armenian markets.

AC: Tell us your secret recipe.

DW: This is a secret recipe of my dear friend and collaborator, Rodman Primack. I am addicted to white peaches and wanted to make a recipe using them and the fresh apricots in my yard. My favorite secret recipes are always based upon whatever might be perfectly in season or ready to pick.

Summer Stone Fruit Salad

4-5 ripe peaches or a mix of ripe apricots and peaches

Handful of fresh mint

Handful of fresh basil

Handful of fresh chives

Two handfuls of little pear or grape tomatoes - a mix of red and yellow is nice

2-3 ears of fresh white sweet corn

A nice lettuce - Butter, Boston, Romaine, or Red leaf (I use just one)

4 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp good Spanish sherry vinegar

Salt and pepper

1 garlic clove

Humboldt Fog (aged chevre)

First, smash the garlic clove and combine with vinegar and oil and leave to sit—don't break up the garlic too much, just mash it about a little. You'll fish it out later.

Shuck corn, getting rid of all the threads and fibers and stuff. Then in a bowl, stand the ear of corn up and pull a sharp knife down over the cob just releasing the kernels into the bowl.

Peel and cut each peach over the corn, catching the juice in the bowl. Then slice each peach into chunks and add to the corn. Do the same with apricots, but there's no need to peel those.

Finely mince the chives and add to the corn and fruit. Slice the tomatoes in half and finely chop the rest of the herbs, and add to the bowl. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and give everything a stir to combine and break up the corn.

Fish out the piece of garlic and quickly stir the vinegar and oil together, whisking or quickly mixing with a fork. Taste and add more vinegar and salt and pepper if needed. You are going to use half of this mixture to dress the corn and peaches mixture, so if it doesn't seem like enough make a bit more. Pour half of the dressing over the corn and mix it around, trying not to smash up the fruit.

Wash and dry the lettuce and toss lightly in a bowl with the remaining dressing. Add the corn mixture and toss it altogether. I also added some radish sprouts for color.

Enjoy.

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Interview by Fabiana Fierotti

Photography by Mark Hanauer

About Alla Carta magazine: Alla Carta approaches food as an incentive to take a bite of diverse cultural phenomena. We are intrigued by the meal's convivial capacity, and have found food to be an essential element for sharing thoughts, opinions and creative ideas.