Photoshop with Wacom Intuos3
The editors wanted to convey a story that Chef Li told them about the dish, that she would sit with her nanny, prepping and snapping the ends off the green beans by hand.
Her nanny had decades of kitchen experience and took a soldier-like approach to the task - methodical, swift, tidy - as young Margaret watched with awe.
Now, as an adult, in her own professional kitchen, Chef Li may not have the time to trim beans with anything other than a cleaver - "life's too short!" - but every time she picks up the cleaver to do the job she remembers her nanny's technique.
Rough layout