Author: Sam Kornstein

The Sriracha Story

Posted on by in General

Like many people, I love Sriracha. This story makes me love it even more. Via TechCrunch: The company name sounded Chinese – Huy Fong Foods. Was this the latest Chinese product to take off in the US? Turns out it is a family-owned business started by a refugee from Vietnam (of Vietnamese and Chinese roots) and named after a small village in Thailand Si Racha. So grateful was David Tran for the people who provided safe passage from Vietnam for him that he named his company after the Taiwanese ship that carried him away. Tran moved to Los Angeles and started his business in Chinatown with a need he personally had. He noticed that Americans didn’t have good hot sauce.

Continue reading

Lightroom 5 Preset: China Red

Posted on by in Lightroom 5 Presets, Photography

Here’s my eighth free Lightroom 5 preset, China Red. It isolates red in a photo while increasing the contrast to create a somewhat dramatic and focused effect. I’ve actually decided to post two versions — the first isolates red while allowing some orange tones to come through, while the second is identical except that it exclusively isolates red. In situations where there are people in a photo or when you might want to preserve the color in wood, the first is preferable. The second is great when you essentially want a black and white photo with just the red coming through. I originally developed the set after a trip to China with MIT in 2011, and have since used it in many situations. It’s the type

Continue reading