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CONTRIBUTORS EDEN UNIVER Digital Director
Univer is more than just D u J ou r’s digital director—she is a queen of content, guiding print stories on their journeys to online incarnations. “One of my favorite parts about being at a lifestyle magazine is that we get to work on so many different sorts of stories,” she says, “and that what we do online is a little different than what we do in print—no two days are ever the same.” Certainly this is true for Univer, who’s found herself at a sit-down with a titan of industry one day and chatting with up-and-coming actors the next. Still, she sa s er fa orite con ersations are alwa s waiting for er ack at t e office. “I’m really lucky to work with such awesome people,” she says. SOUP DUJOUR:
Spicy Ramen
DAVID FOXLEY
When D u J ou r articles editor F oxley set out to explore vertical gardening, there was no better guide to the art form’s intricacies than its original visionary, Patrick Blanc. And despite the urban nature of Blanc’s stunning plant installations—which grace structures from parking garages to high-end residential buildings around the world—F oxley found that the 6 2 -year-old genius’s singular muse is biology beyond city limits. “H e spoke with the cadence of an excited schoolboy when the subject turned to exotic plant species and research trips into the jungles of Borneo to stockpile creative ideas,” F oxley says. “Perhaps the most intriguing insight to me was t at lanc w ose own aris office is suspended over a tank housing some 2 ,0 0 0 fis ne er looks to art or arc itecture for inspiration, just nature and science.” SOUP DUJOUR:
GEORGE GURLEY
“It’s Not Easy Being Green” p. 58
Leading up to his assignment, Gurley had to fig t is e er instinct in order not to ditch the alcohol-free Juice Crawl. Surprisingly, he ended up drinking the K ool-Aid—or was it wheatgrass? “I was so cynical about this beforehand, but now it’s like I’ve joined a cult—a good cult, though,” he says. There was one “juice snob” Gurley encountered on the crawl, but even she ended up reworking his perspectives. “I went through a list of drinks, like pitchers of beer, that had been on my mind, and to every one she responded negatively, like ‘ Lame,’ ‘ Bloated’ or ‘ Uninspiring.’ These were never words I associated with alcohol until I heard her use them. She kind of reprogrammed me.”
Tomato Basil
SOUP DUJOUR:
FreshDirect’s Matzoh Ball
HEIDI MITCHELL
“Such Great Heights” p. 114
What struck writer Mitchell most during her travels in South Asia were the poignant reminders of how few places in the world are left as untouched as Bhutan, and what the trade-offs are for such uncorrupted natural beauty. That’s not to say Mitchell and her team didn’t work with what they were given—actually, they thrived. “Probably the best night was our photographer’s birthday,” she says. “It took three cars and 40 minutes on an unpaved road to reach the closest bar. We got everyone a $ 5 bottle of whiskey and danced all night. It’s not something you typically see on these trips; we got to just hit the ground.” SOUP DUJOUR:
Mongolian Hot Pot
UN IV E R: BRYAN V ARGAS; F OX LE Y: N ORMAN JE AN ROY F OR V AN ITY F AIR; ALL OTH E R IMAGE S COURTE SY
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DUJOU R .COM
“Fronds in High Places” p. 86