Author Archives: No Big Deal Group

We’ve been introducing some of our favorite artists to Studio AF, the curator behind The SHOP at the Bass Museum.

For our second pop-up concept, we’re proud to present Female Alchemy.

Thursday May 15, 6-9pm.

Tatiana Cardona is a Miami-based ceramic artist and the founder of Female Alchemy, a body of work devoted to exploring the emotional and spiritual essence of womanhood. Her ceramics are deeply informed by her Colombian heritage, her upbringing, and the enduring influence of the women who have shaped her life. Through her hands, clay becomes a language—an intimate storytelling tool that allows her to reconnect with her inner child, honor her culture, and give shape to memory and feeling.

Each piece is intentionally one-of-a-kind, never replicated, and serves as a physical embodiment of a person or moment that has left a mark on her—be it someone she has loved, briefly encountered, or quietly observed. These sculptural forms are not just functional objects, but vessels of experience: moody, emotional, and evocative of the complex emotional terrain of girlhood, femininity, and human connection.

With Female Alchemy, Tatiana creates more than ceramics—she creates a world. A world where softness is power, individuality is sacred, and art becomes a form of healing.

Thank you to Studio AF for the vision and for creating a platform that support artists.

And thank you to the artists for collaborating, creating powerful work, and pushing ideas forward.

Ingredients

• Fish
• Mayo
• Cream Cheese
• Onion
• Dill
• Jalapeno
• Bell Pepper

Directions:

First things first, pick out your fish. Hit the fish market or if you’re more of a DIY person, go catch it yourself. My fish of choice? AMBERJACK. Thick and firm meat (pause).

Now that you got your fish it’s time to set up the smoker. If you don’t have a smoker, you can finesse any grill and make it work with this one simple trick. The snake method…

Dump your coal and you’re going to want to set it up in “snake” formation. I always do a 2×2 set up as pictured below.

I got some wood chips from a local landscaper which is essential to getting the perfect smokey flavor. S/O Julian. Do your own research on which wood is best hahaha. Then just sprinkle it over your coal.

Now it’s time to smoke your meat. Light up one end till it gets smoking hot. Now you’re ready to lay your meat. Not pictured, is the process of marinating the fish, but it’s super simple. 1 to 1 ratio of brown sugar and salt mixed in bowl with water. Add your meat and leave it over night. VERY IMPORTANT! Meat should be on the opposite side of charcoal AND the vent on lid should be over the meat so that the smoke travels to the meat and then out. Now you just sit and wait.

After three hours you should start seeing that golden brown bark on your meat and that means you are almost there. Might be different (time wise) on your setup, but just keep an eye out for that bark and flip at some point so that the other side gets the bark as well. I flipped at the three hour mark and left it for another 45 min, but I could’ve flipped it early. You don’t want to dry it out completely.

Decided to jerk some meat too… Anyway I left it for four hours and forty five minutes, but four hours would’ve been perfect. Either way it’s not an exact science. Just have fun with it.

Now your meat is ready. Hard part is over. Time to finish it off. Get your other ingredients ready. Chop it all! Here’s all you need, but feel free to add any other vegetables you’d like. I kept it simple and let the fish do the talking.

You can chop your smoked fish meat as well but if you want the easy way out, blend it in a processor like I did. Just don’t turn it into dust.

Finally mix it all in a bowl! The cream cheese and mayo ratio should be 1 to 1. It all depends on how much meat you have. You should aim for a consistency that’s spreadable, but also chunky. At this point you can add any spices you’d like. I usually add some sea salt, back pepper, and garlic.

Now grab some crackers and enjoy your smoked fish dip. Ritz cracker is my go to. Lil salty lil sweet. Ahh. Cheers.

If you wanna see how I source the fish myself, take a gander at my ARCHIVES. A collection of video comps from the last year mainly revolving around spearfishing. My latest obsession.

Thank you – AHHLURKIN