Prior to COVID-19 hitting, I had the pleasure of shooting a piece for Northshore Magazine focusing on The Bancroft, a modern American steakhouse located in Burlington MA. Reflecting upon this niche restaurant, it hit me that we ALL need to support our local businesses and restaurants, while they are struggling to keep afloat. Our restaurants are feeling the impending pressure to try and make it during this challenging time and it is going to take all of us, making a concerted effort of dining out (or take-out) to keep these places that we love in business. So whether it is The Bancroft or local brew pubs or American eateries - enjoy the restaurants, celebrate the chefs and the staff that work hard day in and day out to provide a service and support their efforts!
Food Photography
Unexpected, Fields of Gold
This photo story, done for Yankee Magazine, is a celebration of the sweet corn harvest in the Berkshires and quickly turned into an education about varieties like "sugar & butter" and "Kiss n' Tell." One in particular, "Fields of Gold" had so much more meaning once Dan Tawczynski told of the day when a limousine pulled up, cooler was loaded with the sweet variety and off it went to JFK, the Concorde and ultimately London, to be served later that evening. Tawczynski's crops were that special! Since his farming career started in the early 1960's, he worked to perfect some sugar-enhanced varieties such as Jubilee, 274A and the special favorite, Silver Queen. It became quite evident that Tawczynski's farm would be producing corn for quite some time, because summer would not be summer without it; whether here locally or even overseas.
The late season assignment ended up being a bit of a challenge when an early frost came through the Great Barrington, MA farm the evening before I arrived. We quickly pivoted and focused on an upward angle portrait of Tawcynski in the one field left standing. Afterward, we worked hard to capture the corn variations & recipes, working in the studio with food stylist, Catrine Kelty. With Catrine on board we were able to bring to life the beauty of the corn that we weren’t able to capture in the field.
Fast Breakfast
Quick breakfast of Siggi's Yogurt from Roche Brothers before my shoot!
The Pickers
For the past several summers I have been working with Red Tomato documenting farms, and in particular farmworkers, along the East Coast. It is by far my favorite thing that I get to do all year. Something about being out with the sun on my face and my feet in the dirt just really makes me feel good. Along the way I got to know a lot of the men and women that bring food to our table and have been honored to tell their story. I'm looking forward to getting back out there again this year!
Edible Boston: New City Microcreamery
For my most recent article in Edible Boston I got a chance to check out the New City Microcreamery in Hudson, MA. Opened in May 2015 by the same people who brought the Rail Trail Flatbread Co. to Hudson (located across the street), the microcreamery brings a new spin to an old practice. Each batch of ice-cream is cooled with liquid nitrogen, resulting in a very cool (literally) cloud that is a wonder to watch.
It's such a neat and interesting thing to see the ice cream being made, so I brought my trusty black background to isolate the process from it's surroundings.
Edible Boston: Microgreens
Technically speaking, microgreens are the shoots of salad vegetables such as arugula, Swiss chard, mustard, beetroot, etc., picked just after the first leaves have developed. It's said that they pack four to six times more nutrients than their fully grown counterparts. For a recent issue of Edible Boston I got to visit several area growers including We Grow Microgreens, LLC and First Leaves Family Farm.
Working on a tiny scale I tried to bring across the colors and textures of the microgreens, by creating full page images of the leaves.
DownEast & Improper: THANKSGIVING
There are some times that being a food photographer really pays off. One of those times is leading up to Thanksgiving. This year I got to bring home the leftovers from not one, not two, but THREE Thanksgiving dinners! Below are the pictures from the first two with DownEast Magazine and the Improper Bostonian.
Edible Boston: Dancing Goats Dairy
One of my favorite assignments from Edible Boston's Summer 2015 issue was the story on Dancing Goats Dairy in Newbury MA. I had the opportunity to go up to the farm, tucked away on a beautiful corner of Tendercrop Farm, and spend the day with owner Erin Bligh. I rarely encounter people that so clearly love what they do. As writer Deb Kaneb so eloquently puts it, "Pure joy radiates from Erin Bligh when she talks about her treasured goats and the journey that led her to build a goat dairy on the North Shore of Massachusetts last year."
While we walked around the farm the baby goats followed Erin with bounding excitement wherever she went. As I got to meet more of them it became clear that they each have their own personalities. Some were curious, others boisterous, and some had a clear interest in being photographers!
After shooting the story at the farm I decided it would be a perfect place to start my first short film. With a few days of filming I've collected a mountain of footage to sift through. Stay tuned in the coming months for the Dancing Goats movie!
Boston Magazine: Best Of Boston
Every year Boston Magazine does a Best of Boston issue to highlight the shining stars of Boston. I got to cover some of the best new restaurants and food stuffs around town (and got to try a few samples as well!).
I started by heading over to Menton to photograph Chef Scott Jones' latest creation, hot dogs! You might think you heard that wrong, yes Menton is serving hot dogs. These are no ordinary hot dogs though. With such choices as the foie-gras frankfurter and the lobster roll dog, these are definitely gourmet.
What started as a birthday tradition for Chef Jones, hot dogs and champagne, has become a welcome new addition to Menton's menu.
Even Creative Director, Eric Mongeon, got in on the food styling!
Next up I went over to Matt Jenning's new restaurant, Townsman. Located where Chinatown meets the Financial district, Townsman fills a void in dining options in the area. The roasted lamb ribs with maple-rhubarb barbecue sauce is a can't miss, and the brown bread with maple-honey whipped butter served atop the bottom side of a maple syrup can is as fun as it is delicious.
Lastly I headed to back to my studio with the one and only Catrine Kelty to shoot some summer barbecue. Want to have a barbecue but hate to cook? Check out places like Fort Hill Jerk Chicken in Roxbury or Rosebud American Kitchen & Bar for some great takeout options.
DownEast Magazine: Best Restaurants
A couple of months ago I had the opportunity to take a bit of a road trip up to Maine to photograph the Best Restaurants feature for DownEast Magazine. I spent several days traveling to Kittery, Portland and way up north to Rockland and Rockport. After several years of running laps around Boston it was a nice change of pace to head out on the road and see what Maine's foodie scene has to offer.
On the cover: Maine lobster gnocchi with asparagus at Outliers Eatery in Portland ME.
I started my trip in Kittery at Anju, a great noodle bar tucked away just over the border. When I walked in I saw co-owner Julian Armstrong and quickly realized that I had met him before. Julian used to work at The Black Trumpet Bistro in Portsmouth where one of my friends growing up worked for many years and that I frequented often.
Julian Armstrong at Anju Noodle Bar in Kittery ME.
Shoyu Ramen with slow roasted pork shoulder at Anju Noodle Bar in Kittery ME
After a wonderful day at Anju I stopped over for the night at my Uncle's farm house in Lebanon before moving on to Portland in the morning.
The DeTour farmhouse on a snowy Maine morning.
First up in Portland was Blue Rooster. To say that Blue Rooster serves hotdogs doesn't quite do it justice. With items on the menu like the Seoul Dog topped with spicy kimchi, toasted peanuts and garlic mayo, and a side of tater tot poutine, its more than just hotdogs!
The Seoul Dog with a side of Tater Tot Poutine at Blue Rooster in Portland ME
Next up was my favorite from the list, Outliers Eatery. Everything about Outliers is wonderful. Executive Chef Jonathan Dexter is warm and welcoming, the food is spectacular and the design of the place is breathtaking (the tabletops, oh the tabletops!) Tucked away on a quiet side street in Portland it would be easy to miss, but Outliers is definitely worth searching out.
Maine Lobster Gnocchi with Asparagus at Outliers Eatery in Portland, ME.
Executive Chef Jonathan Dexter of Outliers Eatery
The last leg of the trip took me several hours north to Rockland and Rockport. Salt Water Farms, open seasonally, is a beautiful restaurant overlooking the water (although I was there on a bone chilling day so it looked over the ice!)
Jerusalem Artichoke salad with bacon, watercress, parsley, and grain-mustard-and-lemon vinaigrette at Salt Water Farms in Rockport ME
An icy view over the water in Rockport ME
Last up was 3Crow in Rockland. A great spot on the main drag run by Joshua Hixon.
Sous Chef Rose Valentine preparing a dish in the kitchen of 3Crow in Rockport ME
Josh Hixon of 3Crow in Rockport ME