Clare Smyth

Clare Smyth is one of Britain’s best chefs.  Her restaurant “Core by Clare Smyth” in Notting Hill has three Michelin Stars and is one of London’s most sought after restaurants.  She has been named the World’s Best Female Chef by the World’s 50 Best Restaurant, been the Good Food Guide’s ‘National Chef of the Year’, She got a perfect score by the Good Food Guide. She’s won the Chef Award and she was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire - to mention a few of her achievements.  Clare is basically “Da Bomb!”

This shoot was a cover shoot for Observer Food Monthly Magazine.  A real pleasure working with her and her restaurant.  

Shot for Observer Food Monthly Magazine

Massimiliano and Raffaele Alajmo

I have too admit that the introduction to this trip to Padua didn’t bode well for an amazing meal.   We rocked up to a roadside hotel on the side of a semi industrial district of Padua, Sarmeola di Rubano, at about 11pm.  The hotel, only a few hundred meters from our final goal and objective of the trip, the acclaimed restaurant Le Calandre.  The hotel had closed and we had to call and wake up the staff to come and let us in.  There we were met with a hotel that felt like Miami Vice on a budget.  I eventually got to my room quietly hoping that the Le Calandre, a couple of hundred meters down the road, would be considerably better.

When I first saw the restaurant from the outside it didn’t look like we were up for much of an improvement.  The restaurant entrance and windows looked good, but the building looked more like a mix between a South of France building estate and an industrial warehouse.  However, as soon as we walked into the bistro that is in front of the restaurant itself, we realised we were somewhere special.  Le Calandre restaurant is run by the two brothers Massimiliano and Raffaele Alajmo.  Max (Massimiliano) is the chef and took the restaurant in 1992 and took it from one to two Michelin stars in 1996, making Max the youngest ever chef to get two Michelin stars at the age of 22.  At the age of 28 Max gained the restaurant its third Michelin star, making him the youngest ever chef to get that accolade.  The restaurant has maintained its three Michelin stars ever since and Chef Alajmo has been given the nickname “Il Mozart dei fornelli” (The Mozart of the stoves).

The restaurant is a family business run by the two brothers Max and Raf.  The adjoining bistro is run by their sister Laura.  The restaurants were previously run by their parents Erminio Alajmo and Rita Chimetto.  The family now run several of Italian and international restaurants as well as having a bakery section that supplies food to external shops, bistros, restaurants and cafes.  

So - when a chef like Max, receives me with open arms and insists that it is a true pleasure to be photographed by me, then it is a true sign of his humility and generosity.  We did not only get to eat the taster menu at Le Calandre, which was exceptional! - but we were also invited to dine in the Bistro and their new restaurant on St Mark’s Square.  For the latter we were transported on a wooden speedboat, not unlike what you see in a James Bond Movie.  

The restaurants run by the Alajmo family do not only provide excellent food, but also an experience that makes you smile and laugh, makes you excited and stimulate all your senses.  So - to call Max the Mozart of the stoves may be an understatement.  

Shot for Cook Magazine

Naturists

The issue of being nude in a public space is still something most people would frown upon.  I grew up in Norway where, when on cabin holiday somewhere remote, we would sometimes just jump in the lake naked.  The women at the beach would normally not wear a bikini top and this was all normal.  (I would say that it is probably less normal for women to be topless in Norway now for some reason.  A case of being a Scandinavian child of the 70’s I suspect).  

The UK has become more relaxed on the other hand. Although being naked publicly is restricted to certain areas, often sections of a beach for example, it has become excepted by many as an alternative and acceptable choice.  This project, to photograph people who embrace nudity in public spaces, people had to be subtly covered up not to reveal anything.  I can of course completely understand it, as completely nude images in a non pornographic magazine, would be deemed as offensive to many.   However, the idea of covering up the nude body in order to show the freedom enjoyed by people who like to be nude publicly, is a little contradictory.  In fact, it was a conversation that came up in the beginning of this shoot with one of the naturists.  One man who took part rightly enough said that the idea of being nude publicly is to desexualise the body and enjoy it as something natural.  The body, in all its different sizes and shapes, should not be hidden.  Everyone should be proud of their unique shape and sizes.   However, when trying to cover up boobs and ‘bits’ (as we so politely refer to sexual organs,) we sensor it as it is something ‘sexual’, and therefor the message of being a naturist is further confused.  

However, this is not a battle I would win on a four portraits feature, so onwards and upwards.  The props were brought out and we started by shooting one couple - Fiona and Michael - at the nudist holiday campsite in West Sussex, one couple - Simon and Helen - in a garden like setting, an other couple - Jan and Alena - in a kitchen environment and lastly, in deepest, darkest Herefordshire, a girl - Beatrice - who likes to be nude alone, in the forest and fields near where she lives.  Glasses carefully placed, ping pong ball thrown in to cover a nipple, a tomato being cut on a kitchen bench to cover a penis, Apples in an apple orchard to cover both breasts and genitalia, I even tried (less successfully I have to admit) bubbles to cover up the nudity in a subtle way. 

Finally - how to create a feel and look when you work at different locations and are not sure what the weather will do. I decided to create a hazy summery feel to give the feeling of some 70’s style summer. In that way we would have consistency and a look that was appropriate throughout.

A fun challenge indeed.

Shot for You Magazine

Twin Gardens

Last time I went to Moscow I was about 16 years old. A very different place, but also a very different experience.  Back then I was young, on a trip with other international students and youngsters. This time I was on a trip for the Italian food magazine Cook, Corrier Della Sera to photograph the twin chefs behind the restaurant Twin Garden. Last time I probably ate crisps and cheap sandwiches, this time I ate exclusive Michelin star food and crabs with champagne.

The idea and process of traveling to Moscow is more intimidating and different than actually being there. Apart from a taxi service on the airport with drivers aggressively approaching you, trying to trick you into paying extortionate prices, (which can remind a little of traveling to a country that relies on tourism,) apart from the blatantly apparent class difference, and apart from the size of the buildings, Moscow actually reminded me a little of Norway.  It was a cold December week, but as there was no snow, it was dark most of the time.  People tend to wear similar outfits to what we wear in Norway - practical navy, grey and black winter clothes.  Although the architecture was grander than in Oslo - it had the same colouring and texture.  

We were well taken care of in Moscow by the team behind Twin Gardens. The Michelin star restaurant (19th best in the The World's 50 Best Restaurants awards) served up vegetarian taster menus (a first in Moscow?!) with wines made from Mushrooms, tomatoes, beetroot to mention a few. Although I have to admit that the wine is not the type I would enjoy on its own whilst watching a long film, the small tasters of it served with accompanying meals - worked perfectly.  Oh - and the tomatoes!  Grown locally on their farm Twin Farm - they were so tasty they even made the Italians give an impressive nod. 

Impressed by the restaurant in Moscow, we had a second day where they took us to their restaurant on the outskirts of the city. In the middle of a Luxury shopping mall - (and by luxury I meant LUXURY Russian style,) was the twin brothers Ivan and Sergey Berezutskiy’s second restaurant Crab and Wine.  This restaurant serves only crabs and wine/champagne as indicated in the name.  Here they had a large crab aquarium in the restaurant (as well as several filled aquariums with crabs in the basement).  The aquarium in the restaurant was probably around 2m tall and 8 meters wide. Here the guests could get a PS4 remote to control a claw, and pick their own crab using the remote (as if out of a James Bond villain scene in a James Bond film).  We were served 7 different types of crabs, on three tables pulled together to fit them all, and champagne to accompany.  An experience you’ll find hard to replicate.  

The chefs Ivan and Sergey were identical twins by looks, but were very different in behaviour. Sergey was the more introvert, softly spoken and didn’t speak much English, and Ivan was the opposite. (That Sergey also had the flue when we were there made it easier to know who was who when I spoke to them - not always easy when you don’t know them well).  They were extremely hospitable and introduced us to the modern and traditional Russia through food.  As many surprises as expectations were met.   

Shot for Cook 

Gary Usher and Danny Wallace

This year’s Observer Food Awards saw Danny Wallace win the Young Chef of the Year award.  Danny works in Gary Usher’s restaurant in Manchester and the two of them ended up on the cover of the awards issue.  

The idea of the shoot was to have Gary and Danny clap some flour together to create this celebratory puff of smoke.  As I travelled up on the train my mind started exploring the idea of flour and what more we could do with it.  Such a playful prop to have at my disposal.  I thought that flour could be a symbol of time, like an hourglass.  If we had Danny stay in one place then Gary could sift flower over him, one bag at a time.  The time reference could also serve as some indication to their relationship as apprentice and mentor.  I therefore stopped by a Tesco near by the Manchester studio and bought up all their flour, both self raising and plain.  I contacted Danny and Gary and asked them to bring a sieve.  

When Danny and Gary turned up, they’d brought a sieve that looked more like a Peaky Blinders cap than a sieve.  

I did a series of shots of the two of them on their own and together, sieve and no sieve, before I prepared for the mess.  Gary loved the idea of poring KGs of flour over Danny and Danny didn’t seem to object either.  

A lot of laughs later Danny was covered with a layer of flour on his head and down his neck and pants.  His feet had disappeared, almost like someone caught in a snow storm and decided not to move until it was over. 

Shot for the Observer Food Monthly

Asma Khan

The first time I met Asma was when I sat down for delicious lunch at Sabrina Ghayour’s place, after having completed a shoot with Sabrina. I remember clearly that Sabrina was boasting about how good a chef Asma was, and told me of her pop up restaurant in Soho.  A few years later, Asma has not only got her own restaurant in the middle of Covent Garden, a restaurant that is packed full every day, but she is also the first British chef to have appeared on the popular Netflix TV series  ‘Chef’s Table’.  Not a bad undertaking at all!

I have since worked with Asma a couple of times, but this shoot for ‘Cook’, Corriere della Sera’s food magazine, was the best one.  We had two days with Asma, eating at her restaurant, being introduced to her flat where her dinner club dining experiences all started, but best of all - experiencing Asma!  Asma is warm, genuine and very funny.  Her restaurant is made up of a team of chefs that she is personally connected to, all women whom lived in London but missed a community and a connection with their home countries.  Asma gave them a community in the kitchen and they together created a cultural experience through their food.  

My biggest regret with the shoot was that I had a massive cold, so I could not get the full experience of the food.  So it’s now a case of queuing up in a line with celebrities such as Keira Knightley, David Schwimmer and more to get the full experience again.  Unless - (“Asma - are you reading this??? - nudge, nudge…”)

Shot for Cook Magazine

Giorgio Locatelli

I have worked with Giorgio Locatelli on several occasions, but never had the chance to hang out with him for a couple of days and to dine at his restaurant.  When I take portraits of a chef I get a good feeling of who they are and the connection they have with food, (especially when food is incorporated in the shoot).  However, when I have a chance to spend a day with a chef, at his or her restaurant, taste their food and hear them talk about it, I get the full impression of the passion they have for the food they make.  Giorgio is very much one of those chefs that is eager to share his passion.  His love for the bread they make on the premises was shared alongside his love for fresh ingredients and pasta.  

This shoot was also working with a team from Italy, which meant that I didn’t understand much of the conversations, but in return Giorgio’s passion was worn even more on his sleeve than normal. 

Giorgio has recently seen an increase in popularity in Italy as well as UK as he is now one of the judges in Italian Masterchef.  When I stepped outside, his fans from Italy were pacing up and down in front of the restaurant hoping to get a glimpse of the great chef.  One stopped me as I was taking some exterior shots and asked me, with eager eyes: “Is the chef inside”?  I said I didn’t know, trying to allow Giorgio some privacy, but she took that as a ‘yes’, and continued to pace up and down in front of the restaurant, in the hope that he would come out - and she could look like she was casually passing by.  As Giorgio came out, she jumped at the chance to get a selfie with the Chef.  Giorgio agreed, and she walked away happily, glancing down at the image on her iPhone.  Just another sign to prove my theory that the true passion for food is engrained in all Italians.  

Shot for Cook Magazine

Secret recipe - Jack Monroe and Monica Galetti

It’s always impressive to see chefs at work.  Mixing up their magic potions and presenting it as if it should be in some art gallery.  But every chef has some secret, go-to ingredient.  Maybe its something to help the dish look good, or it could be to give the dishes that signature taste.  This feature for the Observer Food Monthly revealed what Monica Galletti and Jack Monroe had up their sleeves.  Monica’s go-to secret is charcoal.  She uses it to introduce a shock factor.  The look of the dishes differs and it gives a slight smoky flavour.  

Jack Monroe however, uses Sage and Onion crumbs to give that extra flavour to many of her homemade dishes.  

Not only did I try to show the chefs and their ingredients in this shoot, but I needed to portray the feeling of secrecy.  So I took the idea of using charcoal literally for Monica and I brought in the secret agent suitcase and a good few handfuls of Sage for Jack.  

Shot for Observer Food Magazine

Vitantonio Lombardo

I have been very lucky in my career and had the chance to travel all around the world to work with some of the world’s best chefs. This trip for Corriere Della Sera’s ‘Cook’ magazine took me to Matera in the south of Italy, right in the middle of Spaghetti Western country.  The town Matera is a city built into the mountains in the middle of this desolated landscape.  The houses and hotels are basically caves.  The town had only recently been made into a modern city.  It previously didn’t have a modern plumbing system which meant that the town had been left to disintegrate, considered poor and nobody wanted to live there.  It became a dumping place for rubbish and a playground for drug users until the government put a lot of money into it and modernised it.  Work began in the 1970’s and it is now one of the ‘must see’ destinations in southern Italy.  The houses, (or caves,) are still there but now they have built in plumbing and are desirable to locals, businesses as well as tourists.  The town has been the backdrop to many films, Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ being one of them.  

The Michelin star chef Vitantonio Lombardo packed down his Micheline star restaurant in Salerno and opened up shortly after in Matera, getting a Micheline star almost immediately, being the first restaurant in Matera to get one.  

I spent 2 days in Matera, photographing the town, but also Chef Vitantonio Lombardo and his restaurant.  Lombardo invited us to a 2 hour lunch experience which ended with a dish where we had to snog a pair of lips up from a plate, not using any cutlery, wearing earphones with an Italian love song on.  It’s not many exclusive restaurants you see the diners pushing their whole plate into their faces, licking up a lipped shaped cake - but it was strangely nice…. Almost like being a teenager abroad, experiencing your first holiday romance:  Slightly unsure how you approach the ‘lips’, the fear of the unknown, but when the lips (desert) meet your lips, you can’t stop…

Shot for Cook Magazine

Refugee Community Kitchen - Calais

Last time I found myself at the refugee and migrant camp in Calais, then commonly know as  ‘Calais Jungle’, I was taken to the camp and the community kitchen.  The camp has now been shut down by the French authorities but the kitchen still stands.  Due to numerous attempts by the French government to shut this kitchen down they have had to make massive improvements to make it into a professional kitchen.  The operation is run by Steve Bedlam, Sam Jones, Janie Macintyre and Paula Gallardo.  The kitchen has fed 2.5 million refugees in 3 years and is 100% reliant on volunteer work and charitable contributions.  They provide healthy food for all refugees as well as the community.  Respect to everyone involved!

Shot for the Observer Food Monthly

Vodafone

Vodafone is rebranding and doing a big push to promote its 5G capabilities.  I was brought in to help establish their new visual identity.  I got to work with the brilliant art buyer Sarah Pascoe and the excellent Art Director David Simoe, as well as the rest of the team from Ogilvy responsible for the Vodafone account.  This was also my first proper collaboration with my new agent and friend Frede Spencer at Twenty Twenty agency.  

One studio day, two location days, one house, two street locations, a lot of red (but no Bull thank god) and 24 models later, these are some of the results.  

Shot for Ogilvy/Vodafone