Cook's Christmas Dinner

It is always a pleasure getting to work with the team from Cook Magazine in Italy.  We have been on many trips and photographed many of the world’s best chefs together.  However, this time I was commissioned to photograph the team behind the magazine having Christmas dinner.  The dinner consisted of a meal that each member of the magazine associated with Christmas.  

For this shoot I arrived in Milan late on the Sunday, Monday morning, bright and early, we took over a section of the exclusive Ginori Chinaware store and got to work dressing the Christmas table.  A full team of set designers, flower arrangers, hair and makeup and food stylists were there to help create this feast.  

Everyone sat down and I started to photograph.  I wanted to suggest that they all raised their glasses and said ‘cheers’ - and I got some blank expressions back.  I repeated myself a couple of times before I realised that they all thought I was saying ‘cheese’.  The look of disappointment, ‘What has this pandemic done to the photographer - reverting to the good old classic cheese phrase?!’  A look of relief came across everyone’s faces when they realised that I was just trying to get everyone to raise their glasses.  Glasses were raised and laughter washed over the uncomfortable quiet caused by the one minute confusion.   

A large group shot, 6 individual portraits and 6 plates later - I jumped in the taxi and headed for the airport, back to London….

Shot for Cook Magazine, Corriere Della Sera

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

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