italian food
As someone who, long ago, lived in the East Village, it’s always exciting to see how the neighborhood transforms but manages to stay the same. It’s a fast past environment where a lot of restaurants come and go and, unfortunately, Nook NYC no longer remains but featured some beautifully plated dishes in a wonderfully magnetic space.
From chef Harold Dieterle comes Il Totano, a west village Italian restaurant with a gorgeous interior and beautifully seafood-focused dishes. This may have been discussed in another post but, usually, when I’m faced with a restaurant that, often always, I am experiencing for the first time, I tend to choose lighting that compliments the space and the vibe. When the entrees are climbing into the $40 range, I often tend to use a softer light which, to me, feels a little more elegant. However, given the bright colors of the food and the interiors, I convinced the team to allow me to use a harder light that would create some shadows but also allow me to use the glassware/drinks to create a glossier and fresh look that I think makes all the dishes more appealing and somewhat conjures the feeling of eating seafood on a sun-drenched balcony overlooking the Italian Riviera.
From chef Stefano Secchi of Rezdora comes a new Southern Italian kitchen, Massara. Featuring a wood fired grill and pizza oven, the restaurant serves grilled entrees, and a slew of pastas and pizzas.
Nomad’s “Italian soul food” restaurant Mialino was positively reviewed by The Infatuation and I was there to shoot the restaurant, which occupied the old space of Vini e Fritti which I also happened to shoot some years back when I had clearly had no idea how to shoot food, judging by the photos! It’s always humbling to look at one’s earlier work.
Tomaresca, an Italian wine distributor, brought the flavors and food of Puglia to Eataly for a private dinner which I photographed. In addition to a spread of appetizers, the event included a live cooking demonstration of a few menu items which were then served to the intimate group of guests who, while enjoying the food, learned about the riches of Puglia while savoring some delicious wine pairings.
When photographing produce, it can sometimes be helpful to look at things on a smaller scale to photograph the details and brings those to life - making those smaller things larger than life. That was the goal in shooting for Italian grocery store, Agata + Valentina, who has a varied selection of global and Italian foods.
