When I began my career as a food and beverage photographer the restaurant scene was a huge part of it. I lived for the Food Network and the chefs with their competitions and daily cooking segments. Honestly I kinda still do... These are the people, along with the Food Network and other national food brands that have shaped the food scene we know today. One of the first chefs that I admired and built his roots in Philadelphia was Chef Jose Garces. I followed him in his early stages before he became well known.

The first time I met him was while I was still an assistant and the photographer I was working with had to shoot him. We photographed him at his amazing restaurant Amada in Old City. I was overly joyed and could not wait! Chef Garces was so nice and down to earth and I shamelessly got his autograph on one of his menus which I still have today in my kitchen. This was right before he aired on Iron Chef America which he won and the rest is history for him..

It was very exciting to see me come back to him and he's still the same nice guy, but this time I got to photograph him and his restaurant Distrito in Moorestown, New Jersey. One of his newer adventures in his many restaurants he's opened. The images were photographed for an article that will be running in the March 2015 New Jersey Monthly magazine.