food
A mix of lifestyle and product photos for Oakland-based spice company, Diaspora Co, with prop styling by Jillian Knox. The whole Diaspora Co. team (pictured below) brought the good energy and helped create a festive Diwali spread. I love seeing the journey of this small business —they’ve grown from carrying their hero spice, turmeric, to carrying an ever-expanding collection of spices, collaborations, and masala dabbas!
I’m proud to share this festive shoot published in Food & Wine, featuring blogger and cookbook author, Hetal Vasavada of Milk & Cardamom. She baked up these color and delicious treats inspired by Diwali, the Indian festival of lights that takes place in November. I loved the use of decorative flowers and gold that feels so celebratory and special.
I photographed this dream food story for the latest issue of Bon Appétit magazine. It features the incredible Salvadoran food of Popoca restaurant and a first person account of Anthony Salguero’s food journey. Shot on location at Popoca in Oakland! Props by Jillian Knox.
It’s always a pleasure working with the folks at St. George Spirits —it’s clear everyone there loves their job and is passionate about the craft. They’re an independent distillery in Alameda, California that makes some very special spirits. At the helm are distillers Lance Winters and Dave Smith. During this shoot, the warehouse had the best all-encompassing smell of pears, since they’d literally used tons of the fruit that week to make their brandy and liqueur.
Dave Smith
Lance Winters, Dave Smith
St. George Distillery
Diaspora Co sells the best turmeric and the heritage spices organically farmed and directly sourced from their farmers in India. Founder Sana Javeri Kadri is building a more sustainable equity-focused spice trade, and admirably everything about Diaspora Co from their ethos to their product is bold and beautiful! Styling by Jillian Knox.
New fall catering offerings from Rice Paper Scissors!
Lea and Andre opened Excelsior Coffee in their beloved neighborhood after 2 years of getting it off the ground. I grabbed before and after photos for them (before photos to come) and it’s incredible to see the transformation after all their sweat equity, all while holding down their day jobs and having their first kiddo! They’ve got ube treats by Ube Area and serve their coffee in black ceramics by Elle Ceramica. Hand painted mirror sign by Avila Rose Signs. Beautiful interior and branding design by Valerie Shagday.
Borsch Mobile serves up Ukranian and Russian comfort food on the go. I photographed owners Igor and Kirill on assignment for SF Magazine.
Dim sum ALL DAY at Dumpling Time in San Francisco. These images were created to be used as signs for a new location. They’re well-known for their Xiao Long Bao, dumplings with soup inside, and have an XL version served with a boba straw!
In collaboration with journalists Ariel Plotnick and Samantha B. Clark, this series on TEPCO plate ware. They produced a zine and radio piece on KQED celebrating this bit of local history!
Bar Manager Julie at The Miranda in downtown Oakland, and their "Pull Up to the Bumper" cocktail.
Some fun food and wellness advertising shots for the W Hotel San Francisco promoting their new in-room amenities! They know how to have fun with room service.
Recent editorial tearsheets for Oakland Magazine's Food Issue. Shot on-location at restaurants Duende, Sequoia Diner, The Star on Park, and Paradise Park Cafe.
Nyum Bai has a new Oakland restaurant in the Fruitvale district. They serve delicious Cambodian food for the soul. From a dream editorial assignment on Asian American chefs for the Food Issue of East Bay Express.
A yummy food and product photography shoot highlighting treats for United Dairy Farmers, an Ohio-based chain of ice cream parlours and convenience stores. They serve up their own brand of ice creams, malt shakes, and coffee and needed a set of photos for use in social media campaigns. Prop styling by Grace Suh.
Chef and owner of Brown Sugar Kitchen, Tanya Holland, for a story on Oakland cookbook chefs for Oakland Magazine. Was rooting for her on Top Chef this season!
Some new studio food photography work for Señor Sisig, Bay Area's favorite fleet of Filipino taco trucks! Food styling by Alexa Hyman.
I’m proud to share some new food photography work for Bun Mee, San Francisco's brand of Vietnamese eateries. They're opening a new location at San Francisco International Airport, so you can now get chicken phở, my ultimate comfort food, to-go for the plane ride! Promo designs by The Department, food styling by Alexa Hyman.
New images from restaurant shoots at San Francisco Magazine food critics' favorite new restaurants -- there is a good variety including Rooh, Dad's Luncheonette, Nyum Bai and Single Thread Farms.
A big thank you to my 82-year-old neighbor, Pat, for graciously hand modeling for this shoot for the food issue of East Bay Express. She's showcasing scoops from East Bay's original ice cream shops. I learned Fentons started in the 1880s!?
