I photographed The Best of New Jersey Wine and Dine hosted by my food stylist/executive chef Michael Giletto at his restaurant at Ocean Place Resort and Spa in Long Branch, NJ. The dinner was amazing…yada, yada, yada.

I had already known all of the chefs there except for one, Chef George Kyrtatas. He came over to our table and chit chatted (does anyone use that expression anymore?) We spoke for a while and I quickly came to realize that he was a really friendly, enthusiastic and very capable chef.

I posted the photos of the Wine and Dine on Facebook and was surprised to get a call from Chef George. He asked if I would come to his home to shoot his food. Duh! Of course I will.

I packed up my studio and headed to southern New Jersey for the shoot. I walked in and the entire kitchen (and believe me he has a large kitchen) was covered with cooked food, raw vegetables, fruits, micro-greens, pastries and all manner of edibles.

We photographed for five hours. Five hours of beautiful photos. Thank you George for a great experience. I look forward to working with you again and dining in your restaurant. And a special thank you to my friend Lew who assisted and carried lots of equipment in the freezing cold. Thanks Lew.