Chef Mick Brown visited my studio for a portrait session last week. We had a great time and he left me with the most delicious roasted vegetables and a whole smoked fish that my family happily devoured. Mick was grillmaster champion at cutthroat kitchen in 2015. He has his own catering company that focuses on healthy BBQ.

My idea for the photograph stemmed from how important tools are in a chef's life. We all have our go-to wooden spoon, pan or barbecue fork that we can always rely on. This barbecue fork was given to Chef Mick by his father. His father passed away recently and this fork is part of a set that he uses often. He has sweet memories of how his dad taught him to cook.

I also wanted to incorporate a sense of power in the image. A Chef has control over what we put into our bodies. Our bodies keep us going and that is a very powerful role for a chef to fulfill. Of course not all chef's cook for health but this photograph was about Chef Mick Brown, not Mario Batali ;)

I have worked with him on portraits before and we always have plenty of laughs. Connecting with my clients is one of the most important parts of my job as a professional photographer. I love it!

I am going to submit some of my photos from the session to The Smithsonian Museum Chef Portraits contest.