stories : Feature
Behind the Swinging
Doors
A day in the life of a restaurant kitchen
By Michael Harlan TurkellRestaurants peddle the illusion of effortlessness. The plate that appears in front of you—whether it’s simplicity in the form of a perfect tomato soup or a complex preparation of lamb cooked three different ways—offers no inkling, ideally, that a produce order went missing this morning or that a line cook showed up to work drunk.
Not that any of that happened on the day photographer Michael Harlan Turkell spent in the kitchen of New York’s Public. What did happen, by the end of the day, was this: Dinner was served. Broths were simmered, knives got sharpened, vegetables were julienned. Public, a favorite of ours known for its front-of-the-house design, looks pretty good in the back of the house, too.
Nice photos.
What I want to know is how much he got in the way taking some of those....
Didn't get in the way too much. Worked as a chef prior to becoming a culinary photojournalist, so I'm pretty good at the footwork. It's my one of my main assets as a food/kitchen photographer, knowing the approach and angles. Thanks for asking.
The photos are wonderful and make you want to jump into the mix. Very inspiring, especially for someone who has been considering make the jump into the world herself!
And by the way, how did you become a culinary photojounalist? What an interesting path to take!
Got my BFA in Photography, cooked and worked in kitchens all through college, came to NYC and said, hey, I want to be a culinary photojournalist. Now I get to go into a great number of restaurants in New York, and in a sense, do stage with a camera. Pretty cool. Haven't had to turn back to cooking in over two years, and still around the food world I love.
Congratulations on your behind the scene piece.
I mentioned it on my blog 'Serge the Concierge' and added my personal notes.
Here is the Link http://www.sergetheconcierge.com/2007...
It also made me feel like paying a visit to 'Public'.
Have a good week-end
Serge
Biz:
http://www.njconcierges.com
Blog:
http://www.sergetheconcierge.com
None of the cooks are wearing hats! That is against the law in Michigan and any other state that has signed on to the federal recomended health and sanitation procedures.
Great photos! It is not often that you see a good representation of what happens in the BOH. Sharp looking kitchen as well.
Thanks. Have tons more BOH action on my blog, harlanturk.blogspot.com. Enjoy.
Where in Michigan. Have you been to the new and improved Clarkston Cafe in Clarkston, MI?
and or website, http://harlanturk.com
I really enjoyed your photos. Takes me back to my days on the line!!
Thanks. Used to work the line as well. Actually started the project by taking photos the prep and plating and made prints to use as flash cards.
I'm not sure that I understand what a culinary photojournalist actually does. Who do they work for? Or is it just a photography project.
Don't get me wrong, I love the photographs. I just don't think I fully understand.
Beautiful photos! As to the captions, I would like to know what is going in the pictures in addition to who is in it ... not everything is self-explanatory.
Great work - I have total respect for people who work in this industry day in day out. As much as I enjoy cooking at my own pace in my own kitchen, I don't think I could cope with the constant pressure demanded by a professional kitchen - Thanks for documenting this
Awesome....I am jealous and am about a month away of opening up a restaurant...I miss the action; and the fire...you have made a stressed chef...always a cook first..so damn happy!
more culinary photojournalist on my PLOG, http://harlanturk.blogspot.com. As per captions, feel free to contact me and I'll do my best to explain.
more culinary photojournalist on my PLOG, http://harlanturk.blogspot.com As per captions, feel free to contact me and I'll do my best to explain.
Awesome, I am looking for an outlet into photography.
I have been tinkering with my Nikon D 70, and work as a waiter in the Northern Virginia area. So I can relate to those pics. Especially the one with all the orders behind the line. Even as a waiter, I still can't believe how the kitchen pulls it off every night. I tip my hat to all the tireless line cooks and chefs in the industry.