PHOTOGRAPHING A FRENCH GENTLEMAN

It isn’t often you get the chance to enter a professional kitchen, and watch a world-famous chef chop, dice and flambé vegetables, and fillet delicious-smelling cured salmon for the camera. Yesterday, we took two Slattery Media photographers, Lachlan Cunningham and Michael Willson, down to The Brasserie by Philippe Mouchel to snap the French chef in action. Action, that is, before the day’s service had started, so we would not get in the way of frantic perfection. It was a hot, windy day, but for the shots outside (with the city as his background), Mouchel was the perfect subject, smiling for the camera, toque (chef’s hat) on his head, sun in his eyes. His first book, a collection of life stories and recipes from his life with food, is beginning to take early shape, and is on track for release late next year.