AOP Members Personal Projects

Whilst spending hour after hour lying on a hospital bed I thought I should contact a friend & really good chef, Aurelio Barattini at a wonderful family trattoria, www.anticalocandadisesto.it and we should produce a book on his trattoria, his farm and photograph some of his families old recipes.

Not only is this a great project to work on, it also helps keep the folio fresh and working on location rather than in the studio takes you out of your comfort zone. The senses are immediately stimulated by things you see around you and stories you hear. Aurelio is a very passionate man and helped organise the shoot with local suppliers.

We left the trusted Hasselblad behind in the studio & armed with a Canon 5D, a few reflectors & natural light my assistant, Dave & myself started shooting. Every day was pure pleasure & so exciting returning to the studio to go through the 5000+ files/ trip and see what we had captured. Italians are so friendly and are natural models who love being in front of the camera. 

We set out to produce a food book, a collection of beautiful photos, stories-behind-the-photos, and hand-me-down recipes based around one Tuscan family. Behind every image there is a wonderful story; a legacy which will be handed on to future generations; a story about Tuscany, an exceptional chef, a special family, and recipes created over many generations. We went on forays into the mountains with Aurelio, head chef and “dad”, and discover the pride, pleasure and astonishing knowledge and expertise of local farmers and artisan producers. We met inspirational people in hidden places. As young men move away to the bright city lights and fat pay packets we need to capture these moments right now!

Chef, Aurelio Barattini. Plate of Cinta Senese, rare breed pork sausage & beans with a glug of olive oil #TuscanChef

In Italy there are various types of eating establishments. There are the ristorante's, with their white table clothes, trattoria's which originally were for the tractor drivers, therefore producing more wholesome food, then Osteria’s & Pizzeria’s. Italian food is simple and seasonal, so often some of the cheaper, seasonal food is as good if not better than the more expensive. Italians appreciate good food, it’s in their blood and food is treated with respect.

The main dining room, with castagna (chestnut wood ) tables, beams and panelling. Having eaten in the restaurant lots of time, it is always so serene & calm despite it being full every day #TuscanChef

Home-made summer pasta dish of aubergine & fresh ricotta ravioli with sweet cherry tomatoes. I chose not to go in too tight with the crop but preferred to capture the atmosphere of the surroundings, the dining experience, the chestnut wood, warm walls #TuscanChef

Pappa al pomodoro #TuscanChef

Head chef, Aurelio #TuscanChef

Sformato, a light eggy vegetable anti pasta with anchovies #TuscanChef

Renzo, local olive farmer and estate owner #TuscanChef

Marco, olive picker #TuscanChef

Side beef ribs #TuscanChef

1.8kg Bistecca cooking on Aurellio’s olive wood-fired grill #TuscanChef

Local butchers under their sign which reads ‘A little fat does you good’. #TuscanChef

Cinta Senese sausages cooking on the grill. This special grill uses olive wood because it is the hottest burning wood. He has added a fan to suck away the smoke so the flavour is the meat and not the smoke #TuscanChef

Marinating baccala, salt cod #TuscanChef

Roasted baccala #TuscanChef

Artisan bakers #TuscanChef

Baker, Emmanuelle portrait #TuscanChef

Butcher #TuscanChef

Stracetti with wild boar ragu #TuscanChef

Aurelio’s farm, Maolina  #TuscanChef

At 5am every morning, as the mists hover over the verdant Tuscan hills, embracing the walled city of Lucca, Aurelio’s heart leads him up the track to his late father’s farm ‘La Maolina’. “I have the heart of the wild boar” he announces fiercely, proudly. “Look at the sunrise… quick, let’s capture it; this is the best time of the day!” Standing proudly, Aurelio, with a sweep of his arm, embraces the neat rows of vineyards slowly but surely emerging magically from the soft, white wisps of night-time slumber below. “This is where I feel the presence of my father, not in the cimitero - cemetery. I feel him in the wine we create, in the oil we produce, in the sweet, ripe tomatoes we grow… this is where my young sons can run free. This is life! What more could anyone want?”

Ladies who lunch - staff lunch. I love this picture as the ladies together were so calm & respectful to each other. There was none of the rage & anger you hear about in London restaurants.  #TuscanChef

Fratelli - brothers Lamberto & Aurelio  #TuscanChef

Aurelio with the cinghiale (wild boar) he shot in his vineyards  #TuscanChef

Food is treated with so much love and care. I was amazed when a local electrician knew exactly where in northern Italy the coffee blend originated from.  #TuscanChef

Madonna  #TuscanChef

Having spoken to lots of Book agents I can see the food book demand is generally with a celebrity chef’s name on the title, as they are easy to sell and often tied up into a tv deal. However, it isn’t so easy to find a publisher featuring a chef or restaurant without this celebrity status, where sales are not guaranteed. Publishers are too cautious and won’t take the risk. Today, cookery books now generally begin with a well known food writer, food bloggers with a huge following or chef rather than a photographer. After much research I can see the photos are often secondary or even taken by the writer. With the books becoming less pictorial the standard of printing stock has fallen in an attempt to keep prices down.

To see more from my Tuscan chef project please click the link on my website http://www.hughjohnson.co.uk/#Portfolios/Tuscany---new-project/ Hopefully later this year, I will find a writer and the project will become a reality, a book titled The Tuscan Chef. Until this point we will continue shooting more photos,  of Aurelio’s two boys, the Vendemia (wine harvest), new and seasonal recipes.

Best wishes, Hugh