Doughnut Smackdown

Cover stories for Creative Loafing are some of my all time favorites to photograph. This shoot couldn't be described as anything but fun- sampling, judging, and photographing some of the best sweets in Atlanta! The winner ended up being the Sunflower from Sarah Donut, a specialty doughnut that has sugar and cinnamon folded into the dough, and of course is shaped like a sunflower. The panel of judges included Adjoa Danso, Stephanie Dazey, Brad Kaplan, and Jennifer Zyman. Check out the story here to see some of the other doughnut contestants, behind the scenes notes, and more!

Hannah Chung $20 Dinner

This story covers another successful $20 Dinner with Creative Loafing, this time with star chef Hannah Chung. I worked with her previously on a "Chefs to watch in 2015" assignment, which turned out to be quite an accurate prediction. She has now opened the new restaurant Simply Seoul Kitchen in Ponce City Market which features her signature kimchi and Korean steamed buns. For this dinner, Hannah prepares a stunning Bibimbap with ground beef bulgogi, fresh veggies, her famous kimchi, and soybean sprout soup. Check out the full story by Stephanie Dazey for recipes and more (as well as a page with a wonderfully insane amount of photos!). 

El Super Pan at Ponce City Market

With all the new additions, Ponce City Market keeps calling my name for updates and happenings! This First Look for Creative Loafing was on El Super Pan, a Latino sandwiches restaurant and bar inside PCM's Central Food Hall. The price tags are a bit steep for sandwiches, but this revived concept by Chef Hector Santiago has gotten rave reviews. While not a food critic myself, I can say with full confidence that the Medio Dia was one of the best sandwiches I have ever had with an incredible blend of flavors. Check out Creative Loafing's full story by Sucheta Rawal here.

Proof Bakeshop

My favorite assignments are the ones that combine food and documentary photography. These stories go beyond taking colorful pictures and share the backgrounds of the workers striving to perfect their art. Their workplace is their home, their coworkers are family. This Creative Loafing article, A Day in the Life of Proof Bakeshop, covers the goings-on around the clock at a new Atlanta bakery. Combined, me and my fellow photographer Eric Cash spent an entire day photographing and getting to know the business and employees. Starting from preparations at 6pm the night before to 6pm at closing time the next day, these employees don't miss a beat, even at 2 o'clock in the morning. While the food was delicious, I would go back just for the company.

Not only does this bakery have a feature story, but they also won Best New Bakery in the Critic's Pick section of Creative Loafing's "Best Of" issue. Below are some of my photos from the morning and afternoon shifts. Check out the full CL story here.

100 Dishes Project

This year's 100 Dishes Project from Creative Loafing has been one of my biggest food assignments and accomplishments so far to date. Shooting 23 dishes at 14 locations, this project has given me more knowledge of Atlanta's food scene than the rest of my years here combined. The variety of dishes span across five star restaurants with pressed linen napkins to hole-in-the-wall cafes where you would be lucky to find a chair. While this project was a huge undertaking, at the end of it, I realize that I've only barely scratched the surface of this diverse foodie city.

Check out the complete list of dishes here.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

$20 Dinner With Jarrett Stieber

This month I had the pleasure to photograph a cover story for Creative Loafing featuring Chef Jarrett Stieber from Atlanta's Eat Me Speak Me. I always enjoy these types of assignments the most, both for the diversity of images and because it feels almost like a collaboration between me and whoever I am photographing. For this story, Jarrett prepared a full dinner for under $20 with food purchased from a local farmers market.

Check out the story, including the recipe to his "Yummy Sauce" (my personal favorite) here.

Check Out CLATL.com

Working for Creative Loafing this summer I've gotten to interact with some really creative minds, both inside the office and out! Check out this article I shot for about the Lucid FC twins, full story here.

Also, keep an eye out next week for our upcoming Atlanta City Guide. It's been a huge project that's taken many months to complete- but well worth the result! You will never again be at a loss for Friday night plans.