Iron Chef Canada Winner Chef Alex Chen

I was recently commissioned to photograph Canadian Chef of the year and Iron Chef Canada winner Alex Chen for Food Service and Hospitality Magazine. And boy was it a fun shoot. But it took a lot of coordinating.

Chef Alex Chen poses for a photo at the Fisherman’s Wharf in Steveston British Columbia, October 10, 2019. Jimmy Jeong

I sometimes wonder who would be my perfect portrait subjects. And I think it comes down to how passionate the person is about what they do. People like Chef Alex are just driven in every task they pursue and it comes out in their portrait. And it helps during the preproduction because like me they want to try something more unique that portrays some of their own personality. I appreciate that.

Another angle from our portrait session at the fishing dock.

We thought about three different locations before finally settling on Fisherman’s Wharf in Steveston. I think the clincher was when Alex described how he grew up in Malaysia and was influenced by the ocean and the traditional cooking there. The original ask by the editor was for a photo at Alex’s restaurant. So I pitched the new idea and the photo editor was onboard. Nice when all three parties can agree.