It Begins
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Our first stop was Philadelphia, a one day trip on the train. Then we flew to Charleston SC to meet Chef Nico Romo at Fish. After the shoot I walked around the city for a little while. Beautiful old homes. The owners of Fish Restaurant also own the Lowndes Grove Plantation that they renovated to use for weddings and events. That’s where I stayed over night. I was the only one on the property. No other guests or employees. It reminded me of the movie “The Shining.”
The next morning I drove 3 1/2 hours to Sea Island, Georgia. I used google maps on my phone for the first time. It was also the first time I didn’t use a map. It was cool. It talked to me for the first couple of hours then it stopped talking but I didn’t realize it until I went about 10 miles past the exit I needed to get off at.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row padding_top=”” padding_bottom=””][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1490850759505{margin-bottom: -15px !important;}”]
On to Atlanta
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Jonathan Jerusalmy is the Executive Chef at the resort. The place was beautiful and lots of interesting places to shoot the food. It was a 6:15am flight to Atlanta to see Chef Olivier Gaupin at the Loews Atlanta Hotel. After photographing his dishes Olivier drove me to the next stop the Intercontinental here I took ph’ood with Chef Didier Laiheugue. Then a 7:50pm flight that night to Memphis and stayed at the Sheraton Four Points.October 26 – Shot with Chef Jose Gutierrez at his restaurant River Oaks and had just enough time to catch a 2:40 (two flights) to St. Louis.
Pierre Chambrin picked me up at the airport and brought me to The St. Louis Club for dinner. Traveling with only a carry on luggage (clothes for a week, 7 plates for the chefs to use and my tripod) didn’t allow me to carry a dinner jacket. So it was a private dining room for me with my own waiter.
October 27 – The next morning it was ph’ood with Pierre who among other things was the Exec Chef at the White House during the Clinton years.
Then a 1:40 FLIGHT to Chicago to work with Chef Jean Joho at his Restaurant Everest on the top floor of a building at a very shnazzy club with an amazing view of Chicago. Stayed there over night with the same view from my window.
October 28 – Caught an 8:30am flight to Cincinnati to shoot at Restaurant L with owner Jean-Robert de Cavel. While most other chefs are going for more casual restaurants Jean-Robert’s new one went the opposite way to a very high end theme. We stopped by one of his other restaurants where he had a collection of over 500 chefs with hats salt and pepper shakers. Then it was an 8:30 flight home to New York.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Read Part Two of Battman’s FMC Insanity Tour[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
