2 minute read
Dishing with Francesco
How do you teach a former chef a new trick You give him a camera. And that’s how high-end food photographer Francesco Tonelli got his start.
After many years of working in kitchens and hotels across Europe, Tonelli became a professor of culinary arts at The Culinary Institute of America and prominent D chef and food stylist for La Cucina Italiana in Milan. This delicious career consists of developing and styling hundreds of dishes.
He en oys having control of the whole process from conception, to shopping, preparing, cooking, styling, lighting, photographing and post-processing, as well as the opportunity to meet incredibly talented designers and creative people from many agencies and clients who devoted their lives to developing food products. According to Tonelli, it’s important to connect with the client to understand their food and their goals. Think, test, try and try again. Shoot the food as quickly as possible to capture its freshness and fragrance and avoid it sitting on set any longer than necessary. It’s not much different from a good carpenter (measure twice, cut once), he explained.
Tonelli loves developing long-lasting relationships with his clients and feels rewarded when they trust that he will deliver what they need on time, without cutting corners or making excuses. This makes the collaborative process more relaxed, pleasant and creative.
Upon entering the arena of shooting commercial high-end food photography, he made sure everyone was greeted with a varied, healthy and indulgent breakfast, different every day and featuring the best ingredients. “And for my
By Nisa Ayral
lunch, my team and I always prepare a homecooked meal to take the time to break bread together, socializing and enjoying necessary quality time, allowing us to rest, recharge and get ready for a productive and creative rest of our shoot day,” Tonelli said. Inside and outside photography, he turns to the love of his life, “ These are the moments when I felt particularly proud and fortunate to be able to work with such a beautiful group of talented, creative people and food enthusiasts.
Mitty. The pair have lived and worked together every day for seven years, Tonelli said, and she keeps him young and happy, supporting him from hospitality to marketing, from setting up breakfast to coming up with most of the puns they post on Instagram.
