Queens native photographs local chefs to
honor their work during COVID-19 pandemic
(L) Dave Acocella of Philomena’s Pizzeria in Sunnyside. (R) Maria Iglesias and her daughter Cynthia Shephard, of La Adelita in Woodside. Photos courtesy of Drew Kerr
BY JULIA MORO
Drew Kerr has been dedicating his
time to photographing Queens chefs
and compiling their stories to commend
them for overcoming difficulties
brought on by the pandemic.
Kerr, a Queens native, decided not to
focus on their food but instead asks each
chef to pick an object in their kitchen or
restaurant to be photographed with.
“The pandemic is still a really emotional
thing, and instead of focusing
on the food, let’s focus on something
that’s more meaningful to these chefs
and restaurant owners,” said Kerr,
“and that’s an object that they can tell
a story about.”
The project, dubbed the Queens
Chef Project, started in February with
Kerr’s intention to photograph 50 chefs
in their kitchens, restaurants or homes
if they don’t have a storefront. Kerr sets
up the chefs to pose with their chosen
object and then shoots photos of them
having fun in their environment.
“I’m looking for pictures that show
joy; I’m not here to show sadness,” Kerr
said. “I’m here to show that these people
came through. They love what they’re
doing and they have fun with these objects.
I wanna bring people up.”
Kerr said he works with chefs of all
different nationalities, making varying
kinds of foods, over vast areas of
Queens.
“Because the pandemic and surviving
the pandemic was such an emotional
episode for all of them, I wanted to do
something that went deeper than the
TIMESLEDGER | Q 26 NS.COM | JUNE 11-JUNE 17, 2021
I’m looking for pictures that show
joy; I’m not here to show sadness.
I’m here to show that these
people came through. They love
what they’re doing and they have
fun with these objects. I wanna
bring people up.”
Drew Kerr
food,” Kerr said. “I wanted to get good
stories. When I tell the chefs what I’m
doing, they love it, because it’s a whole
different expression for them.”
The project is expected to finish at
the end of July, with an upcoming website
launch in the fall that will showcase
all of the photographs.
Along with the photos will be an audio
recording of the chefs explaining the
story that goes with their chosen object.
The project has been sponsored by
Queens Together and QEDC, and has
received support from popular Queensbased
food writer Joe DiStefano.
Kerr is also planning on holding an
opening in the fall to raise funds for
Queens food workers and families facing
food insecurity.
Kerr — who grew up in both Flushing
and Howard Beach and later lived
in Briarwood for 10 years — said this
experience has been so rewarding because
of the people he has met and the
stories he has heard.
One chef that stood out to him
was Tom Lo of Spy-C Cuisine in Forest
Hills, which has received three
Michelin stars. Lo is a 9/11 survivor,
went to medical school, became
a partner in Spy-C Cuisine, was a
frontline worker during the pandemic
and won a Food Network reality
cooking show.
“What makes it for me are the
stories,” Kerr said. “If there’s a common
theme: perseverance … from all
backgrounds.”
/NS.COM
