Today we’d like to introduce you to Jesse Cudworth
Jesse, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Really, my story begins when I was just a little kid. It started with cinema. I loved movies. I loved all kinds of movies and visual media in general. I watched them, studied them, absorbed them, and finally started making them. I made short films with my friends who also loved cinema. We didn’t have any money, of course, so we wrote our own scripts, made our own special effects, did it all and did it all the time.
When I was a teenager, I started making music videos from concept to delivery for various local bands which led to higher paying gigs from record labels and eventually to film school. I grew up between California and Hawaii, moving back and forth over the years. While in College in Hawaii, I discovered gorilla style documentary filmmaking. My childhood was rough and unsettled, I was never sure where I’d be from day to day or who would be around, so I developed an anarchist mindset, a f***k conformity attitude which worked perfectly with the quick paced, slightly outlaw style of gorilla documentary cinema I loved. The music videos I’d been making gave me a great education in creating flow and tone in my work and honed my editing skills. I actually think anyone interested in film or photography should make a few music videos if they really want to practice their craft.
My work at the school got me an introduction to National Geographic. I was hired to work behind the camera for Nat Geo on a series which was filmed all over Kauai. We were out in the fields, up in the mountains, down to the ocean and moving fast all the time. Just exactly the type of work I liked most.
While at school, I met and fell in love with a wonderful woman who became my wife. I realized I wanted to settle down and focus on family for a while, so I pivoted to food. I come from an Italian family and food has always been an important part of my life. Plus the fast paced and creative production in restaurant kitchens suited me well. As I rose up in the ranks in a number of restaurants, I started to take photographs of the people and dishes we were creating. Restaurants are filled with talented and sometimes crazy, interesting people. Photographing them started to become an important part of my kitchen life. Then one day as the Executive Sous Chef at a top tier restaurant, I realized I loved photography more than cooking, and it was time to pivot again.
I blended my love of food and photography into one endeavor, and took the leap. My experience in the kitchen has served me well as a food and restaurant photographer / documentarian. This isn’t an easy profession, but it’s a wildly interesting and satisfying one.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Well, this definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. I’ve changed careers a few times and that’s not easy and it’s risky, but everything I’ve learned along the way has gotten me to where I am now. So what are you gonna do? I doubt any venture worth taking is free of obstacles.
I knew filmmaking would take me away from my family for long periods of time, a challenge I chose not to tackle. But Kitchen life can be grueling. Working under old school chefs is a rough and intimidating life. The work is hard and the hours are brutal, but the craftsmanship and education is amazing.
Then changing professions to photography and breaking into an established industry has probably been the number one challenge I’ve had to face. The starving artist cliche’ is real. Doing the work is one thing, finding work was the hardest part for a long time. This job, though, is so rewarding. I’ve been working with great chefs and cooks and witness to extraordinary talent. It’s a world not that many people can see. We all eat in restaurants, but not many of us have the opportunity to really see the behind the scenes work and life that goes into the food we eat.
What could I offer that hadn’t been done. I knew my vision had to be different, had to be more than what we were already seeing. It couldn’t be cliche’.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Basically, I’m a visual storyteller. I spend hours in restaurants capturing their energy, creativity and story.
The food from these establishments, even amazing food, plated flawlessly, is only a small part of the narrative. From the farmer’s market to the final glass of wine, every chef and cook and server and host has a story to tell and I’m there to capture all the moments that culminate in that delicious meal that patrons get to experience. My goal is to showcase the natural, organic process of these places in a highly stylized fashion that conveys a sense of place and emotion.
Food is such an important part of our lives. It represents family and friends, gatherings and experiences. It evokes childhood memories and cultural traditions. It’s happiness and survival. Since I’ve had years of experience as a chef, and understand the inner workings of a kitchen, I have a unique ability to blend in and disappear into the background. I use my documentarian style of photography and videography to visually narrate a slice of life in this particular industry and capture the essence of the amazing crews that bring the experience to life.
I’m super proud of the fact that the work I’ve done so far is helping to rewire the mindset of the food photography industry. In the past, food photography was all staged, and although there is still a place for that, it isn’t real. It isn’t organic. I much prefer the fly on the wall approach, and I think the food-eating public does too. I think people want real these days, they want to know the life of the people that make their food. You can see this trend on social media, on cooking shows and even on TV shows like The Bear.
One of the things I am so proud of is my ability to support businesses that recognize the need for, and work towards, sustainability and ethical practices in the food and hospitality industry. I love supporting local farms and businesses with this mindset, whether I’m working with a Michelin Starred restaurant or a Mom and Pop. My favorite part of the day is heading to the farmer’s market, camera in hand, early in the morning with a chef buying local produce, talking story with the farmers, and watching the daily menu evolve.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
Naturally, I didn’t hatch out of an egg as a full blown photographer, it’s been a long road and my family has been there with me every step of the way. When I told my wife, and new baby, I wanted to trade in my apron for a camera, she didn’t skip a beat. Go for it! We now have two children and her faith in me and her support has never waned. I’ve been on the brink of calling it quits more times than I can recall, but family always showed up for me and kept me going. It’s a gift that keeps on giving.
When I was a kid and making silly videos, it was usually with my best friend, Jorge Miramontes. He’s still there, still a talented filmmaker in his own right, still helping me out, still my best friend.
I’ll be the first to admit, I’m not a great businessman. I love the art I get to make, but the business end…not so much. But thanks to great advocates like Marai Bolourchi of Tsar Nicoulai Caviar, I’ve learned a lot. Her help and guidance has been paramount in all aspects of my career and ethical choices. It’s so good to have friends to guide you.
And of course, all the amazing chefs that have invited me into their kitchens and into their worlds. From the Michelin star chefs who’ve praised me and my work to the Nonna in her small kitchen cooking pasta and gravy for her hungry customers, I’ve been inspired by them all and can’t thank them enough for encouraging me and telling me to keep going.
Pricing:
- Pricing varies from Job to job
- I charge for a day’s photography. I don’t charge “add-ons.” Editing, touch ups, etc. are all included in the price.
- I don’t license my work. I retain ownership, but my clients have full use rights at no additional charge.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jayevanphotography.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jayevan_photography/
