Adeline Grattard

I arrived in Paris on a hot summers day to photograph Adeline Grattard at her restaurant Yam’Tcha. Adeline is a Michelin Star chef known for her fusion between French and Chinese cuisines. Her restaurant is a fine dining restaurant that has used Chinese ways of cooking and combined them with fresh French ingredients and influences. Her recipes are unique and together with her husband Chi Wah, they also run a tea and dim sum takeaway, just around the corner from Yam’Tcha. One of her signature dishes is “The Story of Our Lives” which is a bao stuffed with stilton cheese.

The fine dining restaurant had the definite air of exclusiveness when you entered the door. But besides the Maitre De, the intense concentration by chefs and waiters, the restaurant also had a section dedicated to tea. On day two of our shoot we had the taster menu at Yam’Tcha. We had a different tea to accompany each course. A great way to appreciate the food and drink, without relying on the different flavours of wine, beer and champagne.

Apart from the amazing fresh ingredients Adeline sources, her cooking uses steaming techniques and fiery woks to bring out that Chinese taste. The restaurant decor combined the exclusive gold tones with dreamy, misty wall decorations.

On this shoot I collaborated with the great people at Cook magazine that accompanies the Italian national newspaper Corriere della Sera.

Shot for Cook - Corriere della Sera

Marianne Faithful

It was a little sad to see Marianne at first when I arrived at her Paris flat.  When I met her 2 years ago she was up and about, whilst this time she was slightly less able after having broken her hip a while back.  However, my sadness was short lived as we were met with a sharp mind and quick witted woman with no punches pulled. The flat was new for Marianne and she hadn’t fully moved in yet. She’s been horizontal for several of months which she claims is the reason for her best album in a long time.  (It gave her time to think without interruption.) Francois, Marianne's manager who was also there at the time of the shoot, put the album on, volume up and Marianne’s coarse voice and protesting lyrics did give me a feeling of listening to an album from the 70’s that will last the test of time.  The blues was present both in her voice, lyrics and rhythm.  

When it was time to start the shoot Marianne asked, no - told me!: ‘Be fast and not to faff around’.  Her cane was present and although for many this would be a sign of a disability it worked the opposite way for Marianne.  The cane gave Marianne a stronger presence, a feeling of dominance - the exact feeling you get as soon as Marianne opens her mouth to talk to you.  When Marianne talks - you listen.  Not in a bad way but in an inquisitive, intrigued and fascinated way - for Marianne has many stories and a way of telling them that keeps you listening. The same goes for her last album, the lyrics are essential.  

Her most known album “Broken English” has her smoking a cigarette on the album cover.  Now she’s taken that image into the 21st century and replaced the cigarette with a vaporiser and the “Broken English” with a “Broken Hip”.  A wonderfully interesting woman.