MGM engaged Studio J Inc. for an ad campaign built around their all star lineup of chefs. Their marketing team brought us in to produce advertising concepts featuring those chefs, and the creative came down to one line: all the best chefs, all on one stage. I remember thinking that is a big promise to make in a single frame. Some of the most recognized names in food, each with their own restaurant, their own schedule and their own way of standing in front of a camera, and the photograph had to make it feel like they were all in the same room at the same moment. Everything we built from there came out of that one idea.

A prop stylist came in with old lights, apple boxes, and cabling, and we built a set that looked like the back of a production stage. There is a red curtain, a vintage Fresnel light, a gold director’s chair, PRG cases, and an apple box stenciled 2500. It had to feel like a working stage, not a clean studio sweep.

Before any of the chefs walked in, we scouted the empty room, built the set, and planned every position. Every chef had a marked spot on that set, and those marks became the map for the composite.

Each chef arrived at a scheduled time. Some came through on the main set day, and others were photographed in later sessions. I photographed each person individually, in a couple of designated spots, so we would have flexibility when the final group was assembled. Hair and makeup was on set, and so were the lighting and photo crews. Nobody was rushed through an unfinished stage.

The campaign named 14 chefs: Susan Feniger, Masaharu Morimoto, Emeril Lagasse, Wolfgang Puck, Tom Colicchio, Mario Carbone, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Joël Robuchon, Mary Sue Milliken, Michael Mina, Alain Ducasse, Charlie Palmer, Shawn McClain and Julian Serrano. Those names belong in this story. People search for them the same way they search for a well known athlete, and this is the page that should come up. Here are individual frames of nine of the chefs I photographed for the set: Susan Feniger, Mary Sue Milliken, Roy Ellamar, Michael Mina, Alain Ducasse, Tom Colicchio, Charlie Palmer, Shawn McClain and Julian Serrano, each photographed in a designated spot, then placed into the group.

As more chefs were photographed, we assembled additional versions of the composite, including one for all MGM Resorts, one for Mandalay Bay, and one for MGM Grand. The later group photographs include chefs beyond the nine named on the printed ad. I want to confirm those names and positions with the studio before they go in the captions.

This was one MGM advertising assignment, built around that single idea. I also photographed other MGM chefs in separate sessions, including Masaharu Morimoto and Wolfgang Puck, and those can be their own posts. This one is about getting all the best chefs onto one stage.

Studio J Inc. has been creating photography for more than 25 years in Las Vegas and around the world. If you have any questions about this project, or about a similar upcoming project, please don’t hesitate to contact Eric Jamison.