Joshua Foo

Hello everyone, The love of my life Ray has been diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer. This has been incredibly difficult, especially after the year we have already had with my heart attack and recovery. Ray is my best friend, and anyone who knows him knows how kind and caring he is to everyone around him. He was the one who rushed me to the hospital the night of my heart attack and stood by me through every step of my recovery. Ray’s sister Mary has kindly set up a GoFundMe for him as he begins treatment today and will be limited in his ability to work. Ray is an independent contractor, and like me, when illness prevents you from working, your business comes to a stop as well. If you feel moved to support Ray during his recovery, the link is below for anyone who would like to donate or share. We are deeply grateful for the kind words, prayers, and positive thoughts you have already sent. This will be a tough journey, but I know Ray is going to come out of this stronger. Feel free to comment any positive messsages in the comments. I know he would appreciate hearing from yall. Love you all so much and thank you for everything ❤️❤️❤️ Link to donate is in my bio.

I’m so incredibly grateful to have attended the 2025 @beardfoundation Awards again this year. As many of you know, I had a heart attack at the beginning of the year and was diagnosed with diabetes. Recovery has been a long road, and for a while, I truly thought I wouldn’t get to experience many of the things I used to love. So being able to take this trip and celebrate another Omaha restaurant at the awards meant the world. It was such a joy to hang out with @davidyoshitomo and the @yoshitomo_sushi crew, and to see some of them take in the excitement of the awards for the first time. They’re such talented and kind people. Another big highlight was being reunited with our friends @joshuahernand3z and @zachnc , who we met last year when we were invited by our good friend @kano93 of @kano.omaha and his wife @megadkisson . Josh and Zach were so generous again this year and invited us to some of the events, where we met so many amazing industry folks and ate some truly incredible food. They really have a gift for bringing people together. Some of the standout moments for me were the parties and gatherings, the meals we shared, and all the incredible chefs and industry folks we got to connect with. Meals at places like @moodytongue , @haisouschicago , @avecchicago , @tryzubchicago and others were unforgettable. I also got to reunite with folks like @lorynnalic and the @balkantreatbox crew, @christinanguyenmpls and @birksg , @the_sioux_chef from my trip to Minneapolis , @rronou and more. It honestly felt a little like summer camp in the best way. I was also honored to photograph @tracybrown928 , @francis_lam , @cheffalkner and @heatherfreyer , @tambraraye , @erna.nalic and @nalic_emir , @bangbangpie , @thewinemistress and many others. It was incredibly inspiring to be there again, and I hope I get the chance to return in the future. Omaha has such a special community of chefs and industry folks, and I always look forward to seeing some of them represented each year. Sam and I hope to continue supporting this community and sharing your stories. We love you all so much.

James Beard Awards 2024 What an incredible experience! Sharing it with my brother and friends made it all the more special. I’m so proud of @cheftim1987 , @kano93 , and their teams for everything they’ve achieved. And spending time with @amyj402 and @megadkisson was a highlight—two amazing women, and we had such a blast with great conversations over food and drinks. I’m grateful to be part of a community with so many talented chefs who bring something unique to our city. It was also a pleasure to make new friends like @joshuahernand3z and his partner @zachnc , who are some of the kindest people I’ve met. After connecting at the awards, Josh even came to Omaha, and I had the chance to show him around and explore some of our local restaurants together. It’s amazing how strangers can become friends through moments like these. This experience reminded me of the incredible connections and community that food can bring into our lives, and I’m looking forward to many more moments like this in the future! Congrats again to everyone ❤️

For this shoot with Early Bird Brunch, I wanted to approach the image with a sense of movement and playfulness instead of creating something overly still or polished. The creative direction centered around making the food feel part of the action rather than separated from it. Keeping Natalie’s hand and fork connected to the pancakes helped tie her movement back to the food, while the motion of her hair naturally pulled energy through the frame toward the stack. @nobeeees , who is also a wonderful photographer herself, brought so much personality and instinct to the shoot and absolutely crushed it. This ended up being one of my favorite images from the project. Your food isn’t boring. Your photos shouldn’t be either. Let’s create something fun together! #foodphotography #marketing #foodphotographer #brunch

Cafe Saudade @cafesaudade Sintra, Portugal My friend @aperol_apprentice and I took a trip to Portugal and while there we stopped at Cafe Saudade. A popular spot for locals and tourists. It was full of beautiful vintage decor and grifts you can bring home as well. We were sat at a beautiful spot by the window which I always love. The morning light was beautiful and the people watching was fun. We ordered a couple of pastries and sandwiches made from scratch. The Saudade Cake with apple, walnuts and cinnamon was dense and paired well with our cappuccinos. It wasn’t overly sweet and leaned more savory which I enjoyed. We also tried the Sweet Saudade Trio (Travesseiro + Queijada + Pastel de Nata) while in Portugal Joseph and I fell in love with the Pastel de Nata trying many as we traveled. I crave these almost everyday. The sandwiches were the “Omega3” which was Smoked salmon, cream cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickled red onion & olive oil and Joseph got the Iberian - Iberian Prosciutto, Flamengo cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickled red onion & olive oil. It was a nice peaceful cafe to have a good chat and start your day, Sintra is incredibly beautiful and highly suggest making a stop if you visit Portugal. Maybe stop in to Cafe Saudade for breakfast and enjoy watching people pass by.

@801chophouse_omaha photographed for @flatwaterfreepress for @sarahbakerhansen Steak Town USA series. I had a wonderful time working alongside Sarah on this series highlighting a couple of these Midwest steakhouses. I learned a lot about history and got to spend time with the hard working folks in the industry. You can find this story and more at @flatwaterfreepress #steak #steaktownusa #flatwaterfreepress #foodjournalism #foodphotographer

I had a fun time hanging out with Chef @chefdjamilbah of @houseofbahfoundation on a project they’re working on with the talented @_kabuckets I’m super excited with the a chef and his foundation are doing here in Omaha. I learned a lot while I was there and look forward to future dinners of his in the future. Please check out @houseofbahfoundation on Instagram and also @hobfoodgroup that caters amazing food ❤️❤️❤️ #foodphotographer #omahafoodlovers #africanfood #houseofbahfoundation #immigrantsmakeamericagreat

Portrait of chef @chefjohnreaomaha of @goviafarina John is a solid guy and dedicated to his craft. I had the honor of photographing him at Via Farina a while back and really enjoyed chatting with him. We’ve run into each other on and off since then and it’s always a joy to see him. Via Farina is a great spot to get sour dough Neapolitan style pizzas and handmade pasta and bread. They also offer a good selection of wine and craft cocktails as well, including mocktails which I appreciate. They can be found in little Italy downtown and regency. They also offer mobile catering where they’ll bring you their oven at your event and serve some excellent pizza to you and all your guests. Check out Via Farina if you haven’t yet, say hello to John and the folks that put in the hard work to bring you some amazing food. ❤️ #viafarina #pizza #woodfiredpizza #eatlocal #foodphotographer

Au Courant X Kinaara - @aucourantrestaurant / @kinaaraomaha A collaboration dinner at Kinaara between Chef Ashish @ashishsathyan , owner of Kinaara, and Chef Ben Maides @swissbenny of Au Courant. This collaboration had been in the works for a while, so it was great to see it finally come to fruition. More than anything, it felt like a celebration of friendship between two chefs who clearly respect what each other brings to the table. The menu was Amuse tomato and tamarind rasam chovy’s egg mutton paya, ginger, herbs crudo rasam sauce, tamarind, cherry tomato pasta butter chicken, tagliolini, parmigiano striped bass moile sauce, coconut milk, turmeric wagyu short rib varutharacha curry, black pepper, red chili kulfi mango lassi cheesecake Grateful I got to document this night. Excited for More dinners like this in the city! #indianfood #omahafoodies #collabdinner #foodphotographer

Portraits of Mike, owner of @curlysofcolonmi in Colon, Michigan. While visiting @farrandhall1854 with chef @kano93 and @megadkisson last year we had a late dinner at Curlys and had great conversation over some food and beer. Later the next day I ran into Mike at the Farrand Hall bakery and asked if I could take some portraits in which he kindly agreed. Photography has always been a magic key to open the door into another world. I am grateful to those that I meet along the way and invite me in to get to know them and freeze a moment in time through a portrait. A memory we can both share as a testament to how the universe works. The possibilities of things that could have happened to not have met are endless, but somehow we did and I’m grateful.

Pizza Everywhere I’ve been having fun taking pizza pics. Hotdogs and Pizza are a favorite of mine to photograph. There’s just something very American about it. Pizza is found everywhere around the world so why not photograph it in different places around town? Using the city as a natural backdrop is fun and I’ve done this several times through the years. I’ll be doing it more and more. Love you. Bye. #pizzaparty #pizza #pizzaplace #foodphotography #foodphotographer

The Bohemian @thebohemianbaromaha I stopped into The Bohemian Bar after a shoot at @veryimportantpizzaomaha and stopping at @fontenelleomaha . I had my gear in my car and asked one of the owners @phyrekracker whom I ran into at @fizzysomaha if he wanted to do an impromptu shoot and he kindly accepted. We started with three cocktails. I met Dave, a bartender veteran who has been working in the industry for over two decades. Instantly I knew he had some great stories to tell. He twirled bottles, cracked jokes, and let me snap some portraits of him as well. As I was taking photos, I noticed @lizrw_ and @crandall_berry sitting at the bar and asked if they would want to have some photos taken. They agreed and we had some fun with hair flips and kicks. Soon Julie, another co owner joined and I snapped some photos of her as well. That’s one thing I love about photography, it can open doors to meet people and hear their stories. If you haven’t been to The Bohemian Bar yet, go. There’s a kind of magic there, the real kind. History that hasn’t been polished into something fake or pretentious. It sits in the room, in the bar top, in the way people talk to each other. The place knows exactly where it comes from, but it is not stuck there. It moves with the times without losing itself, which is harder than it sounds. This is a neighborhood bar. A real one. A place to talk, to write something down that might matter later, to meet friends and lose track of time over a beer or a well made drink. When you are in Little Bohemia making your way through the other spots, stop in. Sit at the bar. Say hi to Dave. If you give it a minute, he will probably tell you a story worth hearing. #thebohemian #omahafoodlovers #bar #cocktailhour #bartenderlife