In early May I had the pleasure of spending a couple of days at the “not quite yet opened” Le Grand Cafe
@legrandcafe.paris in Paris. It’s easily the most impressive and talked about restaurant opening in town this year - LGC occupies a sizeable part of the Grand Palais, one of the most recognisable buildings in the city. My great friends,
@andrea_ferolla and
@dariareina of
@chezdede worked with the owners on the branding and logo of the restaurant, needless to say they did a great job as always.
I was there specifically to shoot the food, for the interiors they had commissioned another photographer more suitable for the task. I was relieved, Grub & Garcons are my bread & butter, so to speak. The interiors, however, are striking, Joseph Dirand did a wonderful job.
Claire Malafosse, one of the owners and a wonderful “Restauratrice” was kind enough to invite my whole family,the day before the shoot, for the first soft opening on what happened to be my birthday. That in itself was perfect. We were thoroughly spoilt with delicious food, not overly complicated, just luxurious versions of all the food everyone delights in, not to mention the cocktails, some with, some without. (It’s worth mentioning that Colin Field
@colinpfield , one of the most legendary barmen and formerly of the Ritz is the consulting Barman of Grand Cafe - I enjoyed shooting him, let’s just say the guy’s a pro.
The following day, my eldest son Thorir
@thoriro who has caught the family bug for restaurants and photography, and I spent the entire day watching and shooting the first day unfold. One of the reasons I wanted to do this job is that it afforded us an opportunity to spend time and work together - we took turns shooting and by now I’ve forgotten who shot what, it was a collaborative effort, father and son.
Le Grand Cafe is a huge establishment, with live music and a terrific terrace, a brigade of waiters who all look like models and, more importantly, are the nicest guys and gals you’ll ever meet - apparently it’s company policy to hire nice people.
Ps you will notice my oxfords on pic no 1 atop a carefully placed serviette.
