ignacio mattos - chef at il buco

This shoot is a little bit of a departure for me. I wanted to find new kinds of ways to apply my the concept of The Selby outside of peoples homes, and I thought a chef in a very unique restaurant would be a good way to start. Il Buco is one of my favorite restaurants in NYC. The space started out as an antique shop in the ’90s and at one point they just decided to start serving food, so it still has all the quirky reminders of its past. I think the chef, Ignacio Mattos, is doing something really interesting and creative with Italian food, taking its traditions and customs and stripping them down and making them seasonal and local in a fresh way.

Look out this week for Part 2, including a recipe for panna cotta, and Part 3, with a recipe for persimmon salad.Ignacio Mattos, the chef at Il Buco, has been working with a lot of local farmers for years. I thought it would be interesting to follow him around at the Union Square Greenmarket one day while he shopped for supplies. I shot in December, so there wasn’t quite as much variety as there would have been at other times of the year, but it was great to see Ignacio talk with all of the suppliers and discuss his thoughts on the day’s menu.