my work
Chef Profile is a photographic project by Davide Dutto, created to portray the world of cuisine through the faces, gestures, and everyday environments of chefs.
These are not just formal portraits, but photographs that explore the humanity, focus, and emotional intensity of those working behind the scenes—in labs and professional kitchens.
Each image is an opportunity to restore dignity, attention, and value to the people who transform food into experience and culture. A project that blends documentary photography, visual storytelling, and a deep sensitivity to the human element.
place behind the scenes
capturing every form of human expression.
umana
In the caves, the first human images were painted with one constant feature: the profile.
Whether they depicted hunting scenes, animals, or human figures, all were shown exclusively in profile. This perspective allowed for an immediately clear and essential representation, making the images instinctively understandable.
Additionally, using the profile offered fertile ground for symbolic attributes, enriching the meaning of each figure. This visual approach naturally suited the environmental limitations and artistic resources of the time, enabling effective communication through cave art.
PAOLO GRIFFA
It took time to shape
our culinary style
and it can’t just change
because a trend has come and gone.
PAOLO GRIFFA
It took time to shape our culinary style
and it can’t just change because a trend has come and gone.
PHILIPPE LÉVEILLÉ
If I had to start my career over today,
I wouldn’t hesitate for a second.
And so I photograph profiles
to see more clearly
and to listen to their stories.
Alfred’s shadow was unmistakable: his rounded profile, his black-and-white silhouette.
The famous caricature-like opening sequence of Alfred Hitchcock Presents was created by the director himself. That iconic image, familiar to millions of viewers, perfectly illustrates how the master of suspense—who explored human anxieties and inner darkness—never failed to add a touch of irony.
CORRADO ASSENZA
What I always remind myself is that
what’s left to be done is much more than what’s already been done.
CORRADO ASSENZA
What I always remind myself is that
what’s left to be done is much more than what’s already been done.
GeNNARINo Esposito
In my profession, forgetting where you come from is a “mortal sin”—an act of arrogance
that also shuts the door to future discoveries.
In my profession, forgetting where you come from
is a “mortal sin”—an act of
arrogance that also shuts
the door to future discoveries.
In my profession, forgetting where you come from is a “mortal sin”—an act of arrogance
that also shuts the door to future discoveries.
MAURO ULIASSI
Realigning yourself with what is right
means using common sense what
I call the wisdom of the gods.
CORRADO ASSENZA
MAURO ULIASSI
Realigning yourself with what is right means using common sense what
I call the wisdom of the gods.
MAURO ULIASSI
Realigning yourself with what is right
means using common sense
what I call the wisdom of the gods.
I step into the kitchen
to discover other perspectives on food
the human ones of the brigade, the tension and rhythm of service, as orders are called out and everything churns like we’re inside an engine.
I photograph the fast movements of hands sautéing, dipping, plating, I follow the flow of gestures as dishes pass swiftly from hand to hand toward the dining room.
NEVER
WITHOUT
The photographic project Chef Profile explores the kitchens of Italian restaurants through intense yet discreet portraits. The images reveal the identity of chefs through hands, gestures, tools, expressions, and working environments.
Davide Dutto adopts an empathetic and respectful approach, allowing documentary photography to uncover the authentic and everyday character of those behind the stove.
WINE
SILVIA FEDERICA BODETTI
The traces of my travels can be
found throughout my work especially
in its shapes and colors
CORRADO ASSENZA
SILVIA FEDERICA BODETTI
The traces of my travels can be
found throughout my work
especially in its shapes and colors
CRISTINA BOWERMAN
The moment I realized cooking could be more
than just flipping pans that it was
about culture, translation,
creativity I knew it
would become my life’s work.
CORRADO ASSENZA
CRISTINA BOWERMAN
The moment I realized cooking
could be more than just flipping pans
that it was about culture, translation, creativity
I knew it would become my life’s work.
VIRGILIO MARTINEZ
CORRADO ASSENZA
True innovation today means returning
to our roots looking back,
but with a new
approach to nature.
VIRGILIO MARTINEZ
True innovation today
means returning to our roots
looking back, but with
a new approach to nature.
PINO CUTTAIA
CORRADO ASSENZA
Creativity is born in a precise moment
you recognize when it starts, but
never know where it
will take you.
PINO CUTTAIA
Creativity is born in a precise moment
you recognize when it starts,
but never know where
it will take you.
The meaning of light
of physical differences, of indirect gazes each chef carries within.
Shadow puppetry is an ancient art, born over 2,000 years ago in China or Indonesia, performed with wooden figures behind a white screen using light. Originally, they used candles and oil lamps—today, electric bulbs. This form of theatre reached Europe in the 18th century.
While electricity brought technical advancements, some of the original magic may have been lost.
You can create shadow plays at home too, with a table lamp and a blank wall in a dark room—crafting stories with your hands and projected shadows.
HEINZ BECK
CORRADO ASSENZA
Hunger is a need: to be satisfied. But cuisine goes beyond
that it exceeds necessity, and aims to fulfill pleasure.
HEINZ BECK
Hunger is a need: to be satisfied.
But cuisine goes beyond that it exceeds
necessity, and aims to fulfill pleasure.
Enrico Crippa
CORRADO ASSENZA
I am my dishes.
They are my way of expressing my idea of taste,
beauty, aroma, and indulgent satisfaction.
Enrico Crippa
I am my dishes. They are my way of expressing my idea of taste,
beauty, aroma, and indulgent satisfaction.
I’m passionate about
listening
to stories about people and food.
ANA ROŠ
CORRADO ASSENZA
When I spend 18 hours in the kitchen, I’m not with my children.
And when I’m with my children, my brigade, my customers,
my restaurant all feel my absence. There’s always someone missing me
ANA ROŠ
When I spend 18 hours in the kitchen, I’m not with my children.
And when I’m with my children, my brigade, my customers, my restaurant all feel my absence. There’s always someone missing me
Chicco Cerea
I don’t work, I live.
CORRADO ASSENZA
francesco E Giuseppe D’ERrico
Our cuisine is a matter of family.
GIUSEPPE E FRANCESCO D’ERRICO
Our cuisine is a matter of family.
CORRADO ASSENZA
ALBERT, FERRAN ADRIA’ E ANTONELLA FASSIO
There’s no such thing as good or bad cuisine, only what you like most.
ALBERT, FERRAN ADRIA’ E ANTONELLA FASSIO
There’s no such thing as good or bad cuisine, only what you like most
Everything
turns into new energy when photography is approached in an unconventional way.
The ancient Egyptians
used the silhouette technique
in their art
mainly for practicality, to respect aesthetic rules,
and to focus on the essence of each figure.
This simplified style clearly conveyed basic forms
and carried symbolic meanings tied to their culture and spirituality.
In short, silhouettes in Egyptian art were born from a blend of functionality, symbolism, artistic tradition,
and deep cultural and spiritual ideals.
CORRADO ASSENZA
MAURO ULIASSI CHEF ED IO
ChefProfile is more than a photography project. It’s a game, an artistic dialogue between chef and photographer. Each shot is an invitation to play, an opportunity to get to know one another. I’m always searching for the playful element at the heart of every creative process.
I describe my work as a creative, immersive experience, one that begins and ends with the seriousness of play.
MAURO ULIASSI CHEF ED IO
ChefProfile è più di un progetto fotografico. È un gioco, un dialogo artistico tra il cuoco e il fotografo. Ogni scatto è un invito al divertimento, un’opportunità per conoscersi meglio. Sono sempre alla ricerca del lato ludico fondamentale in ogni lavoro creativo.
Definisco la mia attività: un’esperienza creativa e coinvolgente che parte e si conclude con la serietà di un gioco.
MAURO ULIASSI CHEF
ED IO
ChefProfile è più di un progetto fotografico. È un gioco, un dialogo artistico tra il cuoco e il fotografo. Ogni scatto è un invito al divertimento, un’opportunità per conoscersi meglio. Sono sempre alla ricerca del lato ludico fondamentale in ogni lavoro creativo.
Definisco la mia attività: un’esperienza creativa e coinvolgente che parte e si conclude con la serietà di un gioco.
The Brigade at “Le Meurice”, Paris
Chef Amaury Bouhours.
The Brigade at “Le Meurice”, Paris
Chef Amaury Bouhours.
BRIGATA DEL “LE MEURICE” DI PARIGI
CHEF AMAURY BOUHOURS
Alain Ducasse
Cuisine is a love story.
First, you fall in love with the ingredients.
Then, with the people who cook them.
After fifteen years dedicated to photographing winter sports, documenting the Olympics, World Cups, and alpine ski championships across Europe, I decided to change course, while keeping one essential theme at the center of my storytelling:
human survival, and the need for food.
That path led me into Italian prisons,
where I photographed inmates cooking meals inside their cells.
The result of that experience was the book “Il Gambero Nero: Recipes from Prison”.
That pivotal moment in my career revealed a deep connection between the atmosphere of prison cells and that of professional kitchens, parallel spaces and rhythms that are surprisingly alike.
Since then, I’ve continued to develop parallel, deeply connected projects, ones that explore the margins and beyond, with a constant focus on people and their unique traits.
I tell stories that bring together human experiences
through the shared need for FOOD.
Dopo quindici anni dedicati alla fotografia di reportage sugli sport invernali, documentando eventi olimpici, coppe del mondo e campionati invernali in tutta Europa, ho deciso di cambiare rotta mantenendo sempre al centro della mia narrazione il tema comune del bisogno dell’uomo per vivere: il cibo. Questa direzione mi ha portato all’interno delle carceri italiane a fotografare detenuti cucinare all’interno delle proprie celle. Il risultato di questa esperienza è stato il libro “Il gambero Nero: ricette dal carcere”. Questo momento cruciale nella mia carriera ha evidenziato per me una connessione profonda tra le atmosfere delle celle e quelle delle cucine, rivelando spazi e tempi paralleli sorprendentemente simili. Da allora, ho continuato a sviluppare progetti paralleli, ma fortemente vicini che esplorano le periferie e non solo con al centro l’uomo e le sue peculiarità, continuando a narrare storie che uniscono esperienze umane attraverso la strada del comune bisogno di CIBO.
Chef Profile is an example of portrait photography applied to the world of food. The project is part of Davide Dutto’s photographic work, with a strong focus on human value, the memory of gestures, and the culture of labor in the kitchen.
Each portrait celebrates the personal and professional stories of chefs through a visual style that is sober, direct, and profound. A project born to give voice—through images—to those who transform food into narrative, every single day.