Epilogue (but, not quite)

The kitchen staff at Cipriani reviewing the project on my iPad. Amazingly talented group.

When I first moved here to the UAE in March, I didn't know anyone, not one person in this country and no one on this continent. 

With iPad in hand, I literally went door to door asking restaurant managers, cooks, chefs, public relations, marketing, communications and owners, "Do you have a moment?" I heard "no" and "thank you, but no thank you" a lot throughout the project and being rejected and turned away is never easy. But for every fourth "no", I also heard, "yes". When given an opportunity to share the project on my iPad, I could always see the "ah ha!" moment when the viewer understood the project. This project was never just about the kitchens. It was about the people, their creations and the energy within the "kitchen area".

Even though the month of June is up, I'm still photographing kitchens that have expressed interest in participating in this project, but were unable to do so within the 30 day time frame due to scheduling conflicts. As I'm wrapping up the project I will also be posting a few more kitchens over the next week or two.

I have met some amazing people from all over the world and have had some amazing meals from the gratuity of these new found friends. This has been a fantastic experience for me and has changed my life in ways I would have never predicted. I can't wait to see where the road leads next.
 

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