Edmonds Community College’s College Cafe became a photography exhibit in May.  Kevin Ng, an EdCC student, was tasked with taking the photos with the aim of capturing what actually goes in inside the walls of the College Cafe.

Ng’s interest in photography spans over a decade, and it all started with skateboarding. Initially he had an interest in cinematography, but chose photography instead due to it being a cheaper interest, and he hasn’t looked back since.

A local, Ng went to Meadowdale High School and is now on his last quarter at EdCC. He has already acquired a significant amount of experience in the photography field. He goes to local high schools to talk with students about the art, volunteers for a lot of different art events in the community, and was previously the staff photographer for The Triton Review.

This collection for the College Cafe includes 16 pictures of the chefs and some of their delicious creations. Audineh Asaf, visual arts faculty member and co-chair, explained that the Cafe used to only have stock pictures in it. Having a member of the community portray the work of the actual chefs was a much more personal and professional way to liven up the room.

The exhibit needed a grand opening, so a reception was held to show off the photos. The kitchen staff, naturally, prepared hors d’oeuvres for many people that filled the room during the reception.

Ng himself was a great host at the event. He greeted every person who came in and had conversations with many of them. The room was packed with people of all ages, some friends of Ng, and some who have never even heard of him.

An introduction written by Ng himself was framed near the entrance of the Cafe. In it he explains how the kitchen reminded him of his childhood, sitting in the back of his parents’ Chinese restaurant.

“I wanted to provide restaurant customers an up-close perspective of what is happening behind the scenes. I also wanted to capture the unity in the kitchen, as well as the individual contributions that leads to a successful culinary creation,” Ng explained the goal of the photo series. “Lastly, I wanted to showcase the elegance of the food from ingredients to a complete dish”.

Ng definitely did just that within his photographs. The photos are to stay up in the College Cafe for the foreseeable future, so stop by the Cafe and check them out when you have the chance.