My day at Rocklands was simply all about BBQ Porn (I don’t know if that’s a trending hashtag yet, but it should be) and that was my intention from the get-go.
I didn’t realize beforehand, though, that I would be in the midst of what seemed like a perfectly orchestrated BBQing machine of a staff and it was great to watch each member of the kitchen seamlessly flow from dish to oversized dish throughout morning prep.
John Snedder has built quite an impressive empire of restaurants throughout the D.C. area and judging by my day spent photographing in the kitchen of original Rocklands BBQ, he did so by busting out some damn good food while at the same time taking personal interest in his employees and customers.
Like any successful high volume restaurant, consistency appears to be a key element of success throughout all aspects of the Rocklands operation. During my day in the kitchen everyone simply set to work on the myriad of dishes, sides and tasks required of them with a synchronized efficiency that results from extensive practice and familiarity.
During service the kitchen worked with a marked efficiency, serving up various menu items in a seemingly effortless manner. It didn’t hurt that my afternoon at this Rocklands was a bit on the slow side, a point that has been echoed by nearly every restaurant I have visited this month for the RAMMYs InFocus project. February is considered the slow period for restaurants in the two areas I have lived throughout most of my life, so I can understand. It’s a shame that this project has been relegated to this time of year, but the organizers of the RAMMYs need ample time to organize the materials from this project before it’s officially rolled out.
As a photographer, I consider this timing to be a bit of an advantage. The slower pace has allowed staff members from each location some extra time to open up about their restaurant and what they do there. Plus, I don’t feel as in the way. I don’t want to interfere if shit hits the fan and people are trying to dig themselves out of the weeds. Customers of the restaurants don’t particularly care about my intentions if I somehow impact their service and in this case, I think the negative experience of a customer as a result of my dawdling can be more of a hindrance to a the restaurant than the photo that caused the problem.
In any event, I have officially wrapped shooting for the series and will be putting together my final two (or three) blogposts about my work for the RAMMYs InFocus project over the next few days. Here's an introduction to the project, and be sure to check out Part 1 and Part 2 of the series.