Restauranteur, John Cassimus, at Sawtooth Plantation [Published in Birmingham Magazine]

Last month I once again had the privilege and pleasure to shoot for Birmingham Magazine. I’m thrilled every time they ask me to shoot for them. There’s just something special about being published in your hometown magazine. My assignment was to photograph restauranteur, John Cassimus’ Sawtooth Plantation home for the November issue.

When we arrived at the plantation, I photographed the inside of John’s home designed by the talented Adams-Gerndt Design Group. Later, we all rode around the land in his pickup truck, with the windows rolled down, on a beautiful October day, listening to country music while we worked. Every now and then I would yell “Stop the truck!” so I could jump out and grab a shot. John was a fantastic host and ended our long day of shooting with a fire in the firepit at sunset, and a delicious southern meal cooked in his well-appointed kitchen. We sat around his cozy dinner table listening to his story of a boy with big dreams, who was inspired by the great outdoors and his mom, who is an amazing cook. Out of this inspiration grew the Zoes Kitchen franchise, which today has over 100 locations nationwide. When John sold Zoes, he built his home on acres of sawtooth oak tree-lined hunting land outside of Auburn, Alabama, hence the name. The ironic thing is he played football at the University of Alabama. So, when you drive through the gates, one of the first things you see, is a barn with a huge classic Alabama “A” on the front of it and the windows trimmed in crimson red. Roll Tide! This assignment was pretty much right in my wheelhouse. Such a fun day on the job! Thanks to my friends at Birmingham Magazine who made my work look good with their talented writing and beautiful layout. Be sure to pick up a copy of the November food issue on newsstands now.