Located in downtown Oshkosh, Manila was one of the first Filipino restaurants in the state of Wisconsin. Consequently, the owners faced a challenge unlike most restauranteurs—patrons were unfamiliar with the flavors of their cuisine. The concept for their launch website was to heavily feature both environmental and food photography photography to set expectations, and help whet prospective patron's proverbial whistles.
However, for the duration of the project, the restaurant interior was still being constructed, and there was no chef in the kitchen. Immediately prior to the scheduled opening, I directed a photo shoot which doubled as a private soft open—not the other way around—ensuring that both the website and the staff were ready on opening day.