Around Queens: Queens Chef Project

DREW REID KERR is the founder of “Queens Chef Project” Drew grew up in both the Flushing and Howard Beach areas of Queens. He later lived in Kew Gardens for 10 years. Before opening his consultancy, Drew worked for CBS Magazines and then Radio City Music Hall Productions. His street photography project, Faces Of The 7 Train, was shot over a period of six years. In October 2018, Drew was lucky enough to be chosen to tell a story in front of a live audience for The Moth. He shot, edited, composed and played the music for a short video about the isolation of the Coronavirus pandemic called "Distance" in April 2020. ​ "A Great Place To Live," Drew's photographic exploration of a little-known section of Howard Beach, will go live online in the first half of 2022. “Queens Chef Project” is his one-year passion project: 50 chefs from Queens telling the stories about the objects in their kitchens that mean the most to them. He shot more than 17,000 photographs, taped countless interviews, recorded lots of video and traveled to all corners of Queens by subway, bus, and railroad. He did this because outside of our families, these are the people who take care of all of us. After getting kicked down during this pandemic, I wanted to make sure these chefs and owners are recognized for more than pretty food pictures and recipes. I wanted them to be seen as real people with great stories to tell.