Alice & Angela. West End Chinese Restaurant. Prince Rupert, BC
It's not very often that I photograph high profile celebrities, so when I was asked to shoot Alice and Angela for "Extremely Friendly & Charming Asian-Canadian Waitress Magazine" I absolutely couldn't refuse. Housed in a 1950's - style diner and renowned for it's pancakes and Wonton soup, the West End Restaurant is now the first Michelin - starred restaurant in Northwestern British Columbia to feature a menu entirely under $20. Recently hailed as "The Momofuku of Prince Rupert", this formerly low key eatery has attracted exclusive international guests including Zack Morris, Oprah, The Queen of Puerto Rico, Pharell Williams, Fat Mike from NOFX, Willy Nelson and Penelope Cruz's uncle.
The morning of the shoot was windy and cold and a thick fog creeped in off the coast settling over the downtown. Despite the weather and the early hour, a mob of crazed fans and paparazzi had gathered outside the restaurant in eager anticipation of the celebrity duo. I forced my way through the crowd and began setting up inside with the help of my nine assistants while enjoying my usual organic, non-fat, triple hot, handcrafted, goat's milk Cappuccino with gold flakes sprinkled on top. Shortly after, Alice and Angela arrived as the squawking of seagulls was drowned out by the screams of adoring fans outside. In a clever yet unsuccessful move by their PR team, instead of arriving by limousine, Angela discreetly showed up on foot while Alice was dropped off by her husband in a late 90's Jeep Grande Cherokee.
Once inside, the ladies sipped Chinese tea while discussing their rise to superstardom, speaking occasionally between themselves in Mandarin when clarifying certain details and facts. The two humbly refused any styling, hair or makeup, suggesting they revert to their "old look" consisting simply of red polo shirts that matched the decor of the restaurant. Afterwards they offered me breakfast on the house and went about their usual routines, while every so often popping outside to sign an autograph or accept a massive bouquet of roses.