September 2025

Photoshoot.

Our first photoshoot was in June 2021, back when we only had about 30 recipes in the book. Over the years, we’ve more than doubled the number of recipes, which led to another photoshoot in January 2024. 

Every recipe in Table of Gods has at least one photo. Some of the longer recipes have two: one in-progress and one of the final dish. 

The purpose of our third photoshoot wasn’t primarily to take photos of new recipes (we’ve only added a few since January 2024)—but to improve some of the earlier photos. 

I know it sounds insane.

Why would you spend time and money to reshoot photos that are already great? The answer is: because they can be greater.

When you think about your work as something that will exist for hundreds of years, it makes sense to reshoot a photo you know can be 10% better. 

Besides, a photo in Table of Gods isn’t just a photo. It’s a story.

Above left: two bakers from the Ginau Agency in Ashur, 1239 BC. The Ginau Agency consisted of 50 of Assyria’s best bakers who daily offered 400 loaves to the Assyrian gods. Among the breads they baked was Huhhurtu, a braided loaf with dates and nuts. Above right: the final image of the bread offered to the gods.

It’s important that the photo not only captures the recipe—but the story.

Since I used to write screenplays (none of my work has been produced—though one of my screenplays was represented by an agent in Hollywood), I basically took on the role of writer, producer, director, and costume designer for this photoshoot. 

I went about it as if I were producing a movie, but in still pictures. 

So here’s what I did.

I wrote a scene for every photo, highlighting the time of day, location, lighting, camera angle, actions, props, costumes, and the general mood I wanted to capture (joy, sadness, power, poverty, friendship, etc.). 

This took me about a month.

Then I hired 13 “actors,” spent weeks planning their costumes and jewelry, as well as the other props and backgrounds for each photo.

This is especially challenging for a project like Table of Gods, where things have to look historically correct (nothing you see in the photos is actually 4,000 years old, but you get the point). 

Aside from the “actors,” there were 6–7 of us in the studio at all times. One photographer, one food stylist, three chefs/bakers (my parents and sister), one assistant, and I. 

We spent 12–14 hours in the studio each day and shot 29 photos over four days. In a typical food photography session, you could easily shoot twice as many.

But when you spend an hour setting up the scene and another fine-tuning the lighting, angle, models, and shot, it’s impossible—despite all the planning.

Above left: King Zimri-Lim’s head chef, Ama-Dugga, preparing a soup with mushroom balls. Yes, it’s a real ostrich egg on the side (King Zimri-Lim loved ostrich eggs). Above right: Gilgamesh and Enkidu sharing a meal on their way to slay Humbaba in the cedar forest. To stage a forest in the studio, my dad and I hauled in bags of bushes, leaves, stones, and wood from a forest near my home.

Best in the world

My goal with Table of Gods is to make the best book that has ever existed on planet Earth. 

On the one hand, that’s a ridiculous goal. Art isn’t science. It can’t be measured like that. On the other hand, it forces me to set the bar higher than anyone has ever done. And that’s where greatness comes from—because you can never rise above your standards.

I seriously don’t think anyone in the world has spent so much time and resources shooting merely 29 photos for a cookbook.

Whether it makes my photos better in the end is not for me to decide.

But the thought of doing something that’s best in the world is what pushed me to quit my day-job and spend six years (and all my savings) on this book in the first place—the greatest decision I’ve ever made (second only to marrying my wife, who will read this, smile, and call bullshit).

I hope the book will eventually be of service to the world. Because the world needs to know about the wonders of ancient Mesopotamia—which we’re all inheritors of.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this month’s progress update. 

PS: Last month, we had over 22,000,000 views across Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube, where we share short videos of recipes and stories from Table of Gods.

PPS: Since you read all the way down, you might want to check out the video I just released on YouTube where I show you everything I wrote about in this email :)