Monica Kass Rogers

It’s always been about the story!  I studied literature, photography, journalism and book arts in college, telling stories with words, images and prints.

I became a full-time magazine writer and editor in the 1980’s, writing for national magazines.  That broadened to freelance writing and photography,  writing cover stories and columns and shooting for six different sections of the Chicago Tribune. Topics included sustainability, women’s issues, gardening, business, architecture and food. I also began writing  for  Crain’s Chicago Business, and Communication Arts.

My research into the revival of vintage recipes for a Chicago Tribune column was so compelling that it became my blog, lostrecipesfound.com. In turn, the process of researching, preparing, propping, food-styling and photographing the recipes for each story launched my professional photography, food styling and recipe development business.

I obtained a BA in journalism at Texas Woman’s University, studying photography and book arts with art department chairman Susan Kae Grant while there. I  followed Grant to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago to study more photography. My interest in printmaking continued and I became a letterpress printing apprentice to Bruce Beck at the Turtle Press in Evanston, which led to a variety of letterpress adventures, including printing whiskey labels for Limestone Branch Distillery in KY.

I specialize in portraiture and food photography, shooting on location and in studio, recently shooting branding campaigns for national food companies. Editorially, my imagery has appeared in Bon Appetit and Food & Wine, the Chicago Tribune and Newcity, as well as a book by Rizzoli. I also write and do photography for all JWCMedia publications.

A Northwestern University artist-in-residence participant, I taught seminars in using the camera as a creative problem-solving tool, Kellogg Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative (KIEI) @ Kellogg School of Management.

My book collaboration with Chef John Coletta  Risotto & Beyond published by Rizzoli March 13, 2018. I wrote all of the text for the book based on interviews with John and with rice experts while in Italy photographing some of the imagery. The book won 1st place in the Italian category and 2nd place in the rice category, Gourmand International Cookbook Awards.  After testing all 100 recipes for the book,  I learned more about Italian rice than I dreamed possible.