As a photographer, I am intrigued by how people arrange their spaces. Some consider the kitchen the most important room in a home. Not only is it where food is prepared daily to satisfy our physical needs, it’s also the place where social relationships are secured and cultural identities are passed from one generation to the next through the rituals of cooking, sharing recipes, and eating together.
I was drawn to these rather spare kitchens in Cuba, where out of necessity, people have learned to improvise. In every kitchen I photographed, there were obvious signs of care reflected in the way people placed their few belongings. Each image is imprinted with a sense of the spirit of those who live within. ellensilverman.com
These images have inspired Ellen Silverman’s next photographic project: The Cuban Table, a cookbook collaboration with Cuban-American food writer and blogger Ana Pelaez; it will be published by St. Martin’s Press in the fall of 2014.
