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Alex Lau head shot - Bon Appétit

Alex Lau

Staff Photographer Emeritus

Alex Lau is a freelance photographer based in New York City. Originally from Queens, New York, Alex moved to San Francisco when he was 12 before returning to the East Coast to attend a journalism program at Emerson College. A true muti-hyphenate, Alex has at times studied jazz, trained in competitive swimming and weight lifting, and worked as a celebrity dog-sitter. It was by chance, after a Hail Mary application for a summer internship to work with Bon Appétit’s visuals team, that Alex solidified food photography as his primary source of interest.

He followed that internship with one at Boston Magazine, working as a digital writer and photographer. Upon returning to New York, he was offered staff roles at both Food & Wine and BA, and we eventually welcomed him back as our new staff photographer. Alex left BA in 2020 to pursue a broader scope of projects; check out his most recent work at 2dcreative.com.

Recipes

Spicy Marinara Sauce

Add another ½ tsp. red pepper flakes if you like it fiery; omit them all if you don’t. This sauce pairs perfectly with our mozzarella sticks.

Culture

The Cocktail Shaker Workout: 6 Exercises to Make You a Better Bartender

Properly shaking up a cocktail requires serious muscles. So we consulted a fitness expert and personal trainer to give us the ideal workout for toning up those arms. (We're serious.)

Recipes

Winter Squash and Short-Rib Enchiladas

Caramelized onions and poblano peppers would be delicious and will lighten up the filling.

Recipes

Chocolate Babka

The secret to babka’s mesmerizing chocolate swirl? A double helix twist (don’t worry, it’s way easier than science class).

Recipes

Seared Duck Breasts with Blood Oranges

Citrus segments get saucy in our play on duck à l’orange.

Recipes

Blood Orange Jell-O Shots

Potent—but so much classier than your dive bar shots.

Recipes

Rigatoni with Brussels Sprouts, Parmesan, Lemon, and Leek

If your largest skillet isn’t large enough to hold 12 oz. pasta and toss everything together, dump the mixture back into the pot from cooking the rigatoni and toss.

Recipes

Sausage Meatball Sandwiches

We like the combo of spicy and sweet Italian sausage, but use any uncooked sausage you like—merguez or chorizo would work. This is part of BA's Best, a collection of our essential recipes.

Recipes

Blood Orange–Chia Pudding

Why drink O.J. with your yogurt when you can mix it in?

Recipes

Cheesy Grits with Poached Eggs, Greens, and Bacon

Winter’s answer to the grain bowl, this feels super hearty and satisfying.

Recipes

Beet and Rye Panzanella

Use whatever bread you have lying around, but we like the earthy flavor combo of rye and beets.

Recipes

Sour Cream and Scallion Drop Biscuits

All that sour cream keeps these drop biscuits super moist and tender—they reheat well, even after sitting out for hours (pop back into 350° oven for 5 minutes).

Recipes

Pastrami Ribs

The ribs become completely tender during the initial cooking, then are crisped under the broiler before serving. Learn how to make this recipe and more in our online cooking class with Sur la Table.

Recipes

Cornmeal Hoecakes

Bob’s Red Mill makes a coarse cornmeal that’s perfect for these, but don’t stress if you can’t find it. A finer grind will just have less crunch.

Recipes

Baked Vanilla-Bourbon Applesauce

Delicious on its own or stirred into oatmeal or yogurt; also great as a side for pork chops and potato pancakes.

Recipes

Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

Think of this as a universal buttermilk ranch dressing that you could use to dunk your veggies or onion rings or drizzle onto your pizza.

Recipes

BA's Best Onion Rings

The secret to our best onion rings is a batter made with beer and club soda; make sure both are very cold before stirring into the batter. This is part of BA's Best, a collection of our essential recipes.

Recipes

Confetti Lentils

These fast-cooking legumes, high in protein and fiber, pair delightfully with our healthy sockeye salmon.

Recipes

Crisp Waffles

This recipe for waffles is crisp and delicate in an almost unreal way. Enjoy them hot off the iron with whipped cream and jam.

Recipes

Sweet-and-Spicy Chex Mix

Don’t scoff at the sour cherries in this Chex mix recipe! Their sweet bite and chewy texture are the perfect foil for all the crunch and salt and spice. But if you’re really not into it, sub mini chocolate chips instead.