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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.

Pounded Lemongrass Chicken

This aromatic Vietnamese-inspired dish calls for pounding the chicken breasts to a uniform thinness, which eliminates any dryness.

Fruit-on-the-Bottom Yogurt Cups

A made-from-scratch superfood version of ordinary fruit yogurt (which you will likely never want to buy again!).

Matcha Affogato with Green Tea Ice Cream

Try this delicious variation of matcha, almond milk, green-tea ice cream, and cornflakes on the traditional vanilla-and-espresso dessert.

Blueberry-Chia Smoothie

Also delicious with frozen strawberries or mangoes instead of the pineapple, and with orange juice or any other nut milk for the liquid.

Seared Scallops With Red Chile Paste and Fennel Salad

Scallops: so meaty and delicious and yet so easy to overcook. That’s why we sear these on only one side, preserving the meltingly tender, near-raw texture on the other end.

Cream of Cashew Pea Soup

Cashews lend body, creaminess, and richness to this pea soup and also make it vegan; sub almonds if you prefer.

Corn Salad with Hazelnuts, Pecorino, and Mint

Because would it really be a barbecue without grilled corn?

Barbecue Ribs with Gochujang Sauce

This gochujang rub is great on ribs, but would also work on a pork shoulder before braising, or bone-in pieces of chicken.

Cantaloupe-Studded Champagne Jelly

The only way to perfect cantaloupe jelly? Just add sparkling wine!

Blueberry Ripple Ice Cream

There's no need to make homemade ice cream when blueberry jam ups the flavor and the presentation.

Blueberry-Chia Ice Pops

Keeping some blueberries whole in these ice pops results in unexpected, surprising bursts of sweet, fresh flavor.

Tiki Cantaloupe-Coconut Cocktail

Fresh cantaloupe + coconut make for the perfect summer cocktail.

Savory Shaved Cantaloupe Salad

When shopping for this salad at the market, pick heavy, aromatic cantaloupes with stem ends that yield slightly when pressed.

Zucchini, Potato, and Fontina Pizzettas

We’ve included Gyngell’s recipe for pizza dough, but if you prefer to use store-bought, we promise not to tell.

Dorade with Potatoes and Burst Tomato Sauce

Dorade is also known as sea bream and orata; you can substitute with red snapper or black bass.

Roasted Red Peppers and Cherry Tomatoes With Ricotta

This high-summer salad hits every note on the sweet (red pepper), sour (tomato), salty (ricotta and anchovy), and bitter (olive) scale.

Aperol Slushy

Don’t be fooled by the pretty pink hue; Aperol’s bitterness and tequila’s bite keep this slushy from being too sweet.

Spiced Coffee Affogato with Vanilla Ice Cream

This clever pour-over dessert proves that, yes, it will affogato.

Dark and Stormy Slushy

The Dark ’n’ Stormy is a trademarked drink invented in Bermuda about a hundred years ago, but this slushy version is pretty impressive too.

Miso Corn Soup

White miso is the mildest and sweetest type, which is why it’s called for in this quantity.