When Food Becomes Art

the prestigious Travel Photographer of the Year by the Society of American Travel Writers for 2026 and Travel Photographer of the Year by the North American Travel Journalists Association for the second year in a row in 2026, Brad A. Johnson, editorial director of Internova Travel Group's luxury travel and lifestyle magazine OLTRE, is reinventing what travel photography can look like. While previous recipients' work has been focused on southeast Asian sadhus and monks, remote villages, wild animals and stunning scenes of nature, Johnson has focused his lens on what he calls "the emotion of food."

Johnson's delectable images set a new standard for how stories are told, capturing not just the emotion, but the culture and connection that define meaningful and luxury travel and cuisine, which he says is still a growing sector.

His previous entries to large photography contests had been overlooked due to their food-focused theme. "The judges have always chosen the same types of photos," he says. "I sent them a letter telling them their winning images for what makes a travel photographer is outdated. Nobody who shoots luxury or food had ever won before."

Brad Johnson You can view more of his work at BradAJohnson.com

Johnson photographs and writes about everything "from cheap paper plate cuisine to three-star Michelin chefs and restaurants. I see emotion in all of it," says Johnson. "It's different every time. Sometimes it's energy, sometimes it's melancholy, sometimes its raw beauty and sometimes its unabashed unapologetic luxury. It just depends on the cuisine, the destination, and probably my mood as well."

Here is what he has to say about some of his award-winning images.

Bartenders are hospitality ambassadors—often a customer's first glimpse into a restaurant's personality. The cocktails at Matsu in Oceanside, CA are every bit as Japanese as the food. This is Rowland Silver, bar director, making a cocktail with Japanese gin and yuzu.

At first glance, this amuse bouche called "nigiri" at Addison in San Diego by William Bradley might look like macarons rather than sushi. But this is raw ocean trout on rice crackers with shisho and wasabi. This was the first restaurant in San Diego and the entire Southern California region to earn three Michelin stars.

A few years back, en route from London to Southern Italy, I took a detour to Florence - for one night, just so I could dine again at Buca Lapi. This old steakhouse has been serving massive slabs of grass-fed Chianina beef since 1880 in this very basement of Palazzo Antinori in the shadow of the duomo. It's best to reserve a table here before booking your hotel or else risk being turned away at the door.

A little restaurant called Matsu helped put Oceanside, California, on the map. This is koji-fermented duck grilled over binchotan charcoal atop a Japanese konro box. Everything about this dish screams pure Japanese except for the white guy who cooked it (chef William Eick), but don't tell him that. This is one of the best Japanese restaurants in America.

Once in Rome, a chef overheard me say I was headed to Matera, in Southern Italy. He leaned in and said, "Ahh, Matera. They make the best bread in all of Italy." He was not wrong. There's nothing else like it.

Telluride, CO is cowboy country – and this tomahawk ribeye at The Grand chophouse is pure Telluride.

Blackbird restaurant helped cement Chicago's standing as one America's most important food cities.