Two people wearing aprons, one yellow and one red, sit and smile at each other in a restaurant bar area with wine glasses hanging above and bottles displayed on shelves in the background.

Two chefs pose in a cozy restaurant. One, seated and smiling, wears a red apron over a white shirt; the other, standing and smiling, wears a yellow apron, glasses, and a cap. Black-and-white photos hang on the wall behind them.

I recently photographed this amazing mother-daughter duo, Iliana De La Vega and Ana, for a Mother's Day feature in The New York Times — 'Restaurants Are Hard Enough to Run. Try Doing It With Your Mother'.
It was a joy to witness their connection as they laughed, shared stories, and prepared for the day together.

Here is a link to the article: "Mother Child Restaurants".

Two chefs mother and daughter work together in a kitchen at their restaurant in Austin. Photo taken by Austin food photographer Nitya Jain.

Chef Portrait for The New York Times. Photo taken by Austin and Seattle photographer Nitya Jain.

Chef Illana in her restaurant El Naranjo in Austin. Chef portait taken by Austin and Seattle based photographer Nitya Jain.

Client: The New York Times

Client: The New York Times

Photographer: Nitya Jain

Location: Austin, TX