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How Cool Koala Captured Four Days of Culinary Excellence for The Culinary Federation National Conference
From kitchens to galas, we documented the energy, artistry, and collaboration behind Canada’s most celebrated culinary event, creating thousands of images used by chefs, brands, and partners across the country.
Overview
Client: Culinary Federation
Location: Niagara, ON
Services: Event Photography, Branded Photo Booth Activation, Same-Day Edits, Food and Beverage Photography, Sponsor and Brand Coverage
Timeline: June 5 to 8, 2023
The Project
The Canadian Culinary Federation’s National Conference is where the country’s top chefs, students, and culinary teams come together to compete, connect, and celebrate their craft. Over four packed days, the event included competitions, live demos, awards, dinners, and partner showcases, each demanding a unique approach to photography.
Cool Koala was brought in to provide complete visual coverage for the event, leveraging our deep experience in food and beverage photography and multi-day live production. With multiple photographers on-site each day, we captured everything from kitchen action and front-of-house service to large-scale group portraits, sponsor activations, and plated dishes… hundreds of them.
Our team delivered a comprehensive plan that balanced artistry with logistics. We managed simultaneous shoots across multiple locations, coordinated real-time edits for morning presentations and social media updates, and handled both culinary and event storytelling with consistency and technical precision.
The Federation also chose to add a branded photobooth activation, which quickly became one of the week’s highlights. Attendees received fun, high-quality images with custom logo overlays, ready to share within 48 hours.
By the end of the week, the Federation had a complete visual record of the conference, used not only for post-event recaps but also for future marketing, sponsorship decks, print materials, and communications.
What We Delivered:
Full multi-day coverage of educational sessions, demos, competitions, receptions, expos, cookoffs, and galas
Three photographers on-site for simultaneous coverage of kitchens, front-of-house, and partner activations
Professional food and beverage photography documenting hundreds of plated dishes and competition entries
Branded photobooth activation with custom logo overlays and two-day turnaround
Overnight and same-day edits for morning presentations and social media updates
Sponsor coverage for leading brands including Kraft Heinz, Tabasco, Sysco, GoodLeaf, Lactalis, Canadian Beef, Thermomix, and more
High-resolution gallery delivery with full licensing for the Federation, sponsors, and attendees
The Results
The Culinary Federation received a unified visual archive that documented their flagship event while fuelling ongoing marketing and community engagement. Sponsors and partners reused the imagery across websites, social channels, and printed collateral, creating long-term value that far outlasted the four-day event itself.
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