Chef Andre Rush

(Former White House Chef of Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump)

Andre Rush (born September 7, 1974) is an American celebrity chef and military veteran. He worked in the White House as a Chef for four administrations. Rush, a retired Master Sergeant of the U.S. Army, gained additional attention for his large biceps and muscular physique.

Rush enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1993. He has been deployed overseas several times, and served as a trainer in hand-to-hand combat and food service. In 1997, Rush began to work as a chef at the White House. He has served the presidential administrations of Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump. He worked at the White House part-time while simultaneously working at The Pentagon. He was in the gym of the Pentagon when it was hit during the September 11, 2001 attacks, and chose to volunteer for combat duties afterwards. Rush was a member of the U.S. Army Culinary Arts Team. In June 2018, Rush received fame when he was photographed by CNN reporter Kate Bennett and Wall Street Journal reporter Vivian Salama preparing a Ramadan meal for a White House dinner. The photo of him cooking on the White House lawn during the annual White House Iftar dinner circulated on Twitter, and subsequently went viral. Later that year, he signed a deal to produce a television show entitled Chef in the City. He has since left his job as a White House chef. In 2020, Rush attended the opening of a Salvation Army in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, whereupon they gave him a celebration of service award.

In 2023, Rush starred in Kitchen Commando, a show about helping struggling restaurants in the DMV Area. It was produced by Gordon Ramsay and premiered on Tubi. In 2024, he was featured in Culinary Class Wars, a South Korean cooking challenge show broadcast by Netflix. In his episode, he participated in a restaurant challenge amongst mukbang YouTubers.

Original photographs of Chef Andre Rush by Marcello Rodarte

Byron Donalds

(Member of the Florida House of Representatives)

Byron Lowell Donalds (born October 28, 1978) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Florida’s 19th congressional district since 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he served in the Florida House of Representatives from 2016 to 2020. His congressional district includes much of Southwest Florida.

Born and raised in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, Donalds attended Florida A&M University and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in finance and marketing from Florida State University in 2002. Before entering politics, Donalds worked in the finance, insurance, and banking industries. Situated in the conservative wing of the Republican Party, Donalds was a member of the Tea Party movement and unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2012. He represented the 80th district in the Florida House of Representatives from 2016 to 2020.

Donalds was elected to Congress in 2020, defeating Democratic nominee Cindy Banyai. In the January 2023 Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives election, Donalds was nominated for the speakership in the fourth through 11th rounds of voting. Several months later, he was again a candidate for the October 2023 Speaker of the United States House of Representatives election. In February of 2024, Donald Trump said that Donalds was among those he was considering as a running mate, and media outlets subsequently listed him as a potential vice-presidential nominee.

In February 2025, Donalds announced his candidacy for governor of Florida in 2026. Days earlier, Trump had posted on Truth Social that Donalds would have his “Complete and Total Endorsement,” and Donalds entered the race with Trump’s backing.

Original photographs of Byron Donalds by Marcello Rodarte

Zach Filkins

(Band OneRepublic / Filkins Vineyards)

Zachary Douglas Filkins (born September 15, 1978) is an American musician, actor and songwriter. He is a guitarist for the pop rock band OneRepublic.
Filkins’s childhood was spent intensely studying classical guitar in Barcelona, Spain. He attended Colorado Springs Christian High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he played for the school soccer team. It was at the high school that he met future bandmate Ryan Tedder during their year. During a drive home, Filkins and Tedder were discussing their favorite musicians and decided to form a band. They began performing in a group called ‘This Beautiful Mess’ with some of their friends, playing small gigs attended by friends and family. After the end of their senior year, Tedder and Filkins parted ways, each attending different colleges.

Filkins plays guitar, viola and sings background vocals for the band. In addition to guitar and background vocals, along with Brent Kutzle, he also aids friend and co-founder, Ryan Tedder, in writing and composing music for the band. Filkins shares writing and composing credits on the songs “All Fall Down”, “Prodigal”, “Say (All I Need)”, “Sleep”, “Something’s Not Right Here”, “Stop and Stare”, “Tyrant” and “Won’t Stop” from the band’s first album, Dreaming Out Loud.

Zach and his wife also recently as of 2024 acquired acreage for a vineyard and winery named Filkins Vineyards which opened May 1. There are no reservations required and they commonly hold events.

Original photographs of Zach Filkins by Marcello Rodarte

Dick Portillo

(Portillo’s Restaurants)

Portillo’s was founded in 1963 by Dick Portillo. After returning from serving in the Marines, Portillo gathered money from his savings and from an investment from his brother Frank to open a hot dog stand. They bought a 12-foot trailer that had no restroom and no running water. They named it “The Dog House”. The Dog House operated on North Avenue in Villa Park. At the beginning stages, the stand was losing money and Portillo needed to find a solution. Portillo went to do some research one day on how other competitors were operating and snuck into one of the back rooms of a competitor and wrote down where they were purchasing their product. He continued the process of learning by visiting different competitors. By 1967, The Dog House was in good standing, was upgraded to a larger trailer, and was renamed “Portillo’s”. In 1970, he partnered with Harold Reskin and opened up his second location in a shopping mall that Reskin owned. Between 1972 and 1989, he opened up a second restaurant under the name “Barney’s” that specialized in BBQ meals. In 1983 Portillo’s opened up its first drive thru in Downers Grove. In the 90’s Portillo’s had profited by more than $50 million with 25 stores around the Chicago area. In 1993, he experimented with a few ideas by combining his concept stores Barney’s and Barnelli’s with a Portillo’s restaurant. In 1994, the first Portillo’s within Chicago city limits opened at the intersection of Clark and Ontario St. In 1995, Portillo opened Key Wester Fish & Pasta House in Naples, Florida. In 1996, Portillo brought the Key Wester Fish & Pasta to Naperville. In 2000, Portillo opened another concept restaurant called Luigi’s House. The Portillo’s chain grew again in 2010 with Honey-Jam Café. The Batavia, Illinois location closed just three years later.

Original photographs of Dick Portillo by Marcello Rodarte

Kelsey Murphy

(USA Master Chef – by MasterChef Legends 2021 / American Season 11)

Kelsey Murphy was a contestant on Season 11 of MasterChef. She won the competition, being the first pregnant woman to win, but also to win with a trio of women in the finale. The eleventh season of the American competitive reality television series MasterChef (subtitled as MasterChef: Legends) was premiered on Fox on June 2, 2021, and concluded on September 15, 2021. Gordon Ramsay, Aarón Sanchez, and Joe Bastianich all returned as judges. The season was won by physical therapist Kelsey Murphy, with bartender Autumn Moretti and food blogger Suu Khin finishing as co-runners-up.

Original photographs of Kelsey Murphy by Marcello Rodarte

Gina Torres

(Suits – Pearson – Firefly – Alias)

Gina Torres (born in April 25, 1969) is an American television and movie actress. She has appeared in many television series, including Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Xena: Warrior Princess, the short-lived Cleopatra 2525, Alias, Firefly, Angel, 24, Suits, The Shield, and Westworld.

She starred opposite Chris Rock in the feature film I Think I Love My Wife, as Carla in the independent film South of Pico, and she reprised her Firefly role in its feature film sequel Serenity. She and her then-husband Laurence Fishburne played a married couple on the NBC television series Hannibal.

Torres played a main role on the USA Network series Suits as Jessica Pearson for the first seven seasons. She will reprise the role in the upcoming drama Pearson, a spin-off about Jessica Pearson moving to Chicago and becoming involved in politics.

Original photographs of Gina Torres by Marcello Rodarte

Transformers 3 – Dark of the Moon

(Josh Duhamel – Shia LaBeouf – John Turturro – Rosie Huntington Whiteley – Patrick Dempsey – Kevin Dunn – Julie White)

Transformers: Dark of the Moon is a 2011 American science fiction action film directed by Michael Bay, and Steven Spielberg as the executive producer , and it is based on the Transformers toy line. It is the third installment in the live-action Transformers film series, and is the sequel to 2009’s Revenge of the Fallen. It is also the first film in the series that was not co-produced by DreamWorks, leaving Paramount Pictures as the sole distributor. The film stars Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel, John Turturro, Tyrese Gibson, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Patrick Dempsey, Kevin Dunn, Julie White, John Malkovich, and Frances McDormand. Its story is set three years after the events of Revenge of the Fallen, and follows the warring Autobots and Decepticons as they battle to possess powerful technology from their homeworld that had crashed on Earth’s moon. Returning Transformers include Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Ironhide, Ratchet, Sideswipe, Skids and Mudflap (as cameos), Wheelie, Megatron, Starscream, Soundwave, Barricade, Sideways, Long Haul, Scrapper, and Brawl.

Development of a third Transformers film began by May 2007. The film employed both regular 35 mm film cameras and specially developed 3D cameras, with filming locations in Chicago, Florida, Indiana, Milwaukee, Moscow, and Washington, D.C. The film was 3D rendered specifically for 3-D, and the visual effects involved more complex robots which took longer to render. Dark of the Moon‘s release date was moved from July 1 to June 29, in order to monitor an early response to footage. Exclusive early premieres took place on June 28, 2011, by Paramount Pictures, one night before worldwide release. The film received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $1.124 billion worldwide. It became the fifth highest-grossing film in history at the time, the second highest-grossing film of 2011, Bay’s highest-grossing film, and the highest-grossing film in the franchise to date. Like the first film, it was nominated for Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Visual Effects at the 84th Academy Awards. It was followed by Transformers: Age of Extinction in 2014.

Original photographs of Transformers 3 by Marcello Rodarte

Gary Sinise

(Forest Gump – CSI NY – Of Mice and Men – Apollo 13 – Criminal Minds)

Gary Alan Sinise (born in March 17, 1955) is an American actor, director and musician. He is known for his comedic and dramatic roles in his career. Among other awards, he has won an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a star on Hollywood Walk of Fame and has been nominated for an Academy Award.

Sinise first starred in a film, when he directed, produced and played George Milton in Of Mice and Men based on the novel by John Steinbeck. This was his major breakthrough and landed him several roles which have become very memorable in popular culture. These roles include Lieutenant Dan Taylor in Forrest Gump (1994), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, Harry S. Truman in Truman (1995), for which he won a Golden Globe, Ken Mattingly in Apollo 13 (1995) and Detective Jimmy Shaker in Ransom (1996) The Green Mile (1999) and Impostor (2002). On television, he has played Detective Mac Taylor in the CBS series CSI: NY (2004–13), Sid in Frasier and George C. Wallace in the television film George Wallace (for which he won an Emmy). From 2016 to 2017, Sinise starred as Special Agent Jack Garrett in Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders. He is a supporter of various veteran organizations and founded the Lt. Dan Band who play at military bases around the world.

Original photographs of Gary Sinise by Marcello Rodarte

Darren Criss

(Glee – American Horror Story – Midway – Girl Most Likely)

Darren Everett Criss (born in February 5, 1987) is an American actor, singer and songwriter. He received Emmy and Golden Globe awards for his leading role in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (2018). He has also appeared on Broadway and in film, and has released several recordings as a soloist and in a band. A founding member and co-owner of StarKid Productions, a musical theater company based in Chicago, Criss first garnered attention playing the lead role of Harry Potter in, and writing most of the music and lyrics for, StarKid’s musical production of A Very Potter Musical. The theater troupe made Billboard history when their original album, Me and My Dick, became the first charting student-produced musical recording, debuting at number eleven on the Top Cast Albums chart in 2010. Criss has also starred on Broadway in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Hedwig and the Angry Inch. In 2015, Criss co-founded Elsie Fest which is touted as “New York City’s first outdoor music festival celebrating tunes from the stage and screen”. Criss is best known for his portrayal of Blaine Anderson on the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee from 2010 until 2015. Initially appearing as the lead vocalist of Glee‘s Dalton Academy Warblers, Criss’ first number, a cover version of “Teenage Dream“, became the fastest-selling Glee single, reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100, and was certified gold in the US. The Warblers have sold over 1.3 million tracks, and the soundtrack album, Glee: The Music Presents the Warblers (2011), peaked at number two on the US Billboard 200. He was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2015 for writing the song “This Time” for the Glee finale. In addition to his music endeavors, Criss starred in the second installment of Ryan Murphy’s American Crime Story.

Original photographs of Darren Criss by Marcello Rodarte

Jennifer Hudson

(Dreamgirls – American Idol – The Voice – Cats)

Jennifer Kate Hudson (born in September 12, 1981) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame in 2004 as a finalist on the third season of American Idol, placing seventh. Hudson made her film debut as Effie White in Dreamgirls (2006), for which she received an Academy Award (The Oscars), a Golden Globe Award, (Given by Whitney Houston) a BAFTA Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actress. She also appeared in Sex and the City (2008), The Secret Life of Bees (2008), and Black Nativity (2013). In 2015, she made her Broadway debut in the role of Shug Avery in The Color Purple. Following her elimination from American Idol and performance in Dreamgirls, Hudson was later signed to Arista Records by Clive Davis and released her self-titled debut studio album in 2008, which was certified gold in the United States, sold over a million copies worldwide, and received a Grammy Award for Best R&B Album. Her subsequent studio albums, I Remember Me (2011) and JHUD (2014), saw continued commercial success with the former also being certified gold in the United States. Hudson received her second Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album in 2017 as a cast member on The Color Purple. Hudson was the star performance at Super Bowl XLIII as well as other mainstream events. Hudson has been described as a friend of former President Barack Obama, who invited her to appear with him at a fundraiser in Beverly Hills during his first term in May 2009. She also performed at the White House at the “Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement” event. In 2013, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Since 2017, Hudson has contributed as a coach on the UK and the US version of The Voice, becoming the first female coach to win the former.

Original photographs of Jennifer Hudson by Marcello Rodarte

Busy Philipps

(White Chicks – Dawson’s Creek – Busy Tonight – Freak and Geeks)

Elizabeth Jean “Busy” Philipps (born in June 25, 1979) is an American actress, writer, producer, and director. She is known for her roles on the television series Freaks and Geeks (1999–2000), Dawson’s Creek (2001–03) and ER (2006–07), and for her portrayal of Laurie Keller on the ABC series Cougar Town (2009–15), for which she received a Critics’ Choice Television Award.^[2] She has also appeared in numerous films, such as The Smokers (2000), Home Room (2002), White Chicks (2004), Made of Honor (2008), He’s Just Not That into You (2009), The Gift (2015), and I Feel Pretty (2018).

Original photographs of Busy Philipps by Marcello Rodarte

Jim Gaffigan

(The Jim Gaffigan Show – American Dreamer – Super Troopers)

James Christopher Gaffigan (born in July 7, 1966) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He was raised in Chesterton, Indiana. His material is often about fatherhood, observations, laziness, and food. He is also regarded as a “clean” comic, using little profanity in his routines. He has had several successful comedy specials, including Mr. Universe, Obsessed, and Cinco, all three of which received Grammy nominations. His memoir, Dad Is Fat (2013) and his most recent book, Food: A Love Story (2014), are both published by Crown Publishers. He co-created and starred in a TV Land television series based on his life called The Jim Gaffigan Show.

He collaborates extensively with his wife, actress Jeannie Gaffigan,^[1] and together they have five children. They are Catholic, a topic that comes up in his comedy, and live in Manhattan, New York City.

Original photographs of Jim Gaffigan by Marcello Rodarte

Aidy Bryant

(I feel Pretty – Shrill – Saturday Night Live – The Big Sick)

Aidan Mackenzy Bryant (born in May 7, 1987) is an American actress and comedian. She is best known as a cast member on the late-night variety series Saturday Night Live, beginning in season 38. For her work on the series, she has been nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards, including for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Other work includes a staring role on the sitcom Shrill and a voice role on Danger & Eggs.

Original photographs of Aidy Bryant by Marcello Rodarte

Nick Offerman

(Deadwood – Making It – Will & Grace – Parks and Recreation)

Nicholas Offerman (born in June 26, 1970) is an American actor, writer, comedian, and carpenter who is known for his role as Ron Swanson in the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation, for which he received the Television Critics Association Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy and was twice nominated for the Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. Offerman is also known for his role in The Founder, in which he portrays Dick McDonald, one of the brothers who developed the fast food chain McDonald’s. His first major television role since the end of Parks and Recreationwas as Karl Weathers in the FX series Fargo, for which he received a Critics’ Choice Television Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Movie/Miniseries.

Original photographs of Nick Offerman by Marcello Rodarte

Jabari Parker

(Chicago Bulls – Atlanta Hawks – Milwaukee Bucks)

Jabari Ali Parker (born in March 15, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the second overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft. He ended his college career after one season of playing for Duke University. Parker was a standout high school athlete, helping his team win four straight state championships for Simeon Career Academy, and was named the National High School Player of the Year by Gatorade and McDonald’s. In his freshman year for the 2013–14 Duke Blue Devils, he was named a consensus first-team All-American, the USBWA National Freshman of the Year, and the runner-up for the John R. Wooden Award (College Player of the Year). Parker is the son of former NBA player Sonny Parker. Parker signed a two-year, $40 million contract with the Chicago Bulls. He debuted with the Bulls on October 18 with 15 points and 5 rebounds off the bench against the Philadelphia 76ers. Four days later, he scored a season-high 20 points off the bench against the Dallas Mavericks. On November 21, Parker posted 20 points and 13 rebounds against the Phoenix Suns, but his eight assists left him two short of his first career triple-double. In early December, soon after Jim Boylen took over the head coaching position from Fred Hoiberg, the Bulls dropped Parker from their rotation, no longer giving him regular minutes. 

Original photographs of Jabari Parker by Marcello Rodarte

Matteo Renzi

(Prime Minister of Italy from 2014 until 2016)

Matteo Renzi (born in January 11, 1975) is an Italian politician who served as the Prime Minister of Italy from February 2014 until December 2016. After the rejection of his constitutional reform in the December 2016 referendum, Renzi formally resigned on 12 December when Foreign Affairs Minister Paolo Gentiloni was appointed new head of the government by President Sergio Mattarella. Renzi served, with a brief interruption, as Secretary of the Democratic Party from 2013 to 2018, when he resigned after the 2018 electoral defeat. He was also President of the Province of Florence from 2004 to 2009 and Mayor of Florence from 2009 to 2014. Renzi, who did not hold a seat in either house of Parliament during his tenure as Prime Minister, became a member of the Senate in March 2018. At the age of 39 years and 42 days upon assuming office, Renzi is the youngest person to have served as Italian Prime Minister (52 days younger than Benito Mussolini, who took office in 1922) and was the youngest leader in the G7. He was also the first serving Mayor to become Prime Minister. Renzi was sometimes described as the de facto leader of the Party of European Socialists, in opposition to the European People’s Party associated with Angela Merkel; the two leaders are together often referred to as Merkenzi. In 2014, the American magazine Fortune ranked Renzi as the third most influential person under 40 in the world, and Foreign Policy listed him as one of the Top 100 Global Thinkers. Moreover, Renzi is nicknamed il Rottamatore (the Scrapper) due to his ambition of renovating the Italian political establishment.

Original photographs of Matteo Renzi by Marcello Rodarte

The U.S. Military & The Pentagon

The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States of America. It consists of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and Space Force (2018). All five armed services are among the seven uniformed services of the United States. From the time of its inception, the U.S. Armed Forces played a decisive role in the history of the United States. A sense of national unity and identity was forged as a result of victory in the First Barbary War and the Second Barbary War. Even so, the founders of the United States were suspicious of a permanent military force. It played a critical role in the American Civil War, continuing to serve as the armed forces of the United States, although a number of its officers resigned to join the military of the Confederate States. The National Security Act of 1947, adopted following World War II and during the Cold War‘s onset, created the modern U.S. military framework. The Act established the National Military Establishment, headed by the secretary of defense; and created the Department of the Air Force and the National Security Council. It was amended in 1949, renaming the National Military Establishment the Department of Defense, and merged the cabinet-level Department of the Army, Department of the Navy, and Department of the Air Force, into the Department of Defense. The U.S. Armed Forces are one of the largest militaries in terms of the number of personnel. It draws its personnel from a large pool of paid volunteers. The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase The Pentagon is often used as a metonym for the Department of Defense and its leadership. Located in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., the building was designed by American architect George Bergstrom and built by contractor John McShain. Ground was broken on September 11, 1941, and the building was dedicated on January 15, 1943. General Brehon Somervell provided the major motivating power behind the project; Colonel Leslie Groves was responsible for overseeing the project for the U.S. Army.

Original photographs of the U.S. Military & Pentagon by Marcello Rodarte