This was a fun one… I photographed legendary Philly (ex) mobster Joseph Salvatore “Skinny Joey” Merlino for the June 2025 issue of Philadelphia Magazine.
The shoot happened at his new restaurant, Skinny Joey’s Cheesesteaks, on a cold morning in early April. The place wasn’t opening for another half hour but people were already lined up down the block - waiting for a steak or pork sandwich and to maybe get a glimpse of the man himself.
We shot at a few different spots in and around the place… but the two tone walls in the corner of the back storeroom was the best spot. Joey didn’t need much direction… and I wasn’t sure about giving it uninvited, anyway, lol. At one point he called me “cugine”… that was cool. It’s the Italian word for “cousin”.
The cheesesteak was pretty good, too!
You can read the interview with Joey here.