Celebrating American Restaurateurs, Summertime Selects
Learn about Whetstone’s new partnership with Resy and American Express, exclusive interview with Photo Editor Lyric Lewin and last week to join Narrative Workshop!
Whetstone Media Partners with American Express and Resy to Celebrate Noteworthy U.S. Restaurateurs!
What makes a restaurant great is more than an assessment of excellent food. It’s about the quality of the feeling they elicit the moment you walk in the door. Restaurants are the most efficient form of time travel we have, a vehicle to take you back to a long-forgotten memory or bring the memory to the forefront in a completely new vision.
When the smell of something smoked or stewed for hours permeates an entire block with a sweet and caramelized waft of meat or pastry, then you know you’ve arrived at the right spot. Especially when the air is filled with the electric excitement of patrons anticipating a great night in a space where the lighting is just right—the perfect ambiance. This is more than a meal.
In the new Corner Table series, Resy and American Express Gold Card have partnered with Stephen Satterfield and Whetstone to tell the stories of some of the wonderful and worthy restaurateurs throughout the U.S. who are rewriting the rules of fine dining and making these magical nights possible.
Each month, we’ll dive into a new restaurant around the country. Let’s eat!
Behind the scenes of Volume 12 with Whetstone Photo Editor Lyric Lewin
We’re celebrating Volume 12 of Whetstone Magazine this summer, and what better way to enjoy it than with Whetstone Magazine’s photo director, Lyric Lewin. We sit down with Lyric for a conversation about food photography workshops, working with photojournalists to depict cheesemaking in the mountains of Poland, and a recent favorite meal (hint, it includes pickled turnip!). I'm now running my own business, Forthright Food + Foto, which includes photography services as well as food photography workshops as a way to encourage creatives to collaborate in person.
What a story you loved working on for Volume 12? Karolina Weircigroch has a beautifully reported and photographed story on an ethnic highlander group that makes cheese in the Polish mountains. She offers such depth in her visual communication and sets a sense of place so well. You will find wide-open airy photographs of the mountains and pastures as well as tightly framed, intimate photographs of weathered hands holding freshly made cheese. As a photo director I think she’s a dream to work with because she always provides a large range of images to select from and details the whole process so well. You can feel the silence in the images as the shepherds are milking the sheep.
What inspired you while putting together Volume 12 together? Working with Whetstone for the past five years (!) I am always inspired by the stories that are sent to us. This issue was the first time I pushed a new direction visually. With the story, “Finger Food: On the Pleasure and Power of Queer Pasta,” I knew I wanted to commission the story to Tropico Photo. Michelle and Forrest are a dynamic photography duo and friends that I’ve worked with before when I was an editor at CNN. They have a very colorful and vibrant style that I knew would translate to this piece so well.
Tell us why you chose the photos you did. What’s the inside scoop on your photo selection process? When I’m making selects I pull from my background in learning about filmmaking actually! I always try to set the scene with a wide, medium and close up. The wide shot sets a sense of place so the viewer knows roughly “where” they are. The medium shot will give a personal element (I always try to weave in a person’s face to see the humanity behind each dish or ingredient) and finally a close-up like hands rolling, stirring or cooking, which adds such a tender intimacy to the visual narrative arc.
Outside of the Whetstone universe, who is your favorite photographer at the moment? Isa Zapata. Her work is stunningly beautiful. It looks like a Dutch painting but with the most dynamic lighting you’ve ever seen. Whether she’s using a flash or a reflection from a glass, this woman knows how to command lighting and color.
What’s a favorite meal you’ve eaten recently? The lamb neck with scallion-labneh and pickled turnip at Calliope. Chef Khaled AlBanna is the chef and co-owner of this Levantine restaurant in the middle of Chattanooga, Tennessee. It’s a beautiful restaurant with a thoughtful and locally-sourced, seasonal menu.
Where can we follow your work? I’m not on social media but you can find me on Substack interviewing creatives in the world of food+bev. I talk to these folks about how climate, tech and culture impacts their processes. I also run my own business Forthright Food + Foto where I offer photography and editing as well as lead food photography workshops and collaborate with local chefs and artists.
Register for HONE’s Narrative Workshop!
Last week to register! Our 8-week workshop is designed to help entrepreneurs, creatives, academics and other audience-minded professionals better connect their stories to the marketplace. Our online, asynchronous workshop is designed to provide pragmatic, hands-on activities and discussions to take your brand narrative to the next level. From story development to digital distribution, brand embodiment and beyond, we’re here to help you grow.
Have questions? Reach out at hello@whetstonemedia.com! We’re happy to chat and answer any questions prior to registration. Payment plans and financial assistance are available.
This entire update is such a feast—for the eyes, the mind, and the spirit. The partnership with Resy + AmEx is incredibly well-aligned with Whetstone’s ethos: celebrating culture through cuisine, not just for what’s on the plate but the stories behind it. Lyric’s visual curation continues to blow me away—her cinematic approach to image selection brings every piece to life in such a grounded, intimate way. And that lamb neck dish? Just added Calliope to my culinary pilgrimage list. So grateful for the continued care and craft across everything you all do.