This series of images is a compilation from years art directing the Agrarian campaign for Williams-Sonoma. This project is important to me as an Art Director because it is rare that you get to create the mood and esthetic of a whole new business from its inception. As a passionate maker, cook, forager and urban grower, I believe in the ethos of this lifestyle and the beauty in creating. 

This story is the first in a series for the Williams-Sonoma Open Kitchen campaign. As an Art Director, working to visually define a brand and drive the direction is everything. Open Kitchen is about how people come together and connect around food. The simple joy of sharing with friends, and creating a meal together. While this campaign has evolved over the past two years, it has always remained true to the brand. 

Photographer: Eric Wolfinger

Food Stylist: George Dolese

Prop Stylist: Bryson Gill

Nestled in the Smokey Mountain foothills of Tennessee, Blackberry Farm is a bucolic culinary dream. Sustainable farming, a stocked larder, and an inspiring restaurant. A Williams-Sonoma Thanksgiving at Blackberry Farm was an incredible opportunity to share not only a menu, but the pastoral way of life. Capturing the people and characters of Blackberry Farm was essential to telling the story and creating an emotional connection with the Williams-Sonoma customer. 

Photographer: John Kernick

Food Stylist: Alison Attenborough

Prop Stylist: Marcus Hay

Charleston, SC is experiencing a renaissance of design, food and creativity. For this Williams-Sonoma Open Kitchen campaign, we headed south where chef Ben Towill, of the Fat Radish in NYC, and his uber talented fiancé, Kate Dougherty, have recently relocated. We hosted a lunch for them and several friends, taking it up a notch, in southern style. The beauty, architecture, people and food of Charleston made this one of my all time favorite shoots to art direct. 

Photographer: Mikkel Vang

Food Stylist: George Dolese

Prop Stylist: Helen Quinn

Sometimes simple + graphic + delicious says it all. 

Photographer: Con Poulos

Food Stylist: Alison Attenborough

Prop Stylist: Glen Proebstel

(except where noted)

We collaborated with Chef Ari Rosen, from SCOPA restaurant, to host his family and friends for an al fresco afternoon that rolled well into the evening. Wine makers, farmers, chefs and even a movie producer came together for a magical meal in Healdsburg, CA, made with local produce, cooked by Ari. This shoot is part of the Williams-Sonoma Open Kitchen campaign.

Photographer: John Kernick

Food Stylist: George Dolese

Prop Stylist: JC Garcia

There are many manifestations of what Thanksgiving means to different people.  It can be a laid back dinner with friends, where everyone ends up in the kitchen cooking together, or a more formal hosted family affair. But at the core, the gratitude and sentiment is universal. This calls for art direction that is convivial, inspiring and delicious but also speaks to different styles of entertaining and celebrating. 

Telling the story of a season through food, light and atmosphere, in an authentic and inspirational way, is the essence of art direction. This is a compilation of al fresco summer images that capture this spirit. 

Photographers: Anna Williams, Chris Court

Food Stylist: Alison Attenborough, Sandra Cook, George Dolese

Prop Stylist: Marcus Hay, Amy Wilson, Lynsey Fryers

Chef Josef Centeno has brought the nacho back...the creamy gooey queso kind. With a complex flavor and unexpected ingredients. (And great cocktails). As part of the Williams-Sonoma Open Kitchen campaign, we sought to spread the Tex-Mex word with a party shoot at Bar Ama in DTLA. As an Art Director, capturing the layers and detail in the food, as well as the joie de vivre that comes with queso, is essential to storytelling. 

Photographer: Peden + Munk

Food Stylist: George Dolese

Prop Stylist: Lucy Attwater

My feature in each issue of Edible San Francisco Magazine shares seasonal recipes from my own kitchen. These are inspired by my world travels, farmers market forays and vivid food memories. This is the food that I love to cook, eat and share. 

All writing, recipe development and photography by Kathleen Korb.