Photo Exhibit Celebrates City’s Culinary Community Ahead of Birmingham Restaurant Week

For the second year, Birmingham Restaurant Week has partnered with the City of Birmingham to present a food photo exhibit at City Hall, 710 20th St. North.

Birmingham photographer Mary Fehr

This year’s exhibit by Birmingham photographer Mary Fehr is called “The Magic Ingredient,” and it focuses on chefs and staff behind some of the city’s popular and award-winning food establishments. The exhibit, which is located on the second floor of Birmingham City Hall, will be open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It will be available through Aug. 31.

Featured Birmingham eateries/bars include Last Call Baking Co., Bayonet, Helen, Shu Shop, Bottega, Gus’s Hot Dogs, The Essential, Salud, Continental Drift, Juniper, Tucana Tiki Bar, and Uncle G’s Pizza food truck.

Some of the people highlighted in this exhibit rarely get to step out from behind the kitchen door and into the spotlight. But through Fehr’s work, they shine on well after the dining room has closed for the day.

This exhibit is her love letter to Birmingham’s culinary culture, encouraging visitors to fill up on all that the Magic City has to offer. A photo grid on a center wall of the exhibit features Birmingham food legends Frank and Pardis Stitt from Bottega and Chris Hastings from Hot and Hot Fish Club, along with The Essential owner and head chef Victor King; Tucana Tiki Bar owner Nicky Vann Tisdale; Bayonet and Helen owner Rob McDaniel; Gus’s Hot Dogs owner Lee Pantazis with staff; Continental Drift owner Eric Bennett; Jesus “Chuy” Mendez Jr. from Salud; Uncle G’s Pizza owner George Gilliam; and a Last Call Baking Co. representative.

“I want my images to feel both real and artful, grounded and expressive,” said Fehr, who studied art and art history at the University of Montevallo before building a full-time career as a commercial and wedding photographer in Birmingham. One of her passions is capturing the city’s restaurant scene.

“Whether I’m photographing a person, a place, or a story, my goal is always the same: to create photographs that feel alive and true,” Fehr said.

Some photos include an employee shaping dough into what will eventually become flaky and golden-brown croissants that have gained national attention; a crew on break from standing over a hot grill to make sure the lunch special of the day leaves customers satisfied; and a store owner happily smiling into the camera, likely thinking of what his next creation will be.

The exhibit’s opening comes just weeks before Birmingham Restaurant Week kicks off Thursday, July 30, through Saturday, Aug. 8. During the 10-day event, participating restaurants, bars, and food trucks will have two, three, and four-course meals at a prix-fixe price, ranging from $5 to $60 per person.

This annual event, which started in 2010, offers everything from fine dining to down-home cooking with breakfast, lunch, and dinner options.

Birmingham Restaurant Week will also have a Food Truck Pop-Up Park on Friday, July 24, on Short 20th Street North in front of City Hall from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in partnership with the Office of Innovation and Economic Opportunity’s Magic City Sips program. Organizers will present their signature BRW Preview Party on Tuesday, July 28, at the Theodore by Tre Luna from 5 to 8 p.m., and their Sipology Event on Sunday, Aug. 2, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Lakeview Marina, 518 32nd St. South.

“Our culinary scene is always booming, and there’s something new to discover no matter how many years you’ve been eating in this city,” said Ashley Gooden, the organizer of Birmingham Restaurant Week. “Birmingham Restaurant Week 2026 carries that founding goal forward, giving every restaurant the spotlight they deserve and helping our community fall in love with even more of what Birmingham has to offer.”

For more information on Birmingham Restaurant Week, visit https://bhamrestaurantweek.com.