Waxlight’s Story
"The menu always starts with what's in the ground, what's good and what's coming in next."
What began as a tight-knit crew of friends has blossomed into a culinary force. Chefs Edward Forster and Joseph Fenush are keepers of a shared vision - serve food that excites them, focused on ingredients grown and produced at local farms.
That synergy fuels creativity. The food menu, typically 20 plates strong, undergoes weekly reinvention—driven entirely by what’s fresh, seasonal, and inspiring. That’s why Waxlight has conceived over a thousand dishes in just six years—learning from every root, scape, and stem that crosses their path.
Their sourcing process begins upstream: farmers call with what’s ready in the field. From that partnership, culinary stories unfold. They celebrate garlic’s full lifecycle—from green shoots to scapes to bulbs—and see beauty in every twist, color, or odd shape of produce. Even asymmetrical carrots and woody asparagus stalks are elevated through pickling, purées, or vinegar infusions.
This commitment to truly local ingredients brings challenges and rewards. Cuts like teres major or rare pork breeds show up sporadically, but the team embraces the unpredictability. Their monthly tasting menus serve as a stage for storytelling—highlighting heritage breeds, underappreciated produce, and seasonal lineage.
Of course, local sourcing comes at a price—literally and logistically. The cost of pasture-raised pork and regionally raised beef is noticeably higher than supermarket fare. But the partners believe the extra labor—hand-harvested, thoughtfully prepared, personally sourced—is more than worth it. They’ve forged intimate relationships with farmers, because for chefs at a restaurant focused on elevating local food, the carefully crafted dishes are about so much more than ingredients on a plate.
