A peek behind the scenes of the beautiful editorial hub, Food52, where I gathered with other food photo enthusiasts for a styling workshop. 

Do you have a forced reflection plan?

Anniversaries accrue (thankfully!), my “pup” is actually approaching her 30’s, bands I saw in gritty bars are now returning to the expensive main stages, and dammit, there’s a new development popping up every day. They say “time flies,” but it feels more like “time jet propels!”

I’ve made a few feeble attempts to reflect more, cherish more and fight tooth and nail to slow time just a bit. Last New Year’s, I added a Passion Planner to my “routine,” another effort to look back on each month, put pen to paper and record the highs and lows- great in theory, a little late in practice. But better late than never?

In that spirit of catch-up revelry, I’m returning to summer in the city, New York City to be exact. In August, the Food Mood Girl and I ventured to Food52’s hub for a styling workshop. We woke up in Brooklyn, took the subway to a gleaming building, rode the elevator up, up, up, and the doors opened to a DREAM KITCHEN, and we knew we had arrived!

If you’re new to this corner of the web, you may not know my main hustle is working as a freelance food stylist for commercial and editorial shoots (very different than taking photos for a blog!). There’s no single track to becoming a food stylist. A lot of stylists come from culinary backgrounds. I came from a passion for food and storytelling and learned my techniques through a combination of research, practice, and assisting more seasoned stylists. I’m always curious to see how others approach primping food for the camera, so that was my goal for attending the Food52 workshop.

Food52 as a brand has a very distinct, minimal style, so their food styling doesn’t have to be very technical, so the workshop was more about arriving at their particular sweet spot and the rules they use to guide their choices. I didn’t walk away with any new technical tips, but witnessing such a dreamy setup, meeting other food enthusiasts, and eating some of their trusty recipes made for an overall good experience.

Food52 will be hosting more of these types of workshops down the line, so I recommend them if you are very new to styling and are trying to come to your own photo philosophy (e.g.: am I messy? Am I minimal? Am I a maximalist? Am I precise? etc). If you’re already using tweezers and torches, you probably won’t gain a ton of insight from this particular course, but you will eat well!

Can someone please find me the recipe for Food52’s Feta Pistachio Dip (with rosehips!)??? I can’t seem to find it, and I have craved it ever since that fateful day in August.

My ice cream vignette featured Tillamook’s Creamy California Pistachio. I would not be upset in the least if Tillamook sent a case of that flavor (or Stumptown Cold Brew Coffee flavor) to my doorstep. On the contrary, I’d be happy as a Quelcy in an ice cream shop! (Are you craving an ice cream sandwich yet? Try making my Sprouted Spelt Peanut Butter Cookie version.)

All in all, the Food52 workshop was a delicious day worth relishing!

Cheers,

 

 

 

ps: Follow the eating adventures of some of the fun folks I met at the workshop:

Dyanne: On a mission to waste nothing as she cooks and eats her way around Rome.
Sam Sabol: eat through New York vicariously with personal chef Sam.
Christie Dietz: British food writer based in Germany but currently eating her way through DC. Quite the cookbook collection!
Shea Gilliam: aka “The Foodiest” eats her way through all the prettiest places
Nicole B: We went all the way to New York to meet fellow Pittsburghers.
Plus, my good friend, travel partner and fellow workshop attendee, Lindsey Smith, aka The Food Mood Girl.

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