Food Styling: Exploring its Prospect as a Career

Food styling. The words do not really ring a bell when we’re talking about lucrative career opportunities. Who are food stylists? The ones who’re responsible for arranging food for food photography. So, the photograph of the sundae which you came across a magazine looks so good because a culinary professional has taken the trouble to ensure that hot-fudge sundae doesn’t end up looking like a helpless chunk of sugar laced with corn syrup. The sundae looks delicious because of the food stylist. And, if you’re eager to jump to conclusions regarding the “insignificance” of food styling as a profession, then do ensure that you are going through the next segment of the post.

Food Styling: Can it be treated as a profitable career?

How do we adjudge the profitability of a job? Numbers are definitely the way to go. Professionals who are associated with the special food services are closest to being called “food stylists.” These professionals, as per Bureau of Labor Statistics earned an average salary of $ 40,890 in the year 2010. So, you can well imagine that to claim that food styling is not a financially rewarding career option would be to undermine its scope.

What more? Food styling is as nuanced a profession as food photography is. Even if someone is looking at food styling as a side hustle, he/she must have the following skills or qualifications:

  • Passion for food
  • Eye for details
  • A degree in culinary arts

If you are interested in food styling you should understand that there is no actual degree for food styling but most of the aspirants start off with culinary arts degree.

Job Responsibilities of a Food Stylist: Basics and Beyond

As far as food styling is concerned, there are more responsibilities than just arranging the food artfully. The stylist is also responsible for making the food taste good as well. There are commercials or cooking shows where the models have to actually eat the food. Under such circumstances, the food stylist has to be careful about the garnishing added by him/her. For instance, it wouldn’t really be prudent to add Pennzoil on pancakes. Plus there are laws that necessitate parity between the food thus advertised and the actual food to be sold.

It is important for food stylists to be duly aware of the nuances of food photography as well. Let us tell you that food stylists have to take care of nuances of things that other artists don’t even have to bother about.

Sharing is caring!

  • Facebook0
  • Twitter
  • Google+1

Leave a Reply