Become Your Own Food Stylist

Food styling is a tricky business but our job is simple: to make food look enticing so you want to eat it – by any means necessary. Some popular “enhancements” include motor oil on pancakes, spraying olive oil on just about anything for sheen, and mashed potatoes masqueraded as ice cream.

However, if your goal is to appetize your guests with presentation, not to poison them, here are some easy real world tricks to make your food look it’s best!

1. Think About Your Menu

We obviously want to wow your guests with something that tastes amazing, but since we eat with our eyes first, consider color and texture. A plain old brown chicken on a platter is probably delicious but think about some colorful accompaniments to add some pop.  A nice bright chickpea and red pepper salad or a sprinkle of some herbs can all liven up a plate. And while we are on the subject…

2. Use White Plates

Think about every restaurant you’ve ever been to. Nine times out of ten your food was probably served on a white plate. This creates a blank canvas so your food can be the art. Feel free to get whimsical when mixing shapes and sizes, but sticking to white makes plating so easy and makes you look like you’re at a pro level. 

3. Portions

A smaller portion makes a nicer presentation so be thoughtful about plate size. You don’t want anything hanging over the side of a too-small plate or swimming in the middle of one that’s too large. Get goldilocks about it and find one that’s just right. Also remember the design rule of odd numbers. 3 looks better than 2, 5 looks better than 4. Why? No idea but just try and it you’ll see for yourself.

Now go get creative, have some fun and make em hungry!

-Lisa Spychala, Food Stylist