I had never thought of a way to merge my Sculpture and Painting studies at Vassar College and the Arts Students League with my multiple positions cooking in restaurants. But there it is: a fine arts background with restaurant-kitchen savvy skills. I went on to apprentice with one of the few Food Stylist gurus in the early 1980s, and have loved Food Styling ever since — starting in editorial and then moving to ad-based campaigns and now more packaging.

Since that fateful lunch, I’ve traveled nationwide and to Canada as a food stylist for some 25,000 still life shots, five million frames of film for TV commercials, and worked on six cookbooks. I feel so lucky to enjoy my work and continue to love to figure out how to solve complicated food questions, realize client’s vision for their products, and to have a great time on the set. With years of experience come the tricks of the trade — an amazing dollop, the perfect grilled steak, an impeccable egg… the list goes on and on.