More Than Just a Pretty Plate. Food Stylist, Laura Goble.

Food Stylist, Laura Goble; Photograph, Jeff Hage, Green Frog PhotoEvery once in a while, I get the opportunity to step away from food allergies, and simply talk to beautiful and interesting people in the world of food. My conversation with Laura Goble is one of those inspirational moments that I'm honored to share with you.  ~Elisabeth

What is a Food Stylist?

“I’m lucky. I love my job.”

When you hear this at the beginning of an interview, you know the conversation will be fun. Food stylist Laura Goble loves food, knows how to cook, and has a creative streak and gobs of energy. Her job isn’t just to make food look pretty for the camera; it’s about balancing editorial and creative, and then integrating a strategy around that pretty food.  

Laura has worked with the United Dairy Farmers, Michigan Apples and the Horseradish Information Council as well as cookbook authors, film producers, and major brands and advertisers. She puts together budgets, creates recipes, and often art directs the shoot as well as styles the chow.  

The task board for this photo shoot. Photo, Jeff Hage, Green Frog Photo.

But what exactly does a food stylist do?

Laura explains, “People have this perception that it’s magic. There are many tricks of the trade, like using Pine Sol to make melted cheese, or motor oil for pancake syrup. Glycerin is popular to make food look fresh, but it gets onto everything. I use very few additives like that.  I think that food is beautiful on its own. You just need the ability to see it, and then help the photographer catch it.”

Laura & Photographer, Brad Bruce on Set

Laura has always loved to cook, but food wasn’t always her gig. After a divorce seven years ago she was forced to drastically rethink her life. As she hung out at photo shoots with another mom who just happened to be a food stylist, she became hooked. Since food styling degrees don’t exist, this was a rare opportunity to apprentice with a veteran. After attending culinary school, including Boston College and the Culinary Institute of America, this mother of four stepped into the work of creating appetites.

Last January, photographer Jeff Hage and I had the chance to catch Laura in action at a photo shoot for author Stephanie Howard and “Kidlicious”, a cookbook full of plant-based foods for kids. The goal was to get twelve shots a day with a staff of four, which is ambitious, especially when working with natural light in a Michigan winter. But very cool to watch.

Food Stylist Toolbag, Photo, Jeff Hage, Green Frog Photo

The two most iconic images of the day were Laura’s stylist bag and back pocket. A set of dentist tweezers that screamed, “It’s about the details, folks!” was the most talked about item. As Laura dunked cilantro into Dawn dishwashing liquid to perk it up, she uncloaked a little more of the stylist mystery. Dawn also clears grease spots from soup. Trident gum is always on the job because, “you can chew it, pop it, and it’s the right thickness to make things stick.” Sometimes she magically mixes canned frosting and powdered sugar to use in place of real ice cream because it sits pretty for long periods of time and doesn’t break a sweat.

Laura w/ the iconic tweeze. Photograph, Jeff Hage, Green Frog Photo

“Food styling uses a lot of intuition.  When you look at a bottle, it’s not a bottle. You see its shape, the light, the composition of the shot.”  

Thus, from her intuition and a pile of dishes, glasses, fabrics and colors emerged the perfect setting for smoothies, the right patterns for nachos, and some added color for a flawlessly placed noodle.

Laura is now highly successful, but she doesn’t forget that someone opened that door for her. She has a passion for developing new talent, and recently moved into a live / work space on Fulton Street called “Acorn Studios”.  She’s fully equipped to host shoots and fulfill her greater creative vision.  

And her pretty plate is chock full of vision.

The kitchen in Acorn Studios. Photo Jeff Hage, Green Frog Photo

Advice on Life, Work, & Becoming a Stylist

FOOD PHILOSOPHY

“Real food.  Everything about it intrigues me. I’m curious to see what and how people eat in different places. My favorite Asian market is in Cleveland – it is just fascinating to see what’s in that market, and what other cultures use for food.”

FAVE G-RAP EATS

“Brewery Vivant has really, really good food.  I’m obsessed with the kale salad at Trillium Haven, and I love Grove.”

Prepping a vegan cake on set. Photo: Jeff Hage, Green Frog PhotoFOOD TRENDS ON SET

• Clients incorporate more whole grains into recipes
• Farm to Table is hot
• Less ingredients, and those that are easy-to-find
• The use of fresh herbs, especially in compound butters
• Kale
• Cost Friendly
• People are starting to care about what they eat
• Clients aren’t as concerned with the perfect photograph, they now look for the “perfectly imperfect”

ADVICE TO BUDDING FOOD STYLISTS

“Don't be a baby.  You need stamina because you are on the go, hauling stuff, and standing a lot.  Love food. Know how to cook. Be resourceful, creative, and willing to go to many places to find just the right thing or the freshest ingredients. Clients might drive you crazy, but you can’t take it personally. It’s all about making their product look great.”

ADVICE ON FINDING A NEW PATH

“You can’t force what you aren’t ready for, and that's OK. I recommend the book by Julia Cameron called, “The Artist’s Way”.  I wrote line after line, stream of consciousness style, and got the junk out of the way. I’ve learned to always say, “yes.” It opens you up to possibilities and makes you figure out how to do it – whatever ‘it’ is. If you can’t, you can always say, ‘no’ later. But I’ve got the balls to do some crazy stuff.  Change affects me, like my kids growing up, but I don’t mind change.  It’s fun.”

 

About the Author

 Elisabeth VeltmanWriter, owner of Blue Pearl Strategies, and lover of all culinary delights, Elisabeth is a Tender Foodie. She started The Tender Palate, a website for foodies with food allergies & The Tender Foodie, its blog, where she consults with experts from every area of the Tender Foodie life. She believes that everyone should live deliciously and have a healthy seat at the table.