3 minute read
A FEAST FOR THE EYES
Students explore the art of food styling
Food is more than just a source of nourishment: it can also be a form of expression and creativity. One class of student interns in the Mount Mary Dietetics program learned this firsthand during a food styling and photography workshop that shared ways to make food look as good as it tastes.
Dietetics assistant professor Meagan Maritato led the fall 2023 class, which covered topics such as camera angles, lighting, use of props and ways to accentuate colors and textures. The students learned how to enhance the appearance of their subject matter, creating vibrant, magazine-worthy shots in the process. The class honed their skills through practice, styling and photographing a diverse array of food – from vegetable trays and charcuterie boards to heaping plates of pasta.
The art of food styling has become more in-demand than ever, as social media sharing creates a need for compelling, high quality visual content. Equipped with this skillset, students can explore career options with magazines and recipe sharing websites, or even launch their own online platforms to showcase their recipes.
“People eat with their eyes,” said Maritato. “Visual content has to be appealing – especially to encourage eating healthy foods. The presentation of colors, shapes and sizes all need to be attractive.” Maritato has built her extensive knowledge of food styling through online marketing of her catering business, featuring her mouth-watering and meticulously styled dishes on Instagram.
Students Makayla Genck and Samantha Pearson reflected on the positive experience that they showcase during the workshop. The two were invited to share their skills during an on-air broadcast by CBS 58 last fall, and both have been able to put their new skills into action through internships with Children’s Hospital. Genck works with children with diabetes, helping find meal plans to suit their dietary needs and preferences, while Pearson assists patients with feeding tubes to get necessary nutrients each day. The students describe how helpful this skillset has been, especially as they work to make food more approachable for children.
“If you make food look appetizing to kids – especially fruits and vegetables – it triggers something that makes them want to eat it,” said Genck.
“I feel like making food visually interesting and including kids in the process of plating food makes it more fun,” added Pearson. “By putting in a little extra work making food look pretty and colorful, the kids really get excited to eat healthy.”
For more information about the dietetics program please visit mtmary.edu/dietetics.
