The Tweezer Times
By Violeta Dimitrova Salama
Reprinted courtesy of “Chefs Corner Magazine”, the publication of the Egyptian Chefs Association
We all have experienced that brief moment of confusion when strolling down the over-packed isles of Spinneys or Carrefour; hundreds of products, all wrapped in eye catching packaging, all demanding our attention. How in the world we are supposed to chose among the multitude of brands at our disposal? We are saved by a vision, a vision we may not even be conscious of, a remnant of an advertisement seen once upon a time. A perfect shot of a fine specimen can stir appetites. When that shot is of a food product, it can also evoke strong cravings that make sales roar. But what makes a perfect shot is not the quality of the ingredients themselves, or the skill of the chef, or even the photographer. Look closer behind the scenes and you won’t find a chef. You’ll find a food stylist. The world of a food stylist is an exciting, diverse and challenging place. It is where food is enhanced and made up just like a glamour model before a shoot. It is a world where passion for food meets attention to detail, where paint brushes assist cooking knives all in the name of that one perfect shot, which will grace large billboards and glossy magazines.In Egypt the profession of food styling is not yet well known. Meet Maha Baraka, Hoda El Sherif and Magy Habib, three stylish women who are the only food stylists in Egypt. They bring their love of food and their passion for art to their work.A typical workday for them consists of making food ready to have its picture taken. This requires that they gather relevant information from many different sources, the photographer, producer, the client, the agency and so on. Then, they organize the job, deciding on amounts of food needed and equipment required. “You have to be not only an expert in the culinary industry but an art creator as well” is the unanimous statement given by all three food stylists, since food does not always behave in front of the camera, especially under the hot studio lights.Working in TV commercials is different from working for magazine shots. When shooting for a TV commercial the food stylist works closely with the director and art director, transmitting their visions—through her food creations—into film. “Things happen to food on film,” shares Hoda El Sherif about her workday. “The shot is of a bite being taken out of a hamburger, so we may need hundred perfectly identical hamburgers ready, or the hungry crew can devour some of the enticing cookies prepared for the shooting, so we always need an extra supply.” Days can start as early as 6am and last into the night, not to mention the hours spent prior to the shoot at home, practicing techniques and improvising with new products. While the food stylist is usually the only responsible person for the food for most commercial shoots, ads of large banquet tables overflowing with foods require the assistance of a chef to help with preparations.In hotels, however, it is usually the Executive Chef who does the food styling. The hotels like to showcase their abilities to create eye-catching cornucopias of delicacies, which are then used to promote the signature restaurants of the hotels. A talented chef is not only a culinary expert but an artist as well; as a result, he will hardly ever allow an outside interference when fashioning a plate. It is also the practice of most Cairo’s leading hotels to put the imagination of their own Chef to use when shooting a promotional advert, therefore omitting the work of a food stylist.Some magazines offer their readers recipes provided by hotel chefs. In that case, it is always the chef who prepares the food in his kitchen while the food stylist, employed or assigned by the magazine, assists with her knowledge of what makes food look good on a picture. It is imperative for Magy Habib, who specializes in magazines shots, to have control over colors and textures; after all, in a photo shoot, looks are more important than taste. “However, one needs to keep things real and believable. I want that ’soul food with a gloss’ look”, explains Magy. “As this will convince readers that despite looking so beautiful, the recipes provided are achievable and can be easily done at home.”Since a perfectly cooked meal can easily loose its star appeal and turn into a wilted mess under the heat of bright lighting, it is up to the stylist to employ certain tricks to make the food “shine.” For instance, they may substitute heavy cream for milk, or use mashed potatoes instead of ice cream. Meat needs to be undercooked to look perky and juicy in a photo. And as for that sublime looking glaze, a bit of Soya sauce carefully brushed on its surface can make the mouths of viewers water. Drops of glycerin sparkle on a salad, simulating morning dew, and Johnson’s baby oil stands in for cooking oil inside the frying pan.”Take a bite from a delicious pizza and watch that yummy mozzarella cheese which lazily lingers from the slice to your lips. And then imagine just how many chewing gums it took to create that perfect stretch of melted heaven…,” teases Maha Baraka with a charming smile on her lips. From a school classroom the stylist borrows white erasers, which then are carefully snipped into pieces and placed on top of a Greek salad, representing scrumptious morsels of Feta cheese.”It is all about the tricks, and you can never know enough tricks,” declares Maha. “Every job is different, every product as demanding as the next one, and a good stylist is in a never ending pursuit for new ideas. A walk to the drugstore can be as rewarding as a visit to the grocery, since on one of its many shelves lays that perfect bottle of velvety hair conditioner, its consistency reminiscent of melting butter.”"Just like an artist who possesses a well stocked tool box, the food stylist has her own magic box,” quips Hoda El Sherif when asked about the tools of her incredible trade. Inside, one can find multitude of equipments, some belonging to the kitchen, others to the art studio and some even borrowed from the world of dentistry. A unique mixture of Q- tips, spatulas, tweezers and food colors among other surprising bits, are the indispensable tools of every successful food stylist.Maha, Hoda, and Magy are the first generation of food stylists in Egypt. They are pioneers in their field trying to carve a niche for themselves. The road they are following is full of opportunities, however they do encounter few obstacles along the way. Since food styling is a new concept in Egypt, there is still a lack of awareness among the local food industry that experts who specialize in “food make-up” do exist. This lack of knowledge is definitely a hindrance for the stylists who need larger exposure to promote their craft. Also many prominent Egyptian food giants still prefer to do their shoots abroad. Partly, because the quality of food ingredients available in Europe is believed to be better, and partly because the studio facilities there are second to none. Regardless of how little is known about the profession here, food styling has been around for decades, thus granting food stylists a solid foundation for learning their craft.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________Violeta Dimitrova lives and works in Egypt, but is originally from Bulgaria. She’s lived in the Middle East for nearly 20 years. She has a hospitality degree from a school in Switzerland.She has always loved food and spends a great deal of time reading about, studying and trying different foods. She was a flight attendant for three years, giving her a unique opportunity to sample flavors around the world.Violeta recently returned to Cairo, Egypt, where she was raised. She currently works for the Egyptian Chef Association, a member of WACS. She writes articles that focus on food and the culinary industry for their member publication. While researching this article on food styling, she discovered that in Cairo, a city of 20 million people, there are only three food stylists.