On set with my stylist: Susie Theodorou.
In creating images for my book, I knew I needed an incredible food stylist. Many cookbook authors make the dishes themselves. But that was not a task I was ready to take on—it requires not only being a good cook, but also knowing how to make food look delicious for the camera. So I reached out Susie Theodorou, whose work I admired in Food & Wine Magazine. I adore her style. The food looks loose, exciting, enticing, natural, vibrant. Not cheffy or precious. I also asked Susie to bring the props—not something few food stylists are equipped to do. Luckily, it turned out Susie had as fantastic taste in objects as she did in food. And perhaps more importantly, I discovered she could multitask magnificently. She could plot a photo shoot like a General, keep a team of cooks on track like a French chef, work with the photographer on set like a co-conspirator, pepper star chefs with questions as she prepped the food, make a quick lunch for the crew in "down time", pick out the next apron for the talent (me!).
Given that Susie herself is such an expert, I was particularly curious about what she gleaned on the set of "Mastering My Mistakes in the Kitchen." Always on high alert for something new or interesting, Susie learned a few things that she's shared here:
On lobster from Eric Ripert: "My assistant Brett nicknamed Eric the "lobster whisperer." By holding the lobster claw at an angle, then holding the knife at an angle and whacking it once into the claw and then shifting it, he made taking the meat out of the claw so easy. I still can't do it, but I put it down to being shorter than he is."
Eric Ripert showing us how to hold the knife.
Eric Ripert, the lobster whisperer.
On kimchi from Dave Chang: "I loved the way he cut an X through the cucumbers so he could stuff them without the filling falling out. It was a great way to be sure the cucumbers would be saturated with flavor."
On tomatoes with Jose Andres: "I did not know that by looking at the tomatoes bottom (not stem end), you can work out how many chambers in each tomato has. I was very impressed by that. I don't really love tomatoes, but Jose inspired me to want to like them."
Whenever I think of Susie on the shoot, it makes me smile. I loved her spunk and generosity.