Food Styling for Target

ASSIGNMENT

Establish meaningful connection and drive engagement with the Gen Z audience via relevant social content like hashtag “bless this mess”, highly relatable interpersonal friction with family members, and curating a more inclusive multi-cultural Thanksgiving tablescape spread (southern friend chicken and waffles, Mexican roasted corn, saucy Italian spaghetti). 

Holiday cheer doesn’t have to be a picture of perfection, it should be about connection. We were tasked with creating an artfully and humorously intergenerational food fight to generate shareable, laughable, joyful holiday content.

BTS

“Special Effects”

Challenges excite me. Problem-solving runs in my blood (being the daughter of an engineer) and therefore I believe everything is figure-out-able! On a tight set in a rented Airbnb, we needed to suspend food without damaging the ceilings. From my food styling kit I grabbed a fishing line and masking tape: strong enough to hold the weight, invisible in post-production, and flexible enough to toss and make each bite pirouette perfectly for the camera. Strong, invisible, and precise—letting the food dance exactly where I wanted it, frame by frame. Magic, made possible by the power of fishing line, masking tape, and a can-do attitude! 

Prop & Drop
Typically, a dedicated Prop Stylist would have ideated, pre-tested, and assembled the ‘special effects’ mentioned above, but due to budget constraints, there was no Prop Stylist on set for the shoot day. However, the Prop Stylist did do a “Prop & Drop” on Prep Day.  

• Prop & Drop (as a service): The prop stylist sources and delivers a full set of props—plates, bowls, utensils, linens, glasses, decorative items—to the studio or shoot location. They essentially provide the collection of options needed for the shoot day. 

• Food Stylist’s Role with a Prop & Drop: Once the props are on set, the food stylist selects which dishes go in which props, arranging the food to complement the plate, bowl,  or platter. The food stylist considers scale, color, texture, and composition to make the food look its best. Essentially, the Food Stylist steps into the role as the Tabletop Prop Stylist on the actual shoot day.

On larger productions with bigger budgets, I prefer to work in tandem and in collaboration with the dedicated Prop Stylist or Set Designer. However, on smaller scrappier shoots, I jump at the opportunity to do both the food styling and tabletop prop styling as I *love* having complete creative control over all things on the table!