My Life in Food Styling

By Lori Powell

As the Food Director at Prevention magazine, I see our food pages from the conceptual stage straight through to the finished product. I don’t just oversee, I am the person who is writing the ideas on paper, then shopping for the groceries, developing and writing the recipes, and then styling the food for the camera.

All of this requires me to leave my home in Pennsylvania to stay in a hotel in New York City, a week out of each month, to do the food styling for our pages. Not too shabby since I get to have a New York fix, visit the green markets there and eat out a bit! Do I love my job? YES!

Not one to be happy to just sit behind a desk, this combination of tasks suites me perfectly. Having done both types of jobs separately (desk/kitchen) in my career, I prefer the blend of some desk time with a mix of kitchen/grocery time.

Developing recipes is a whole different stage of creating good food for a magazine than styling the food for the camera. When styling, I sometimes feel that I am running a small restaurant, since the food stylist has to get food out quickly, and with perfect presentation, while keeping it fresh- looking for its stay in front of the camera.

Of course there is so much more that goes into a shoot and a whole team of people makes that happen. Shoots are really like a mini Iron Chef competition – only you know what the food and your competition is in advance: creating gorgeous, delicious and fresh looking food on the plate while racing against time.

Shoots are super-long days on your feet. You start at 7 a.m. doing last-minute shopping (all of what you are buying is highly perishable so sometimes you cannot pick up what you need until that morning). At the studio by 8:15 a.m., maybe sit down for lunch (if you are lucky) for 20 minutes and then you are on your feet until 7:30 p.m. Needless to say, comfy shoes and a long soak in a tub are must haves.

Being in New York City and surrounded by good eats is intoxicating. However, sometimes at the end of the day, I just want to go back to my hotel room, change and cook something just for me...TRULY!

Since I always need a full-size fridge to accommodate the perishables that are required for the shoot, it usually means a stay at a hotel that has a small kitchen. Most kitchens have a range with at least two burners and a sink (lucky if a small dishwasher is included) with at least one pot, a skillet and some odd utensils. I always have my knives with me but if you want to cook in your hotel room, you can call down to the front desk for more equipment.

Here’s a recipe for Hotel Chicken. While you may not want to cook in your hotel room, it proves what you can do with an under-equipped kitchen and minimal utensils to make a good meal.

How to Improvise on Equipment:

• No box grater for the zest: I remove the lemon zest with a knife and chop it
• No colander to drain the pasta: use the lid of the pasta pot or saucepan to carefully drain the pasta.
• No oven mitts: use a sock
• No juicer: use a fork or your hands to squeeze out the juice from the lemon
• No tongs: use a fork or the ubiquitous spatula that the hotel usually provides

To get the recipe and shopping list on your smartphone (iPhone, BlackBerry, Android device) or PC, click here.

Hotel Lemon and Caper Chicken over Whole Wheat Pasta
Serves 1 to 2

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 sliced mushrooms, such as cremini, oyster or shiitake
2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
Salt and pepper
1 large shallot, chopped
2 tablespoons drained capers
½ cup white wine
3 ounces dried whole wheat pasta
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon fresh lemon zest
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, (optional)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (optional)

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over moderately high heat in a medium skillet. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, over moderate to moderately high heat until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and keep warm, covered.

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to skillet and heat over moderate heat. Cook chicken, turning, until golden brown and cooked through, about 12 minutes.

Transfer chicken to a plate and keep warm, covered. Add shallot and capers to skillet and cook over moderate heat until translucent, about 2 minutes. Pour in white wine and let reduce by half.

Meanwhile cook pasta in a pot of salted boiling water following package directions, until al dente, reserve a cup of cooking water and drain.

Add lemon juice, zest, butter, some of the reserved cooking water, cooked mushrooms and pasta to the skillet, adding more cooking liquid as necessary; heat until warmed through and pasta is coated.

Transfer half the pasta to a serving plate and top with a chicken breast and half the basil. Repeat for second serving. Makes 2 servings.

NOTE: If you are cooking for one, you have leftovers for the next night or even better, enough food to have a good friend join you to catch up over a dinner at your temporary home.

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