{"id":25790,"date":"2023-02-16T07:00:39","date_gmt":"2023-02-16T13:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.escoffier.edu\/?p=25790"},"modified":"2024-07-19T08:09:06","modified_gmt":"2024-07-19T13:09:06","slug":"pro-food-stylist-lisa-spychala-learns-new-tricks-at-escoffier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escoffier.edu\/blog\/success-stories\/pro-food-stylist-lisa-spychala-learns-new-tricks-at-escoffier\/","title":{"rendered":"Pro Food Stylist Lisa Spychala Learns New Tricks at Escoffier"},"content":{"rendered":"

Experience alone doesn\u2019t always create confidence.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what food stylist and television producer Lisa Spychala realized, after over a decade in the industry. While she had the culinary skills to get freelance food styling jobs and had learned many tricks of the trade, she knew that there was a big piece missing\u2014education.<\/p>\n

Find out how this successful food stylist<\/a> upped her game through culinary school<\/a> at Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts!<\/p>\n

How the 2008 Recession Led to a New Skill<\/h2>\n

When Lisa first started her career, she had no idea that the job of \u201cfood stylist\u201d even existed. \u201cI didn\u2019t know that the chef on camera wasn\u2019t the person that made all the recipes that you see,\u201d she explains.*<\/p>\n

But she learned quickly. Lisa\u2019s first job out of college was as an associate producer for a company that produced satellite media tours. These lifestyle segments for local morning and interview shows often featured a chef and their food.<\/p>\n

When she first started, her company would hire a food stylist to set up the plates. But food stylists can be expensive. And during the 2008 recession, every client was trimming their budget. With less money coming in, Lisa\u2019s boss had to cut costs. He asked himself what else Lisa could do, since she was already on salary.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn his Italian accent, he said, \u2018Oh, Lisa, you could food style. You do it!\u2019\u201d she recalls.*<\/p>\n

So she did! Her boss sent her to take a few classes on food styling, which helped her to improve. And she found that she loved the cooking as much as the styling. Soon, she was building a name for herself in the industry.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Lisa\u201cThe more I started [food styling], the more my name got thrown around. I started doing it for a bunch of other clients in addition to producing.\u201d*
\nLisa Spychala, Escoffier Online Graduate and Food Stylist<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

Now 14 years later, she\u2019s a successful food stylist in New Jersey and New York City<\/a> who has worked with famous chefs and celebrities!<\/p>\n

\"Pasta,

A spread styled by Lisa for an Italian food cookbook. Photo by Carley Storm Photography<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n

Behind the Scenes As a Food Stylist<\/h2>\n

Many people think food styling is simply plating a finished dish and making it look pretty. Not so!<\/p>\n

\u201cIn most cases,\u201d Lisa explains, \u201cyou\u2019re responsible for everything: shopping for the ingredients, cooking the ingredients, [plating the dish]. You have to know how long the food is going to be on set. How many multiples do you have to make? Is anyone going to eat it? That\u2019s a huge deal. I often use toothpicks to keep something together. But if someone\u2019s going to take a bite out of a burger, you don\u2019t want them to bite into a big toothpick.\u201d*<\/p>\n

There are many misconceptions about what\u2019s real and what\u2019s not. \u201cPeople say, \u2018I heard you use motor oil for pancake syrup.\u2019 Well, I don\u2019t, just in case a host decides to take a bite out of a pancake. The food is real.\u201d*<\/p>\n

\"A

A styling session for a social media account that recreates ancient recipes. Photo by Carley Storm Photography<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n

There are also legal requirements to consider when you\u2019re food styling for food brands. Whatever you\u2019re selling has to be real in any imagery. \u201cIf I have Edy\u2019s Ice Cream as a client,\u201d Lisa says, \u201cI need to use that ice cream… You can\u2019t just use mashed potatoes in place of [the ice cream].\u201d*<\/p>\n

And when someone is<\/em> eating on air, you have to make sure the food tastes good or you may get a reaction that you don\u2019t want! \u201cThere\u2019s nothing worse than [the host or talent] getting a bite of something cold or something gross,\u201d Lisa says. \u201cThat reaction can\u2019t be taken away when you\u2019re on live TV.\u201d* So there is a crucial cooking element to the career of a food stylist.<\/p>\n

\"Cheese

Lisa’s Cheese Puff Crusted Fried Green Tomatoes<\/p><\/div>\n

Food stylists are usually freelancers rather than full-time employees. They have to reach out and network to keep their schedules full.<\/p>\n

And Lisa has certainly made the rounds!<\/p>\n

She\u2019s worked on Food Network\u2019s \u201cThe Kitchen,\u201d with Alex Guarnaschelli<\/a>, Geoffrey Zakarian<\/a>, Jeff Mauro<\/a>, and Sunny Anderson<\/a>, styling food for each celebrity chef across four episodes. She\u2019s also done food styling for Anne Burrell<\/a>, Carla Hall<\/a>, Katie Lee<\/a>, and Aaron Sanchez<\/a>, among many others.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have pictures in Anne Burrell\u2019s apartment making her Cheetos\u00ae Mac & Cheese,\u201d she shares. \u201cIt was just me and her hanging out in her apartment\u2014it was so cool and surreal.\u201d*<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just celebrity chefs\u2026Lisa has worked with some movie stars, too!<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a fun food styling job where Freddie Prinze Jr. was the talent. It was for a dishwasher brand, so all I needed to do was make the kitchen look gross. I had to make stuck-on spaghetti and over-baked mac and cheese. The whole point was to make it the opposite of what I\u2019m used to making it look like. And, of course, Freddie Prinze Jr was the<\/strong> heartthrob when I was a teenager. That was really cool.\u201d*<\/p>\n

\n

\"Lisa\u201cI\u2019m thinking \u2018Oh my God! I\u2019m making sticky spaghetti for Freddie Prinze Jr. He is married to Sarah Michelle Gellar. I am a HUGE \u2018Buffy the Vampire Slayer\u2019 fan…Are we best friends now? That was a trip!\u201d*
\nLisa Spychala, Escoffier Online Graduate and Food Stylist<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

Food Network\u2019s Chopped<\/em> Leads Lisa to Escoffier<\/h2>\n

In 2020, Lisa got the chance to step out from behind the camera and get into the spotlight.<\/p>\n

While she has many years of cooking experience as a food stylist and in a restaurant setting, she never felt comfortable calling herself a chef<\/a>. So she usually ignores the casting emails that she gets for cooking shows.<\/p>\n

Then she received an email for an episode of Food Network\u2019s Chopped<\/em>. The theme? Chef\u2019s Best Friend\u2026aka their dogs.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a golden retriever I\u2019m obsessed with,\u201d* she says. So she figured, why not give it a shot? After all, they would tell her if she wasn\u2019t qualified.<\/p>\n

She filled out her application, and she was delighted when she was selected as an alternate. This meant that she\u2019d just be on hand in case one of the chefs chosen for the show backed out. \u201cThat\u2019s perfect,\u201d she thought. \u201cI don\u2019t have to be on Chopped<\/em>. I can talk to the culinary producer, schmooze, make some friends, get a job with Food Network.\u201d*<\/p>\n

But the week before the shoot, she found out she\u2019d be competing on camera after all<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was panic city,\u201d she recalls. \u201cI studied everything I didn\u2019t need to know, like how to make cookies or desserts from memory. I just overwhelmed myself. I like to say I was on Chopped<\/em> for about five minutes because\u2014spoiler alert\u2014I was the first one to go. But it made me realize what I didn\u2019t know. You can\u2019t learn everything, of course, but I realized I needed more fundamental knowledge about cooking. When they gave me the basket [of ingredients, I realized], \u2018Oh. I can\u2019t just take anything and make something out of it.\u2019 That\u2019s something I\u2019ve always wanted to be able to do.\u201d*<\/p>\n

So after over 10 years as a food stylist, working as a line cook, and getting the ax from Chopped<\/em>, Lisa finally decided it was time to go to culinary school.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Lisa\u201cI was on Chopped before I started culinary school. That was really the inciting incident. I took one look at the fresh sardines, bone marrow, and peanut butter they gave me and thought \u2018Girl, you need to go to culinary school.\u2019\u201d*
\nLisa Spychala, Escoffier Online Graduate and Food Stylist<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

Backing Up Experience with Education at Escoffier<\/h2>\n

For her education, Lisa chose to pursue a diploma in Culinary Arts<\/a> through Escoffier\u2019s online program. This would give her the flexibility to do freelance food styling work while she got her education.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a whirlwind,\u201d she recalls. \u201cI was working at a restaurant, freelancing, and then doing culinary school. The time management part<\/a> took some getting used to. Ultimately, I think, it made me a better worker. I knew that I had to carve out time for the actual lessons and washing my own dishes along with the dishes I dirtied from culinary school. That was what I think was the hardest part.\u201d*<\/p>\n

\"Escoffier

Lisa doing her Escoffier coursework from her home kitchen.<\/p><\/div>\n

While she was familiar with online school, she wasn\u2019t sure what to expect from Escoffier\u2019s online culinary program. \u201cAs I was doing it, I thought, \u2018This [online program] actually makes a lot of sense.\u2019 There is a lot you can tell from the photos<\/a> about what you\u2019re doing right and what you\u2019re doing wrong. No, Chef doesn\u2019t know how much salt you put in. They can tell by the consistency of your rice from the pictures. And it is about you<\/em> learning and self-critiquing.\u201d*<\/p>\n

For Lisa, confidence is key. Now that her time in school has come to an end, she has found a new level of self-assurance.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think if I were to go back [to Chopped<\/em>],\u201d she says, \u201cI would be able to do way better in the competition because I just understand food a lot better.\u201d* She certainly wouldn\u2019t be as intimidated by that basket of ingredients this time around!<\/p>\n

\n

\"Lisa\u201cNow I know what goes into making and cooking the food correctly, as opposed to it being an art project. There was always a level of cooking to food styling, but [now I know] how to make it taste right.\u201d*
\nLisa Spychala, Escoffier Online Graduate and Food Stylist<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

\"endive

An endive salad styled by Lisa for an Italian food cookbook. Photo by Carley Storm Photography<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n

Bringing It All Together<\/h2>\n

Now that she has the education to back up her experience, Lisa is looking forward to her next steps. Those will certainly include food styling. But instead of strictly supporting the star chefs, she\u2019d like to become one of them, developing recipes<\/a> and getting in front of the camera.<\/p>\n

\u201cNext, for me, is to start honing in on how-to and social videos,\u201d* she says. She\u2019d like to help people with both everyday and special event cooking, like the Thanksgiving turkey or bone-in roast beef for Christmas. Those dishes can be intimidating, but she hopes to make them fun and approachable.<\/p>\n

Education helped her to build her own confidence, and now she hopes to bring that to others.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Lisa\u201cOnce you get the hang of [cooking], not only is it fun, it can be simple and easy and delicious. I think people get intimidated when there\u2019s no real reason to be. Like anything else, you\u2019re nervous until you know what you\u2019re doing.\u201d*
\nLisa Spychala, Escoffier Online Graduate and Food Stylist<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

Say Yes\u2026And Know When to Say Say No<\/h2>\n

Lisa has some words of advice for others who are considering culinary school or just getting started with their careers in food.<\/p>\n

First, \u201cNever stop learning. People thought I was crazy for working, food styling, and going to culinary school all at once. But I want to learn so much.\u201d*<\/p>\n

The next piece of advice? Take every opportunity you can. \u201cWhen it comes to work, I always tell younger people that I\u2019m a \u2018yes\u2019 person,\u201d she says. \u201cWhen my boss asked me, \u2018Can you food style?\u2019 my whole life would have been different if I\u2019d said, \u2018No. I’m not doing that. You don\u2019t pay me enough for that.\u2019 Saying yes, within reason, opens up so many doors. It eventually made me indispensable to a company that needed to downsize. They couldn\u2019t get rid of me because I was doing too many jobs.\u201d*<\/p>\n

But there is a point at which you do need to recognize your own value, which is another piece of Lisa\u2019s advice. \u201cDon\u2019t let employers put too<\/em> much on you without asking for a raise,\u201d she adds. \u201cI learned that a couple years later with age and wisdom! But say yes to things, and make yourself indispensable to your industry because it\u2019s only going to help you.\u201d*<\/p>\n

\n

\"Lisa\u201cWhen you stop learning, you stop living.\u201d*
\nLisa Spychala, Escoffier Online Graduate and Food Stylist<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

For Beginners, Experts, and Everyone in Between<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s not only beginners who may wish to improve their food knowledge through education. Even people with years of experience in their field may see the value of learning new skills, techniques, and culinary cultures from around the world.<\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re just graduating high school, decades into your culinary career, or looking to make a career change<\/a>, a degree or diploma from Escoffier may help give you the confidence you need to take the next steps.<\/p>\n

Contact our Admissions Department<\/a> to learn more about our programs and find out which one could be the right fit for you!<\/p>\n

To learn more about culinary school and culinary careers, try these articles next:<\/strong><\/p>\n