xiv
was there, I started my own catering business to supple-
ment my income. Th e catering business was a big success.
I was able to purchase a van and hire assistants. But a
couple of years later when the oil business in Oklahoma
took a nosedive, so did my clients’ budgets for catered
events. I decided to relocate to an area that was more
economically diverse.After a move to Dallas, Texas, I had the good fortune to
meet a freelance food stylist who off ered to be my food
styling mentor. She guaranteed that during the time I
worked with her, I would be introduced to photographers
and art directors who might have food styling work for
me in the future. She also strongly encouraged me to
build a portfolio. Th e only thing she asked in return was
that I assist her when she worked. She assured me I
would make more money working with her than I could
as a pastry chef. Th at was all I needed to hear to convince
me to accept her off er. Th e combination of being an artsy
girl and having a solid background in food, including
food chemistry, nutrition, and presentation, made me a
natural in the world of food styling. My career quickly
progressed from assistant, to stylist, to lead stylist in the
Dallas market.I was a freelance food stylist in the Dallas commercial
market for more than 20 years. When it comes to food
styling, I have done it all, for both fi lm and still pho-tography. My client list includes many national and inter-
national food accounts: Bennigan’s, Chili’s, Braum’s Ice
Cream, Steak & Ale, Safeway, Popeye’s Chicken, Sam’s
Club, Neiman Marcus, Harry & David, Travel Hosts,
Quaker Foods, Weight Watchers, Burleson’s Honey,
Affi liated Foods, Fleming Foods, Fresh World Farms,
Excel Beef, Earth Grain, Rainbow Bread, Fur’s Cafeteria,
Baskin Robbin’s Ice Cream, Schlotzsky’s, Wolf Brand
Chili, Church’s Chicken, Tony Roma, Pizza Inn, Harri-
gan’s, Embassy Suites, Taco Tico, Del Taco, McDonald’s,
Long John Silver’s, Taco Bueno, American Airlines,
Rudy’s Farm Sausage, Grandy’s, Mrs. Crockett, Tyson
Foods, FritoLay, and Collin Street Bakery, among
others.One of my most frequent clients, Harry & David, off ered
me a full-time position as stylist manager in their in-
house photography studio. I accepted that off er and spent
a few years working with them in Oregon. Now I am
taking yet another step down my career path with the
creation of this book, and I look forward to teaching
seminars on food styling.I’ve learned many things about food styling from various
sources during my career. A great deal of my accumulated
knowledge was gathered through the trial-and-error
method, while some information was shared by other
food stylists. However, during the last 12 years I wasABOUT THE AUTHORS