One would never know it by viewing Dan Macey's talented work, but food styling wasn't his first career choice. Although he says he always enjoyed cooking and food design from a young age, he actually started as a journalist covering energy issues in Washington, DC. He eventually tired of that work and after moving to New Hope, contacted cookbook author and fellow resident Pam Anderson, the editor of Cook's Illustrated magazine.
"She kindly connected me to freelancing assignments for restaurant industry publications," he says.
Dan says one day Pam asked if he could bake a turkey and drop it off to an upcoming book signing in Doylestown. "This assignment posed a challenge as my home at the time had a very small oven and I literally had to tape the oven shut to cook the turkey. But she was so impressed that she called me the next day to ask me to be her assistant at the magazine. I jumped at the chance and was able to jump-start a new career."
Pam then had an opportunity to sell her book on QVC and asked Dan to help prepare food and style props for the segment. Her publisher noticed and asked Dan to food style for other cookbook authors, which led to connections with publishers, celebrities and food companies working on TV segments, commercials, personal appearances, cookbooks, packaging and advertising. This all enabled Dan to hone his food presentation skills, focusing on the importance of visual appeal.
“The desire to know what something tastes like is a universal trait for all humans and making that bite visually appealing is the first step in making you want to eat it,” he notes.
He says he also pays attention to taste memory to create food that spurs a past connection.
DAN'S FOOD STYLING TIPS FOR HOME COOKS:
- Think of the plate as an artist's palette; use a variety of colors.
- Don't overcrowd the plate; negative space is positive space.
- Serve food on vessels made from natural materials with texture, such as ceramic.
- Don't over-sauce food so you can't see the ingredients.
- Use condiments to create interesting dressings, sauces and add-ins to dress up plain food.
- Make your family feel special by occasionally pulling out your 'good' dishes.
- Celebrate smaller life events with themed meals or table settings.
- Present meat cut into slices on the bias and fan out on a plate versus serving as a big piece.
- Enhance the appearance of food with garnishes of herbs, fruit slices or a drizzle of sauce.