Food ‘In’sight
Perfectly garnished food on an exquisite looking salver is the magic recipe to make any dish a masterpiece of creation; a real feast for your eyes even though it may not pleasure your appetite

By Indranie Dasgupta
Out of the five senses that human beings posses (leaving the 6th sense for the extraordinaire), sight is the one which instigates an instant liking or dislike for anything, creating the ‘First Impression’ for the mind. White becomes an amiable colour since we associate it with the pureness it depicts and a certain calmness that it lends to the mind. We fancy silk more because of its elegantly smooth appearance. We enjoy songs better when see fine choreography.

Pleasing the palette is a chef’s job; what food designers/stylists create is a marvel that addicts the eyeballs – it is the vigour, taste, smell and looks, all captured in a single frame such that they can compel any individual to spend some time on what the picture is trying to convey. “Attractive creation” is the right phrase to identify a food designer’s job profile. Food made at home or for that matter, even at any restaurant, is meant to taste good. What then differentiates food designers from chefs? It is the time, the effort and the energy that a food stylist puts into carefully arranging the cooked/uncooked food, food packets etc., making it an artistic delight for the photographers as well as the target audience. Food designers are also excellent cooks but their food more often feeds the camera than empty stomachs.

What is food designing?
Food designing is a field lesser known to common man. It is usually explored by the creative minds as a career option after they complete their training as a chef. There are yet others who have the inborn gift of knowing food upside down, which is a talent that can lead them to becoming good food stylists if they wish to be. This is one profession that does not need proper degrees; it is a profession which needs smart dedication to gain as much knowledge about food as possible. From selecting the correct crockery, deciding the serving size to be put on the platter to selecting the perfect colours for the garnishing and making the dish look real despite the awesomeness involved is one humongous task with many dimensions to it.

My growth path
I have been in this business for the past 17 years and guess what! I had been a teacher by profession before going for food designing. Cooking used to be only a hobby back then. My inspiration came from my husband, Pradeep Dasgupta, who is a professional photographer (advertising); while helping him get the design shots ready for his food photography, I discovered my passion for food designing. Since then, there has been no looking back for us even with the growing competition from the young food stylists these days.

Note: Professional food photography is used for advertisements, for adorning packaging products, on menus, in cookbooks etc. For food photography to be effective, a team consisting of an art director, a food designer/stylist, a photographer and a prop stylist and their assistants work in unison to give the client the desired result. Out of these, the food stylist’s job is the one with many challenges as s/he has to make the food look sumptuous, even in the heat of the photo lights and adverse climates.

Definition
Food designing or styling is specifically designing food and styling it for photography. I would like to clarify here that in this field of work, the food we prepare has only one use – to be photographed! Food designers/stylists are good cooks; we have to be; but our food being eaten would be a rare sight indeed! Our job is to make the food look so good that people will want to eat it.

No stagnancy guaranteed
There have been many things happening in India with regard to food - all kinds of cuisine being introduced day in and day out, many clients who are interested in portraying their food in print – so this line is open to innovation and creativity; there is no question of stagnation. After all these years, my work has become more hectic and my schedules are growing busier. We study food; all kinds of food from our own country and all over the world. We need to remain updated with the changing face of food across the world so that we can portray it flawlessly in the photographs. So I can guarantee that with such a routine carved out, there is no time for dull moments in this profession.

The assignments and difficulties
The assignments may range from photo shoots for ready to eats, menu cards for restaurants, display photographs to posters, billboards, recipe books, promotional leaflets etc. In fact, even advertisements for refrigerators, microwaves, OTGs etc need food designers. I treat every difficulty as a challenge; a challenge to make the food look absolutely mouth watering every time, striking a balance between the colour, texture and garnish to make the food picture perfect; a challenge to keep the food looking fresh in spite of the hot photo lights and many a times, hot humid weather situations – if I would have to tell you how, I could write a whole book on the topic!

Qualifying for a food designing job
Food designing is a skill set that one acquires over time. It is a must to be aware of all kinds of food available in the market place and the methods of cooking it. A trained chef has an advantage here for sure but one has to work as a stylist to understand the difference between being a great chef and an ingenious food designer (scope for another book, I guess!).

Remuneration
Once you establish yourself in the market as a food designer, there are lots of opportunities waiting to be grabbed. Depending on how much work one wants to take on, one can earn anywhere between Rs 20000 to Rs 100000 or even more in a month. There is enough work, but patience is required in the initial days. All assignments come with their own set of problems and a stylist’s job is to address them at the time of the photo shoot. So for all of you out there, who are interested in this job, be prepared – mentally. Do all that is possible in your capacity to deliver what you have been hired to deliver.

Dream-clientele
Remember, my clientele list has only grown with the numbers of years I spent in the industry. The list includes - Nestle, Coke, Pepsi, Electrolux/Kelvinator, Whirlpool, LG, Samsung, Satnam Overseas, Pizza Hut, Usha Lexus, Cargil Food, Maurya Sheraton, Oberoi Hotels, Inalsa Appliances, KFC, Daawat Basmati, Claridge's, Vogue, Nirula's, Haldiram's, MTR, Tasty Bite, Gulf Images, Amira Rice, Republic of Chicken, Subway and Barista for now. Pictures of food reign supreme, as food is intimately interwoven in everyone’s lives. With an ever-growing food market, food designing offers many opportunities as a potential offbeat profession. There is always a food designer behind every well captured food photograph. With that, I will take your leave for now; got to rush to make a pizza pull shot happen!

— The writer is a famous Delhi-based food designer/stylist and has been in the profession since the last 17 years.