Say Hello to Emma Wilson- Woody’s Food Stylist
In honour of Women’s Month, we’re profiling one of the food industry’s most popular food stylists and recipe developers, Emma Wilson from Eat with Emma.
After obtaining a Diploma in Food & Beverage Management and later a Degree in Consumer Sciences and Nutrition, Emma spent the early part of her career in the Catering field, responsible for menu planning and staff training. Since then, she has become an international food stylist and worked with industry greats, such as Lisa Clark, Justine Kiggen, Fay Lewis and Vanessa Hickey.
Emma Wilson is also a part of the Woody’s family (you can check out her work on the Woody’s Recipes page), so not only did we want to celebrate her achievements, but we also wanted to get to know her a little better.
1. What does Women’s Month mean to you?
A celebration of inner strength and resilience that women possess to overcome life adversity and still have the softness to melt the hardest of hearts.
2. What’s your advice for anyone who wants to get started in the food industry?
The food industry is so vast, and I would suggest to do some shadow work (maybe as an intern) in the particular job that you would be interested in doing. This way, you get to see first-hand if this is something you could see yourself doing rather than studying and then only finding out this is something you don’t want to do. And my second piece of advice would be to not be afraid to ask for help.
3. Aside from nutrition, what role do you think food plays in families and societies at large?
Food brings people together; it is something we ALL need in our lives and is often a way we share our time with people. To feed people or to be fed by someone is a very primal and nurturing need and powerful to build bonds.
4. What is your approach to a food styling shoot? Is it important to convey a story in the styling and images?
This very much depends on the brief. But I think it has more to do with who your target audience is. If I have a brief for working moms for weekday meals, I’m not going to develop a recipe that’s for roasts that take 2-3 hours to cook! Same goes for single people, you need to have their needs and wants in mind when developing and shooting. Placing yourself in those unique situations is often the key points to success in a food shoot.
5. What does being a “Foodie influencers” mean?
To me, being a foodie influencer is not a popularity contest to see how many followers you can gain. It’s important to back it up with experience and knowledge. The foodie influencers that I follow are living and breathing their brand and message, so they are worthy of being followed, but there are some that have very little knowledge of the craft and dedication in this business and that I feel is unfair. Having said that, I do believe they are a necessary entity in today’s business arena. You just have to be selective.
6. When inspiration is running low, what are your go-to solutions?
TRAVEL! Whether its local places that are an hour or 2 hours away or a physically trip overseas to a foreign land. Colours, techniques, smells and tastes are what inspire me. And if all else fails… there is Pinterest 🙂
7. What’s your favourite way to enjoy Woody’s bacon?
In all honesty, I like crispy, crispy streaky bacon with smashed avo and poached eggs. Failing that, I do love bacon with roasted Brussel sprouts.
8. What’s the most bizarre thing you’ve been asked to make?
It would be hard to narrow down! On TV commercials I generally have to make a lot of fake food purely because the normal product wouldn’t withstand the lights. But probably to date, the most bizarre thing is making a cottage cheese mousse using aqueous cream and gelatin! This was NOT an easy task at all as the texture had to be JUST right.
9. Is there a foodie trend that you wish would just go away?
Anything unicorn or rainbow. I’m over it.
10. Who are your fantasy dinner guests?
(Food writer and journalist) Nigel Slater, my maternal grandfather (who I never met, but was an excellent baker) and Meryl Streep.
Styling by Emma Wilson from Eat with Emma.
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