Is the food you shoot, edible?

When we shoot in the studio, people often want to know if the food is edible after the shot is taken.  The answer is, sometimes…

The food stylists have a tricks to make the food look as good as possible for the camera and that will sometimes make the food into something you probably won’t want to eat.  For one thing, they’re hands have been all over the food.  They don’t care about being sanitary.  Every food stylist I’ve ever worked with has the habit of licking their utensils.  I’ve done it myself.  If there’s a little something you need to rub off, you wipe it and lick the skewer, or what ever you used.  It’s faster than reaching over for a napkin.

Stylists will sometimes use oil to keep things looking moist.  This is poison, but it might not taste the way it should.  I’ve seen marbles in soup, blocks of wood holding up a sandwich bun and the same with pins and erasers. The bottom line is that if you want to eat something that’s been on the set, ALWAYS ask.  I remember one time that I was walking through the kitchen and I was a cluster of grapes and just reached over and plopped one in my mouth.  BIG mistake.  The stylist hard sprayed ”crystal Clear” or some kind of varnish on them to keep them glossy.  YUCK!  I couldn’t get that taste out of my mouth for a week!