By Food stylist from Bogota who loves the minimalism of the lines in Philip Lim’s designs and who would love to live in France or Hong Kong
“In any Cosmopolitan city where the level of competitiveness is high, you have to work harder to excel in what you do. As a Colombian living in New York, my Latin essence makes me a hard-worker, makes kind, a warm human being, and the cultural influences I include in details have always given me a professional plus and have opened many doors for me along the way. “
Every day we see millions of ads and publications of what many people these days call a culinary stylist, food stylist and even so, a gastronomic stylist. Nevertheless, how many of today’s 4,956,685 Instagram posts under #foodstylist are made by real professionals whose daily jobs consist of presentation and preparation of different kinds of food in order to complement or supplement two of the five human senses? History indicates that food was photographed for the first time during the nineteenth century: we can assert that, from that moment on, the food stylist specialization has been increasing worldwide. Perhaps the main reason to which this phenomenon can be attributed to are the evolving gastronomic trends.
One of the strongest food stylist trends nowadays that could be easily considered as the most outstanding and consistent throughout 2018 is ‘mindfulness.’ What does this have to do with food? One of the biggest, most important responsibility that food stylist hold is that during productions, either for magazines, cookbooks and / or advertising campaigns their public has to really understand as much as possible about what each ingredient of the dish is all about.
“Consumers are beginning to believe in the uniqueness of each individual body and mind. This overarching trend towards mindfulness that we see in health and wellness has enabled consumers to ask meaningful questions about the origins of food,” she said. “What’s in it? … How was it made? … Who made it? … What we’re seeing more and more is there is another layer that is coming into consideration, which is, how was it grown?” Davey McHenry, The Hartman Group
Mariana Velásquez, Colombian culinary artist and founder of Buenlimón, a brand that produces several lines of aprons, defines the beginning of her career, currently based in New York, as the union of her different long-lasting passions, such as her strong taste for art, photography, and cooking blended with other delicate and artistic topics. She defines her role as a food stylist and tastemaker as follows: ”My lifework goes beyond being just a food stylist, I am passionate about the development of concepts, about antiques, playing with different table decor concepts and exploring the way these topics influence each and every one of us on a daily basis and on how we decide to live, in which foods and drinks have an important role as well as our personal, inside and outdoor events.”
According to you, why has the food stylist market grown so much during the past years?
“Firstly, it has been growing thanks to social media and the way we communicate has changed, where tons of people have been publishing, on a daily basis, every detail of their life’s and food has always been part of this. In addition, this industry has always been present in the lives of people who have always had a sensibility towards it. Likewise, the new generations have intensified the importance of rituals at the table, celebrations, sharing and at that same time have helped to elevate artisans’ gastronomic products. “
By following Mariana on social networks, we can see she’s always present in different worldwide capitals as a well-known food stylist and as a part of different type of productions in which she lets her imagination fly bearing in mind that her dishes should always look like a solo, and granting importance to the contrast of diverse, interesting colors and textures that together, highlight the properties and characteristics of food.
We wanted to know which place she considers to be in another level in terms of table decoration and gastronomy:
“There are many spots globe wide that have this precise consciousness: The Philippines is a country in which the table decor is a priority, the tables you get to see in Manila are out of this world amazing because of the great use of textures, textiles and tableware; on the other hand, Japan offers a huge variety of handmade pieces and their meaning of rituals and ceremonies around the table in exceptional; Eastern Europe is a different world where they’re just beginning to develop this interest; and finally, Croatia and Bulgaria are countries where artisan’s handmade labors have always been reputable and well-known as their blown glasses and traditional carved glasses.”
Trends
What is the strongest food stylist trend in table decor at this time? “The mixture of textiles, patterns, handmade elements and traditional tableware. Color, flowers and tables mounted in a classic way”. What about Asia? How strong is the current cultural importance towards food or which is the characteristic that defines them the most? “Hong Kong, Singapore and Macao are cities where everything -or almost everything- revolves around food. I would say that their stongest food stylist trend is the celebrating their own harvest and seasonal ingredients (which is an intrinsic part of Eastern philosophy), intense flavors, sophisticated techniques and a sharing kitchen custom. The interior design of the restaurants are playing a big role as well.’’
How do you see the current culinary industry in Colombia and what do you think its advantages are?
“At this moment there is a lot to discover referring to ingredients and techniques.” As a culinary expert, she told us about a project she fell in love with as soon as he learned about it called Caribbean Project (@proyectocaribelab): two chefs that have endeavored to look for ingredients and native preparations from the Caribbean coast and have developed an amazing cuisine.
Which effect do you think being Colombian has had on your food stylist style and taste towards gastronomy?
“My roots and family traditions have shown me the way towards gastronomy, the constant path in the search to create the moment through the experience of flavors, of sharing, of nourishing and enriching the soul and the heart”.
What kind of woman were you thinking about when you started designing your Buenlimón brand?
‘’I started designing aprons inspired in me – to wear them on set and feel well groomed. I found a fabric in a flea market and I was inspired by a top that I had – I made some changes and had it sewed. For years people always asked me if it was a dress or an apron. Because of the insistence and that always caused interest, Buenlimon was born … “
What do you think?