Philadelphia Inquirer, The (PA) His food is beautiful, but maybe not edible For the umpteenth time, food stylist Dan Macey finds himself responding to the question "So, what exactly is it that you do?" He starts with a pat answer: "Any food you see in print, television or packaging is probably made by a food stylist." He starts by pointing to "breakfast," a bowl of cereal - and glue substituting for milk. He turns and takes a turkey from the oven, stuffed with newspaper to stay plump. He artfully scoops from a claylike mound of shortening and sugar the makings for an ice cream cone. "The trick is pressing down and turning the scoop to get that fresh out-of-the-carton look," Macey explains. He heats up a grill pan on the stove and throws on a steak prepared with oil and sugar. After waiting a couple of minutes, he stabs the steak and holds it up with a flourish to show off "perfect grill marks." For the finishing touch, Macey browns the sides with a blow torch. "My philosophy is you eat with your eyes first. Attractive food enhances the eating process," Macey said, standing in front of a wall of windows looking out to his wooded property. His artful presentations have appeared in cookbooks, in magazines, on QVC, and on CBS's The Early Show. Last month, he and Newtown photographer Todd Trice were recognized by the International Association of Culinary Professionals for their entry, "Shrimp Cocktail, 1967," in a food photography and styling contest. Trice, who has worked with Macey on product packaging and magazine shoots, admired his creativity. "He's definitely thinking through the process," Trice said by telephone. "He brings a lot of options with him." In the corner of Macey's kitchen is a two-section toolbox on wheels. Inside are the kitchen utensils, long wooden toothpicks, fake ice, tweezers, brushes, spices, and cookbook that he takes on location. Macey, chairman of the Food Photographers and Food Stylists section of the culinary association, estimated that there were 20 food stylists in the Philadelphia area and 250 nationwide. They get much of their work through networking and word of mouth, he said, adding, "You can't put an ad in the yellow pages for this." Macey, 42, who had worked as a business writer and editor for Pasha Publications in Washington for 12 years, entered the food-styling field in the late 1990s. "I got tired writing about things I didn't care about anymore," said Macey, adding that he always had an interest in cooking. Recalling the dinners he made for his younger brother and sister, Macey said he would try out recipes his mother received in the mail each month. Macey got his first job as a food stylist after writing to New Hope cookbook author Pam Anderson. She hired him to prepare a turkey for a book signing. Macey said that his oven at the time was too small for the turkey, so he used duct tape to seal the door. His ingenuity paid off. After his efforts at the book signing, Macey was hired by Anderson to do the food styling when she went on QVC to sell a cookbook. "I think he and I both . . . are very cook-friendly," Anderson said. "It's always how can we make it appeal and be doable for the average person." In addition, Macey, who also has worked with Emeril Lagasse and Marilu Henner, has served as a food stylist for the Travel Channel's Epicurious. He said he charges $450 a day for his services, which include shopping, food preparation and cleanup. An eight-minute TV spot can take about three days, he added. A self-taught cook, he has created recipes for kitchen appliance manufacturers and the North American Olive Oil Association. Macey, who lives with his partner of 12 years, teaches cooking classes in Doylestown; Blue Bell; and Marlton, Burlington County. One of his more unusual jobs, he said, was preparing food for a yet-to-be-released independent film, which included a food fight in a psychiatric ward. His kitchen, which was remodeled 2 1/2 years ago, was used in a pilot for a PBS cooking show, he added. A wall of cabinets includes a comfortably padded drawer that he pulls out for his "testers," a white and a black poodle. Macey, who cringes at the thought of serving food on paper plates, offered some easy suggestions to earn a 10.0 on presentation at the dinner table: Serve vegetables in wine glasses; prop one half of a sandwich onto the other; stand french fries up in a cup. In his portfolio is a photograph of pigs in a blanket served as playing pieces on a square plate that has been lined with mustard to form a tic-tac-toe board. "Making something for someone to eat is saying 'I love you,' " Macey said. "If you make the extra effort, that says, 'I care more.' " |