The Art of Knowing When to Stop: A Food Stylist’s Guide to Structure, Science, and Effortless Beauty
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In the vibrant and fast-paced world of commercial photography, there are legions of "invisible people" who collaborate to create the stunning images that shape our visual lives. Among these essential artists are food stylists—the creative problem-solvers who build the delectable, mouth-watering structures that grace everything from billboards to cookbooks.
In a recent episode of the
Style to Set podcast, host Callie Blount sat down with Sara Rounsavall, a legendary food stylist with over 20 years of experience in the creative industry. With a client list that includes iconic brands like Papa John's, KFC, and GE Appliances, as well as a deep portfolio of work with Kentucky bourbon companies and tourism boards, Sara brings a wealth of knowledge and a unique perspective to her craft. Their conversation reveals a fascinating journey of a non-linear career path, the alchemy of art and science, and the profound wisdom in knowing when a beautiful image is, simply, done.
The Accidental Stylist: A Journey from Vet School to Studio Art
Like many creatives, Sara’s career path was not a straight line; in fact, she says it feels as though the career found her. For her entire life, her goal was to become a veterinarian. She enrolled in college with that singular focus, only to be "weeded out" by a formidable opponent: college chemistry. It was a heartbreaking moment of realization. "I don't think I'm as committed to learning how to balance moles as much as my peers," she recalls thinking. "I just love animals".
Facing a crisis of identity, she began exploring other fields and ultimately settled into studio art, which just "felt right". At the time, an art career wasn't widely encouraged; the options seemed limited to becoming a teacher, a doctor, or a lawyer. But she pursued her passion, focusing on her main interest: film-based photography.
Upon graduating, she was determined to learn the business side of photography. She worked for various photographers and in photo labs in Colorado, developing her own film and honing her skills. After migrating back to her home state of Kentucky, she took a full-time position with a commercial photographer. It was there that she first encountered a role she never knew existed: the food stylist.
"I had zero idea, no exposure to that at all," she admits. "Once you see it, you're like, well, of course someone's responsible for that part of the photo shoot. But I just never really put that together". Though she loved food, she was a photographer, and the idea remained a passing curiosity.
A Crisis and a Pivot: When Digital Changed the Game
The arrival of digital photography marked another major crisis and a pivotal turning point in Sara’s career. "I don't really wanna know about computers," she remembers feeling. The future of the industry, with its constant need to keep up with new software and the immense financial investment in ever-changing equipment, "really freaked me out".
She is, by her own admission, a tactile person. "I like to build things. I like power tools". The digital world felt disconnected from that hands-on approach. This led her to a crucial question: "How do I make food somehow be involved in this world and not work in a restaurant?".
She began assisting other food stylists, learning the craft the way she learns best: by watching. Slowly, she started getting opportunities to be the lead stylist on shoots. Her timing was impeccable. She was entering the Louisville market just as one of the main stylists was beginning to retire, creating a "magical, perfect storm" of opportunity. It was then that she realized, "Oh, I think I'm built for this".
The Photographer’s Eye: Building Food Structures for the Camera
Sara’s background as a photographer gives her a distinct and powerful advantage as a food stylist. She isn't just making food look pretty; she is consciously building structures for the camera, fully aware of how light will interact with every surface and how the final image will translate.
This perspective frees her from the rigid constraints of a traditional culinary background. "I'm not locked into knowing that this isn't really how you braise this meat, but it looks like it's been braised and that's really all that matters," she explains. While she occasionally thinks a culinary degree could have been helpful, she ultimately feels it isn't necessary for her role.
Host Callie Blount offers a beautiful insight, bringing Sara’s story full circle. While Sara felt "weeded out" by chemistry in her pre-vet days, Callie argues that food styling
is its own unique and funky strain of science. A stylist must understand how different foods respond to heat, oil, and various treatments to make them glisten under hot lights and hold their structure. Sara's innate art and science brain came together perfectly for the craft.
Deconstructing the Shot: Secrets of the Still-Life Cake
A stunning, still-life-esque cake on Sara’s website serves as a perfect case study for the art of food styling. The shoot was a "play day" with photographer Kyle Dreier, a dreamy scenario where the goal was simply to create something beautiful without the constraints of a specific recipe. Sara, wanting to add something more feminine and delicate to her portfolio of burgers and steaks, went to the grocery store and let the seasonal ingredients speak to her.
The result was an epic, layered cake that appears to be frosted with light, delicate whipped cream. But here lies the magic: the cake is not fully iced. “The back half is just propped,” Sara reveals. The whipped cream is so delicate that a fully frosted cake would have been leaning and falling apart under the studio lights.
To achieve the perfect, stable "whipped cream," she turned to a secret weapon she learned about from another stylist: a product called Rich's. The non-dairy version, once whipped, "will never move the rest of the day," making it a dream product for stylists who need an element to stay perfect for hours. Another indispensable tool in her kit? The humble sponge. "Minus beverages, I use that in almost every food shoot," she says, explaining how they are perfect for tilting a burger bun a "smidge more to camera" to get the perfect angle. It’s all about creating an illusion that looks right to the camera, even if it looks like it’s flying in real life.
A Love Letter to Kentucky
Sara never planned to live in Kentucky as an adult. From the time she was a small child, her goal was to get out, travel, and venture to the West Coast. But, as she says, "life puts you sometimes where you're supposed to be". Now, she finds a deep, personal satisfaction in her work with Kentucky-based clients, from bourbon brands to the state tourism board.
"I get not only exposure and educated on so many incredible things going on in our state, but then I get...working on these jobs that then promote all the beauty and wonderfulness...of our state," she says. This personal connection shines through in her work, imbuing the images with a unique and heartfelt quality.
The Stylist's Philosophy: No Stress and Endless Endurance
On set, Sara lives by a simple but powerful mantra: "no stress on set". The key to achieving this peaceful environment is meticulous preparation. Pre-production is incredibly important; getting clarity, anticipating changes, and having backup options are all part of the job. But most importantly, she maintains perspective. "Guys, we're not curing cancer. We're not saving lives," she reminds her team. "Nobody needs to be that freaked out".
When asked for her best advice for aspiring stylists, she points to a combination of factors. First is endurance—both mental and physical. Drawing on her past as a college athlete, she knows how to dig deep and find more energy when a shoot goes two hours into overtime.
Second is communication. The job requires a surprising amount of listening, interpreting, and checking in—acting "a little bit like a therapist" to ensure the client's vision is being realized.
Finally, she emphasizes the power of teamwork. "You are very much one piece of the puzzle," she says. The real magic comes from the collaborative effort of the entire team—the stylist, the photographer, the producer, the client—all working together. "When you share sets with kind creative people, it's the best feeling in the world".
The Definition of Beauty: Knowing When to Stop
The conversation culminates in a discussion of beauty. For Sara, true beauty is "effortless...unique, and...natural". In her role as a stylist, this translates to an almost mystical skill: knowing when to stop fussing with the food.
"I really can't totally explain when I know to stop," she admits. It’s an intuitive feeling, a moment when the food just has the right "attitude," when a single drip of sauce makes the whole picture come to life. In a culture where "more is more," her philosophy is about restraint and recognizing the perfection in the imperfect. It’s about allowing the food to be beautiful on its own terms, a practice that stands in stark contrast to the common misconception that everything a food stylist does is fake. The truth is, it's almost always real food, just meticulously chosen and patiently prepared. That moment of knowing when to stop, when the light is just right and nothing else is needed, is where she finds peace amidst the wildness of set.
