Food Stylist- NSW

Not many people can combine two great career loves, but Sophia Young can have her cake and eat it too.

As food director of recently launched MasterChef Magazine, Young initially set her heart on becoming an artist before chasing a career in the kitchen.

“I wanted to do fine art. I started it in New York but then decided I wouldn’t be able to make a living,” she says. “I also love cooking so someone suggested I try my hand at that. I began training at New York’s French Culinary Institute.”

At the time it seemed she was giving up one career for another, but after completing her chef apprenticeship in New York and working in restaurants, Young moved to Sydney where an opportunity arose to combine her creative and practical loves.

“When I came to Australia I worked in a restaurant in Sydney and by chance I met someone who was working in the Women’s Weekly test kitchen. That’s where I learned how to quantify ingredients and write recipes out for people at home to follow. Chefs tend to work by feel, so this was a great training ground,” she says.

Young left after a year to try her hand at freelancing, but was quickly drawn back to a permanent role.

“After a year on my own I was approached by Australian Gourmet Traveller,” she says. There she worked her way up to food editor but after six years was looking for new challenges.

Again, she made the gutsy decision to leave without a job to go to. Her reputation in the tight-knit food industry meant she was not long without work.

The day she decided to leave Australian Gourmet Traveller she received a call from News Magazines (owned by News Limited), which was about to launch women’s lifestyle magazine Notebook. That was followed by a stint at Vogue Entertaining + Travel.

Her diverse and fabulous CV has a new entry as MasterChef Magazine food director, a job she relishes.

Her advice to those wanting a career in food styling is to gain as much work experience as possible.

“The best way to get into this industry is to do work experience, but it’s unpaid and it might be unpaid for a long time, which is a big deterrent. And having worked in a kitchen as a chef is always a bonus,” she says.

How to be a… food stylist

Qualifications
Sophia Young (pictured) attended the French Culinary Institution in New York.

Course
TAFE NSW offers a variety of cooking-related courses, but Le Cordon Bleu Sydney Culinary Arts Institute, at the TAFE NSW Northern Sydney Institute Ryde College, is the best known. There are a multitude of private schools in Sydney offering cooking courses. Styling experience can be gained through applying for work experience.

Assumed knowledge
Completion of the Higher School Certificate or equivalent for TAFE.

Cost
TAFE and private industry courses vary.

From the inside
“It’s not enough to simply have a passion for styling and design and a love of food,” Young says. “Food preparation is a big part of the job. Only chefs with a keen eye need apply.”