Kimberly Espinel of The Little Plantation needs no introduction. She’s an incredible food photographer, food stylist and educator who has elevated plant based food through her singular, moody aesthetic. I joined her and Leiliane Valadares of The Secret Flavours on a recent shoot for Tofuture to assist with food styling.
The Food Photography & Styling Brief
As a brand, Tofuture is best known for its unique tofu press. On the website, you’ll also find a wide array of tofu-based recipes. Kimberly’s brief included styling and photography for seven recipes in her signature style. Moreover, all images had to be shot in both landscape and portrait orientation. As an assistant stylist, I helped Leili prepare different recipes, prepare garnishes and also assist Kimberly in getting the shots she needed.
Food Styling with The Little Plantation and The Secret Flavours
Leili and I studied the recipes then discussed with Kimberly to decide on the order in which we would tackle the recipes. We then split the recipes to make sure Kimberly had a steady flow of dishes to shoot before we lost the light at 4pm. The recipes we had to tackle were:
- Tofu Chocolate Mousse
- Caramelised Onion Quiche
- Tofu Mushroom Paté
- Vegan Cornish Pasties
- Smoky Sweet Marinade, which we used on tofu BBQ “kebabs”
- Crispy Tofu Nuggets, which we used on a tofu burrito
- Teriyaki Marinade, which we used in a tofu noodle bowl
Kimberly shared her mood board and vision, and also answered any questions we had about the styling of specific dishes. The three of us worked together to meet the brief.
As the day progressed, I also assisted in the studio placing garnishes where Kimberly needed them, as well as lending my hands for some of the shots. You might know my love of photos with hands in them; that’s a love that Kimberly shares!
You can find the recipes and Kimberly’s stunning shots here: mousse, tofu nuggets, Cornish pasties, paté, quiche, smoky marinade.
The nitty gritty
This shoot lasted seven hours, with a lunch break. We styled seven dishes, including one dessert. The shoot took place at Kimberly’s studio in South London.
If you want to get into food styling but are not sure how to start your prop collection, have a look at my previous post about sourcing food styling props on a budget.
If you want to see more of my work, have a look at my portfolio or my previous shoots at SlowBurn London, The Haberdashery in Stoke Newington and for London Honey Company.
Lastly, don’t forget! You can always connect with me on Instagram.
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