Cherkasky is a D.C.-based food stylist, writer and crafter.

Describe what you do.

I’m the person who makes the food for the photographs. I shop and I cook, then I build it and work on the set.

Who sees the food?

I do a lot of magazine photographs, a lot of packaging and advertising. McCormick spice, Maggie Moo’s Ice Cream, Rich’s foods. I just worked on a book for the American Diabetic Association called “Diabetes Comfort Food Cookbook.” And I worked on the book “Dining with the Washingtons” which is the first cook book the Mount Vernon estate has ever done.

What was it like cooking recipes from the 1700s?

That was very interesting. They worked with a very well known culinary historian. I’m interested in culinary history, so I liked it.

What kind of recipes were in the book?

Hoe cakes, made with cornmeal. They had a mill for grinding corn at Mount Vernon. There was also something called a great cake, which was made with a lot of dried fruit.

How is food styling different than just cooking?

You have to know how to cook. I think I’m a much better stylist because I’m a good cook. Knowing food is really important if you are going to be a stylist.

What’s the most important thing to know about food styling?

That the food is always changing. It’s extremely perishable. It’s your job to keep it looking good as long as it needs to look good. It could be two hours.

How to you keep it looking good?

There are lots of little techniques. A lot of it is moisture. Using water and oil. I carry several boxes of supplies.

What do you use?

Glycerin, sticks and forceps, Q-Tips. I use lots of Q-Tips. And Armor All.

What’s Armor All doing on food?

It holds moisture in. It’s great on tortillas. It keeps them from drying out.

– Susan Ferrechio

The Examiner

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Last Friday I had the opportunity to keep excellent company with The Meatball Shop Cookbook, Nevin Martell, Marge Ely and Express. We had a ball.

No stranger to The Meatball Shop, I will never forget the lunch of  pure lusciousness I licked off my plate and arms and fingers last year while in NYC. Had to hose myself off and run right home to blog about it. Now, should one need the miracle of those meatballs in the privacy of one’s own home, thy will may be done.

Gathering and foraging took me to the grocery, craft store, pharmacy and hardware. Several times each. Gathering and foraging. Plotting, scheming, thinking.
 
I made a trial run and realized I didn’t like the look of the metal rods and dowels. They needed texture. Floury texture. So I painted them with diluted glue and rolled them in flour. Much better.
 
I built some bread cascades with spray glue and wooden skewers. Pretty nice. Except for the big ugly holes at the end. What could go there? Set that aside for later.

The bread and rolls were left to dry so they would be strong and could support one another in a tall vessel. Some bread was too dry and shattered when I tried to stack it, or pierce it. Begin again.
 Cheerios in the top layer spilled down and filled every nook and cranny. Should have seen that coming. Begin again, cheerios on the bottom.  Better. I liked it much better with added pita. Dry pita stacks nicely, asymetrically, leaving airy spaces.    Some bread I coated with spray varnish to prevent cracking and chipping. These half bits were used to encircle the dowels, crusts facing out.

Borrowed a pair of heavy duty snippers, a metal lopper thingy that did the trick in trimming excess rods. Then I wrapped it all up to go. Layers of soft cellophane, like tissue on a bee hive do.

Okay, I had a handle on the main affair. How was I going to get it there?  Call in the transportation engineer. The handling and shipping department stepped up with cardboard, bubble wrap, yesterdays Post, and a three step delivery operation.    Oh, but first, the crowning  - actually, more of a train than a crown – touch. A garland. All decent affairs require garlands.    Signed and sealed, the caterer picked up the box – my car did not have the headroom. On the day of the event, her staff ferried it on to the site where I met them.  Parts assembled, final tweaks made, lights, camera, no action. A still life that still had life.

And then I had a drink.

Coincidentally, Ms. Krieger had come into my close radar about two years ago, when I wrote a profile of her for The Food Magazine. I found her to be engaging, charming, smart and unpretentious. While her first focus derives from her outlook as a registered dietician, an ascetic she ain’t. Ms. Krieger obviously gives in happily – and healthfully – to sensuality and enjoyment.

Styling a casserole, hot dish, covered dish, or whatever you (or your mom and grandma) may call it, can be tricky. The thing is heavy and and hot and crusty, and smells delicious! Conveying that with only two dimensions is, well, limiting. Thankfully, the photographer works his or her magic with lighting and I try to show lusciousness. This shot, in case you can’t tell, was taken on my phone, by me, with overhead lighting. Thankfully, the strata was for eating purposes only.

On the other hand, the cooking hand, putting together a casserole can be a cinch. This cheese strata was the second edition of our New Year’s Eve fondue, and we ate it for breakfast the next morning. With homemade donuts – not that we needed more calories. Into a baking dish we put chunks of crusty bread, bits of leftover gruyere, emmentaler and appenzeller, vegetable odds and ends, all held together with cream and eggs.Pour a mix of cream and eggs over anything and put it in the oven till confidently browned. I guarantee that a brunch-worthy hot dish will result!

Happy New Year! May all your efforts in 2012 pay off twice!

Not so when I see posters for Maggie Moo’s or Marble Slab. These tarted up treats make me laugh. Even knowing the back story, my mouth waters for ice cream. That is, after a little time has passed between shoot day and the poster reveal.

This is the perfect season for eating ice cream.

No sun to speed the melt.

Take your time.

Mosey.

Body temperature divided by three is the number you want to see next to the mercury. No napkins needed for drips.

The Wheat Foods Council Network

I’m super excited about the launch of the Wheat Foods Council’s new site. And proud of my contributions. Several features were penned by me – In the Spotlight, a profile of chef David Guas, Books That Cook,  a review of Joe Yonan’s recent release “Serve Yourself”, It’s Tool Time, and a craft column, Decorate Your Tree.

Those who know me know that I love cooking, crafting and writing. What a pleasure to put those skills to work at once. Thank you, Wheat Foods Council for the cozy spot. 

Styling for USA Weekend Magazine is always creative for me, and gives me an opportunity to work with a new recipe. Makes my world bigger, too. Ginormous.

We have just three weeks until the winter solstice, and then our days begin to lengthen. Now that is a holiday worth celebrating, holeheartedly. 

My Thanksgiving secret is no secret. Loud and clear, this year has been one of abundance. Plenty and more. Thank you, the powers that be, lady luck, clients fidelious, and mother nature.