Her art gets devoured.

A portrait of a food stylist, Amy Holt, @peasthankyou.

She’s a member of our extended Saban Glass family. She’s a food stylist and photographer. And if you’ve been following us closely, you’ve definitely seen her vibrant and whimsical platters sitting alongside our hand blown glass. She’s Amy Holt and her job is to make food that looks just as good as it tastes.

Now, if you’re unfamiliar with the enviable job of a food stylist, this should definitely wet your appetite. So let’s dive in and meet Amy, an integral part of our team. We make the glass, she makes the food. It’s a marriage made in color.

Color in its original form.

In the beginning there was food. It came from nature and it came in virtually every color known to humankind. According to Amy, color is the most appetizing thing you can put on the table. It’s what draws people in. And when you’re sourcing all your ingredients from the farmers market, color (straight from nature) is both available and abundant.

Amy recommends…
Santa Monica Farmers Market on Wednesday mornings.

Styling food for a living.

In order to make a career as a food stylist, first and foremost, you gotta love food. Amy has always enjoyed entertaining and cooking for friends. She calls it “her love language.” Similar to glass blowing, it’s all about passion and that’s exactly what has driven her to create and craft food made with the sole intent of being photographed and filmed.

“I gather my inspiration from going to the farmers market and challenging myself by picking ingredients I’ve never seen before. The more unique and imperfect, the better.”

It’s the unique details in Amy’s platters that make them so special. Sometimes you just need to take a closer look to unlock the mystery within. They are conversations. They are interactive. They are truly one-of-a-kind pieces of art (then they get devoured).

Amy’s Top 5 Presentation Tips

1. Have a variety of textures – Textures make it interesting, as well as appetizing.
2. Have a plan – What’s your color palette? What’s your inspiration or theme? What’s your flavor profile? And stick to that plan.
3. Pops of color everywhere – Nothing should be without color. Use ingredients that add uniqueness and vibrancy to even the most simple dishes.
4. Be open minded – Don’t get down on yourself. All mistakes can be salvaged and turned into something beautiful.
5. Let the food speak for itself – Use high-quality, simple ingredients. Less is always more.

Make it look unstaged (even if it’s staged).

Amy’s signature is… “the perfect mess.” Or in other words, make it look real, approachable and welcoming. Toss things around a bit if you have to. Create a warm feeling and think about the needs of the guests. This applies to all forms of entertaining, whether on camera or in real life. As for the rest of the table, invest in pieces (like hand blown glass) that speak to you and compliment the food. That contribute to the conversation, not detract from it. That are made to enhance the experience of togetherness.

Be sure to check out Amy’s amazing “food gallery” on instagram @peasthankyou. And a big thank you to Amy for all her help and of course, the food!