Fadwa Ward is spectacular- and the spectrum of experience she’s accrued is phenomenal. She’s worked for high-end commercial clients and on music videos around the world. She's tackled capturing everyone from models to puppies to corporate firms. But my favorite thing about Fadwa is her trust and her motivation. She epitomizes an embrace of the unknown, as she confesses, at the beginning of her career in the music publishing world, she had no idea she was a creative and was complet...

Washington, D.C.-based food stylist and recipe developing genius Nicola Davis is the fizz to our soda, a literal bucket of creative stars. She just makes everything better. TRULY. She is not only one of my food-styling favorites, she is a fantastic recipe developer and culinary innovator, and I could not be more thrilled to talk to her about what her creative process looks like and how her South African roots, work in menu design, intellect, and joyful capacity for tenacious work make her a s...

Oh, what a JOY Ande (*nickname!) Fanning is! Based in Woodstock, GA with her husband and rescue pup Marshal, Ande is a writer’s heart with a rainbow of creative skills, wrapped in contagious positivity. For over 20 years, Ande has had more jobs on set than anyone I know- art director, prop stylist, producer, wardrobe stylist, set decorator, production designer, content producer, writer, editor- you name it, she’s done it, and done it well. She's worked with everyone from Kacey Musgraves to Sn...

Based in Nashville, food and lifestyle photographer Rebecca Denton has been running her own business for over a decade, but was never afraid to do things at her own speed, or let fear get the best of her. One of my all time favorite quotes of Style to Set so far is hers- “So I was a little scared, but more than being scared, I wanted to do it. Or I want it more than I fear it.” She took motherhood and boundaries just as seriously as her craft, and it paid off. Formerly the lead food photograp...

This week we chat with Loren Maring, a literal diamond in the creative space whose talent knows no limit. Now based in New Braunfels, Texas, hear her wild stories from working in fashion design (Ralph Lauren’s hunting lodge anyone?!); see the actual sketches she did for Florida Georgia Line for their Super Bowl performance; and relive your intern days as she shares about literally beating up denim as a job. Her litany of roles is as diverse as her skills. Her newest business venture, Ho...

Ok, D’mytrek Brown is a LEGEND. With a capital L. A classically trained chef based in Atlanta, Georgia, he has been in the food world since he was 15 ( a looooong time, y'all). His clients include heavy-hitters like Chickfila, Delta, Starkist Tuna, Bon Appetit, and Publix. And I’ll be honest- I was intimated to interview him because he is so excellent. His website says it exactly as he is: technique, passion and precision: If you want your food to look as good as it tastes, hire D'Mytrek. But...

Sara Rounsavall is a LEGEND. Not only has she has worked with big-name clients like Papa John’s and KFC, she also carries a deep love for her community of Kentucky, and has used her gifts tirelessly to make beautiful work for her state. We also collectively dismantle the myth that food styling is "fake" and delve into the real artistry and expertise it takes to create a very real, very mouthwatering burger. I love her art-meets-science brain, her passion, her persistence, her tactile le...

It’s CHRISTMAS in August you guys and I have to introduce you to one of my favorite Southern, creative-powerhouse ladies and neighbors, Ashley Amezcua. Talk about arriving with bells on, Ashley was gracious enough to film the VERY FIRST episode of Style to Set with me, while it was 10 degrees outside, and my children were watching Paw Patrol in the background. Ashley is not only the Queen of Christmas (we address this in the episode), she is a dynamically talented creative human being a...

Just do it, y’all. I know as people we can let fear of criticism stop us in our tracks (anyone else raising their hand in the air?!) In this episode, Nick Bumgardner- crazy good photographer, professor, and co-founder of Reactor Media, a large-scale food and photography business- shares how his impetus to just go for it and take risks put him in a position to create amazing things and excel. He teaches us to actually ask for criticism and welcome the response and act on it. Whether it was fin...

Gah we love Emily Pierce! She is SO talented, so epic in countless ways, but one of our favorite things about her is that she consistently challenges the way things “should be done.” She has delved into- and succeeded in- countless areas of art: graphic design, prop styling, screens producing for people like Dude Perfect and Pitbull; set building, art directing, lighting design, to name a few. She is the BEST brainstormer you will encounter. And in this episode of Style to Set, we chat about ...

Sometimes in life, you just have to go for it. And this is ESPECIALLY the case in the high-pressure world of food styling. Like the old adage, you never know until you try- you actually really DON'T know until you try. And let’s be real- stepping out there can be terrifying. It’s h-e-double-pretzel-sticks-a risky. But, a lot of the time- it works out. In this episode we highlight the most amazing mom and hardest working food stylist we know- Loren Wood. Her story of transformation is i...