(23 May 2014) LEADIN:
If you fancy a glamorous job in the media earning up to �3,000 USD a day and working with lots of scrumptious looking food then becoming a food stylist in Indonesia might be the role for you.
There are only a handful of food stylists in Indonesia who work flat out creating video and images of food designed to make your mouth water.
STORYLINE:
So how do you make chicken nuggets look like a mouth-watering gourmet dish?
These food stylists in the Indonesian capital Jakarta are attempting to do just that.
Former chef, Puji Purnama has been a professional food stylist since 1997. With almost 20 years experience, he has a solid book of clients, including renowned food companies like McDonald's and Pizza Hut. He has also styled food for cookbooks, print and TV adverts and an Indonesian movie.
Purnama says his job is to make people hungry by just looking at a photo. He says food stylists are the makeup artists of food and just like a human model, food needs to be styled to look beautiful in photos and video.
"When a food stylist puts in or takes out anything from a dish, he must always remember to create a perfect harmony. Be it the colour, the form, and the texture. He must always see it from two point of views; his eyes and the camera eyes."
Although it is not compulsory for food stylists to have a culinary background, Purnama says having a fundamental knowledge of cooking and baking techniques benefited him.
Stylists are required to know what foods complement the product they are styling, where to buy the freshest products available and also know where to shop for beautiful and unique tableware to make the dishes even more visually appealing.
The Indonesian culinary industry has been growing rapidly in the past ten years. Latest data from the Indonesian Food and Beverage Agency showed total trade for the industry in 2012 reached USD $61.5 billion, increased from around USD $50billion in 2011.
Many food producers and entrepreneurs believe there is a strong relation between good product appearance and sales. Sonny Jayadi is Head of Promotion for Malindo Food Delight - one Indonesia's largest food producers.
It's Jayadi's job to ensure these chicken nuggets are seen in the best possible light. He says food stylists are essential.
"The product that we want to market, either food or beverage, will look cheap and unappetising without a food stylist. A food stylist will be able to create a sumptuous look for the product."
Food stylists in Indonesia charge between USD $500-USD $3,000 per-day depending on experience. There are no more than twenty professional food stylists in Indonesia with a hectic work schedule. Paulus Wijaya has been a food stylist for seven years. He says he got into the business because he enjoys good food.
Wijaya studied graphic design and taught himself to style food. He now collaborates with a team of food photographers and has worked on hundreds of food commercials and restaurant menus.
Wijaya reveals that there are many tricks and techniques used to create the desired look. He says it is often important to use artificial food, since some fresh foods can prevent him from creating the perfect image.
Real salad, for example, loses its crisp and fresh look under the intense studio lighting. Vegetables tend to look dry and lose the desired just washed look.
Hot studio lights also cause problems with products like ice cream - mashed potatoes can be used instead.
"It is actually creating an art. We have to understand the nature of the food to make it look delicious, interesting and inviting for people to consume it."
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