SA Chefs launches a food styling course with Denise Vivaldo!

American celebrity food stylist, Denise Vivaldo, will be the international guest lecturer at the much-anticipated Food Styling Course that is taking place from 14 – 18 April 2015 at the South African Chefs Association’s Centre for Culinary Excellence (CCE) in Auckland Park, Johannesburg.

The first of its kind in South Africa, this Food Styling Course is endorsed by the South African Chefs Association (SA Chefs), the authority on all things culinary in the country, and is brought to you by Zahra Media Group, publishers of Easy Food Magazine, an international recipe magazine that has been the best-selling food publication in Ireland for over a decade.
This five-day, hands-on course is designed to assist budding food stylists, chefs, food bloggers, photographers, writers or food producers that want to capture food at its best.

Our celebrity industry leader, Denise Vivaldo, will be bringing invaluable knowledge to the course attendees. A seasoned food professional with over 28 years of experience, Vivaldo began her culinary training at the Ritz Escoffier and La Varenne in Paris, and then graduated Chef de Cuisine from the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. She has catered more than 10,000 parties and has cooked for such guests as George H.W. Bush, Prince Charles, Bette Midler, Cher, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver.

A master food stylist and recipe developer, her clients include The Ellen Degeneres Show, Nigella Lawson, Curtis Stone, Rachel Ray, The Good Cook, Fresh & Easy, Bristol Farms, Disney Celebration Center and The Food Network, to name but a few.

On the local front, we are pleased to have one of Johannesburg’s top food stylists, Leila Saffarian, on the line-up. As the Food Editor of Joburg Style Magazine and freelance food stylist for clients such as Food & Home Entertaining Magazine, La Marina Foods and many others, Saffarian will teach us how to create exquisite food imagery, and give us insight into the career of a food stylist in South Africa.

Popular recipe blogger and cookbook author Alida Ryder, will also be sharing her skills and knowledge with attendees. The culinary creative behind her delectable website Simply Delicious and with a beautiful cookbook under her belt, Ryder will provide information on how to succeed as a creative food professional.

In this hands-on workshop, you will be introduced to the fundamentals of preparing a variety of food for the camera, prop selection and backgrounds, camera techniques, the use of light and lighting along with processing your images, from a selection of the best food stylists and photographers from around the world.

The lecturers will take students step-by-step through the basics of working with clients in these various food media industries to give you the most comprehensive insight into the world and possibilities of food styling.

Whether you are a seasoned professional stylist looking to expand your skill set, or a beginner with nothing more than a passion for food, this course will provide you with the strategies and techniques needed to stand out in the world of food styling and photography and help you transform a hobby into a career.

The course is priced at R15 000 per person. There is limited space available, please email [email protected] for more information or to book your place.