They say turning your hobby into a job makes you miss out on all the fun. But if the passion-turned-profession involves food, how come it won’t be fun?
Before you get discouraged by some proverb you don’t know who started in the first place, here are career possibilities for food lovers like you. They’re all better than getting stuck in a job you hate.
Make Every Fare Drool-Worthy
As a foodie, you don’t take presentations lightly. You know just how plating can leave people drooling over a dish or make one feel sick to the stomach. Believe it or not, this obsessive attention to detail in food presentation can be your ticket to a job you’ll love—food styling.
As you may have noticed, the dishes displayed on magazine covers and TV ads seem so much more delicious than their real-life versions. Admit it, at one point or another, you’ve wondered why the quarter pounders served in restaurants look dry and cold compared to what’s shown in the menu. This is all part of the food stylists’ magic.Behind every mouthwatering burger people see in print and in reel is a food stylist who meticulously arranged every component on top of the other. While it sounds simple and straightforward, the job is way more complicated than it seems.
Everything has to be perfect and camera-ready. The lettuce should look fresh and crunchy, the meat juicy, and the cheese as if it just has been taken off the grill.
Often, a food stylist has to prepare backups or do it all over again in case something goes wrong—say, the cheese congeals or the bun gets soggy. The job requires crazy attention to detail and an unlimited supply of patience. If you have those on top of your love for all things edible, food styling might just be for you.
For Those With the Entrepreneurial Spirit
It’s no secret that foodies are usually curious about anything related to what’s on their plate, from the ingredients to the cooking methods. What most of us aren’t aware of is that some food lovers also have the knack for the business side of things. This breed of foodies isn’t only eager to taste dishes; they also create and discover fares of their own and share them with others.
Sounds like you? Then you belong to the ones with the entrepreneurial spirit.
Putting up your own restaurant might have crossed your mind. But you brushed the idea off, thinking how huge and overwhelming the endeavor would be. Where do I start? What if I fail? As self-doubt eats you up, the dream of starting a food business gets blurry.
The good news is that you don’t have to start from scratch. If creating your own brand seems too much for now, look for a restaurant franchise opportunity. Franchising a well-established business helps you break into the industry with fewer risks.
It’s one thing to know if a dish tastes great. It’s another to describe eloquently how it tastes. If you can do the latter with ease and confidence, you’ll make a good food writer or blogger. Sure enough, writing about food doesn’t sound as exciting as coming up with the latest culinary craze, but the job also has its share of fun.
Imagine trying out new eating places, familiarizing your palate with various flavors, and brushing shoulders with fellow foodies and restaurant owners. As a bonus, you get to call what’s hot and what’s a flop in every fare you try. Food writing can also pay well if you build an authority in the biz. Just look at Pinch of Yum. Who thought blogging could bring in $95,197.34?
These are the ways you can take your love for food to a whole new level (and possibly make good money from it). Whether you be a restaurant owner, a food blogger, or a food stylist, you’ll find the experience more rewarding and better than sticking to a job you don’t love.
