Thanksgiving Prep

Thanksgiving is approaching. Winter is coming.

And for this reason, my mind has turned to comfort foods. Warm, gooey, comfort foods.

We just had the privilege of wrapping up a shoot that utilized a lot of texture, contrast, dark and vibrant tones: all the things I think of when I imagine my impending food-fueled winter hibernation. And while we can’t show those images yet, I did dig through our archives to find some images that I felt represented the foods and moods that this type of year brings. These images also provided a lot of inspiration for me as I have recently been volunteered to host Thanksgiving for the first time ever (and might be mildly stressing out about it).

On our shoot this past week, I kept finding myself drawn to the props table to peruse the many warm and unconventional plateware we had… thinking of ways it could be used in one’s own home. I love being able to do this on shoots. Often, we have a prop stylist with a specific creative direction that they’ve been given for each shoot; and they always show up with wonderful goodies that I would have never thought to use for the types of food we are shooting… or would have ever been able to find on my own to be honest. They know the places to look around town and the people to get in touch with to find those odds and ends that you often see in our photos. Needless to say, I got many ideas for my Thanksgiving table and the coming winter months.

I also spent some time on our shoot getting ideas from the food stylists for Thanksgiving. Not recipes specifically, but a lot of tips and tricks that they offered to help take stress off of the actual day. Things I can prepare and make in advance, the best types of foods to make if you want something that can sit for a bit while other things are being made, etc.

It is so nice to have a team of people around that provide great inspiration. It actually got me excited about hosting Thanksgiving and excited about putting all those comfort foods I’ve been dreaming of into a realistic plan (and soon into my stomach). Now, I’m going to dream up the perfect tablescape (and add to my list of plate ware, florals and accents I need to go buy) in order to create the perfect moody, cold-weather, but warm vibes atmosphere.

– Erica

Food Photography by Kyle Dreier  |  Styling Contributors Sara Rounsavall, Hannah Messinger & Teresa Blackburn