Today we’d like to introduce you to Madeline Fitzgerald.
Hi Madeline, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m Madeline Fitzgerald, I’m a food stylist and culinary professional in the Twin Cities. My story begins with the fact that I have always loved eating, cooking, and simply being around food. I wanted to go to culinary school when I was sixteen, which my parents laughed at. I didn’t understand how to make a career out of food without being a chef in a restaurant, which was not appealing to me, so I gave up on that dream and went to college to study business communication and marketing.
I worked in a bakery throughout college, which was my happy place and really solidified my love of food. One day it clicked – I had a family friend who was a food stylist; She got to work normal(ish) hours, play with food, and be on a team of people to create beautiful images. Even after this realization, I felt discouraged about pursuing this path without a culinary degree or extensive restaurant experience, so instead, I pursued a career in advertising after graduating in 2014.
That didn’t last long, and I ended up working as an English teacher in South America until 2017, traveling and getting some adventuring out of my system. I kept coming back to food styling, though, so I reached out to my food stylist family friend, Robin Krause. She hired me as her assistant when I moved back to Minnesota, and has been one of my biggest teachers in this industry.
From there, I started my freelance business, networked and assisted lots of other stylists, and haven’t looked back in nearly six years. In 2018 I completed a three-month culinary program at Le Cordon Bleu Paris in both pastry and cuisine to gain technical skills, which has helped me immensely in my career.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The biggest struggle was getting started. Almost all food stylists are freelance, and you have to really be a self-starter to live that lifestyle. Everything for a new freelancer is based on networking, getting someone to take a chance on you, proving yourself on the job, and doing that over and over again to build trust and relationships in the industry community.
Another ongoing challenge with freelancing is dry periods with no work. I struggle to keep a positive attitude during those times, but that downtime can also be a huge perk of the job.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
The majority of my work is on commercial photography and film sets – think advertisements, packaging, and commercials for food brands like Hormel, Target, General Mills, and Arby’s – with the occasional editorial job for cookbooks and other publications. I also use my cooking skills for recipe testing and development and have consulted on cookbooks from the conception and testing stage to styling the book’s photos.
I learn something on every job, whether I’m styling, supporting a stylist, testing, or grocery shopping. There is always something to learn about food, which is what makes it interesting to me. This also means that creative problem-solving is a huge part of my day-to-day, and creating solutions to the issues that arise on set always gives me a moment of pride and satisfaction.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
If you are lucky enough to know what lights you up and can find a way to turn that into a viable career, let nothing stop you from achieving that. The most passionate people are often the most successful.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.madelinefitzgerald.com
- Instagram: @madfitz.styling
Image Credits
Colin Houck, Isabel Subtil, Colleen Guenther, Katie Holm, and Cory Aldinger
