Early ’80s Food Styling

If you’re a fan of Mirror80’s Retro Foodie series, you know how much I enjoy preparing delicious treats and styling them with retro flair. Today Retro Foodie takes a different turn as we look back at actual food styling photos from an early ’80s cookbook, The Encyclopedia of Creative Cooking, edited by Charlotte Turgeon. Filled with 2,000 recipes and 800 full-color photos, this cookbook was a special gift from my Mom-in-Law. I’ve scanned some of my favorite images below and grouped them by styling trend. Enjoy!

Dark Backgrounds

Earlier this year I purchased two 1980s photographic posters featuring citrus fruit displayed against a dark background. This trend was a popular one in the late ’70s and the ’80s, adding a sophisticated, dramatic backdrop to the food at hand. Above we see a strawberry lime pie and a lemon sherry cocktail.

Whipping Cream

In the 1980s, whipping cream was a foodie’s friend. As you can see from the Italian cassata at the top of the post, whipping cream could be used to anchor a range of garnishes, from fruit to nuts. Above we see the hazelnut layer cake, and below is the neopolitan torte.

Creative Garnishing

Speaking of garnishes, ordinary ’80s food items became extraordinary during the Decade of Decadence, thanks to some creative food embellishments. Fruit cleverly surrounds an orange delight and tops a duo of yogurt parfaits above. Below we see the power of veggie blossoms with the fresh crab salad, and we get a glimpse at the art of innovative pretzel arrangement with the cheese mousse:

This is just the tip of the iceberg, folks! Stay tuned for more ’80s foodie styling posts, including some yuppie selections fit for the best New York restaurants…