Another F&B Story: Thought To Table

In our hunger to dive headfirst into the complexities of food and the intricacies of the F&B market, we found ourselves wandering through a labyrinth of flavour, humanity, history, and culture. From the fullness of dairy and desserts to the delicate touch of brewed tea, you could say we’ve been taking our time to indulge in this three course meal of a series.

We’ve had a ball (and many yummy bites) thus far exploring our relationship with food, how it diverges into infinite possibilities, across countless industries, while remaining steadfast in our daily lives. So we reckon now’s as good a time as ever, as we set the table one last time, to introduce you to a good friend and fellow foodie who has adapted and evolved alongside food—her source of inspiration.

Balancing multiple facets of food to a tee is Prisia, former food stylist, pastry apprentice, cook, and now the new owner of a food stall in a secondary school canteen. On a sleepy weekday morning, we dropped by Prisia’s home kitchen, just in time to catch her prepping for a photoshoot for her new menu, merging her skills and knowhow into a purposeful venture. Despite her race against time with opening day fast approaching, Prisia graciously welcomes us in, ever-eager to share her love for food. Over a short lunch break, we listen as she begins her tale of how food became such a pivotal part of her life.

FOR THE HEART

When she was younger, Prisia actually had her eyes set on the fashion world and, after studying fashion design, started her career in the entertainment industry as a fashion stylist. While there, her enthusiasm and positive work attitude shone through as she readily took on roles outside of her job scope. Very soon, she was not just putting outfits together, but also dabbling in product and interior styling. “I would practically style a whole set by myself sometimes!” Prisia recalls with pride. It came as no surprise then that, when presented with the opportunity to do food styling, Prisia heartily agreed, even though she had no prior experience in that line.

Without any formal culinary training at that point or even the internet to rely on, Prisia had to pick up everything she could on the job and think up creative solutions on the spot as and when issues arose, resulting in many late nights experimenting with recipes and food styling hacks at home. Of all the hectic hours behind the scenes of large-scale productions, a fateful Christmas catalogue shoot stands out most in her mind.

“As a general rule of thumb in food styling, we never cook any food fully, to allow for manipulations and touch ups along the way. But with most types of meats, they bleed when undercooked,” Prisia shares. So you can imagine her horror when the turkey she was tasked to style over the course of several days started to seep red juices from every crevice. Thankfully, Prisia’s quick wit and experimental nature came to the rescue; you’d never guess her brilliant solution to this messy situation. “On a whim, I tucked a sanitary napkin under the turkey to absorb all the juices, and it worked wonders!” she lets out a sigh, as if reliving the moment, before breaking into a chuckle.

That’s precisely how it was for years, with Prisia taking on each challenge in her stride and forming a strong connection with food along the way. “I’m always up for a challenge and stepping out of my comfort zone. When a new job comes my way, I’ll accept it first before figuring out how to do it,” she declares, honouring this mindset that has carried her thus far.

With her appetite for the food industry whet through this experience, Prisia went on to work in a central kitchen, while still freelancing as a stylist, to discover the inner-workings of commercial food service—just one of the many courses on the menu of her quest for knowledge.

FOR THE BODY

After our bellies are filled, Prisia’s sprightly demeanour shifts as she dons her apron and bounces into action with her game face on—back to work. While laying out gadgets and gizmos only a seasoned food handler would’ve amassed, she introduces us to the dishes she’d be making for the shoot—teriyaki chicken and luncheon meat with egg rice bowls—two of the four nutritious rice bowls her new stall will offer, among other snacks and bakes.

Enticed by the stories of Prisia’s food styling days, we excitedly watch her display her technical prowess around the kitchen, warming up with a seemingly simple yet intricate component of her main course: scrambled eggs. Like an agile performer, the kitchen her stage, she breaks two eggs against each other, cracking them open simultaneously into a bowl. With a whisk and a pour, she nurtures them over a gentle flame. As the kitchen heats up, Prisia grows quiet for a moment, her attention fully on the silky, golden eggs coalescing on the pan, interrupting their flow every so often with a confident stir until they yield and fluff up to her liking.

But wait, didn’t Prisia mention that she had no culinary experience? Well, as she slides the mound of creamy scrambled eggs off the pan, we learn that there’s much more to the story. Prisia reveals that after 10 incredible and memorable years as a food stylist, she took a step back to focus on a new job: motherhood.

A full-time job it was, even before her daughter was born. Prisia developed gestational diabetes during her pregnancy, prompting her to change her eating habits, which was a tough pill to swallow. “At that time, I felt that I was already eating healthily,” she tells us. “So when I received my diagnosis, I asked myself how I could make healthy food even better for my body.” Despite this bump in the road, she was more determined than ever to explore nutritional alternatives to the foods she enjoyed, for both her health and that of the baby in her belly.

“I spent a lot of time trying out new ways to reduce sugar in my cooking, especially for my favourite desserts. After much trial and error, I’ve learnt that using substitutes can often alter tastes and textures, so I’m always sharing my cooks and bakes with loved ones to gather feedback and tweak my recipes accordingly,” she says.

FOR THE MIND

That marked the start of Prisia’s journey down a new path in the world of food, where she went on to obtain her certification as a private chef. It was during this time that she immersed herself in vegan cuisine, exploring plant-based flavour combinations that could transform the even the most mundane cauliflower into a delectable dish.

She uncovered a wealth of new techniques that enriched her culinary style, but still desired to broaden her skills, so she enrolled in a diploma programme in pastry and baking. As a student again, Prisia absorbed as much knowledge as she could from her instructors, with her love for pastries directing her focus towards alternative sweeteners and plant-based dairy options. Whatever she learned, she brought back home to prepare her signature bakes with a healthy twist that she never fails to share with her friends and family. Beaming, she tells us, “It’s really satisfying when I find a combination of ingredients that works!”

Finally, diploma in hand, she decided to spend her time as a newly-minted fresh-graduate working in a quaint little café in the CBD. Here, she got to peek firsthand into people’s eating habits, like how middle-aged men tend to consume sweeter treats during their coffee breaks. But, as insightful and delightful as it was doling out coffee and pastries, time, yet again, was not on her side. So when the news of a vacant stall at a school fell into her lap, she knew that she had to take it. “I’ve always felt that it’s very important to have a healthy relationship with food, so I’m glad to now have this opportunity to promote healthy eating in the younger generation. As a bonus, working in a school means that my hours will align with my kid’s school schedule,” she enthused.

FOR THE SOUL

Once all the components are prepped, Prisia arranges them neatly into a shining metal bowl; her hands moving naturally as she starts with a generous scoop of Japanese rice, followed by leaves of lettuce, heaps of apple and cucumber cubes, a dollop of coleslaw, slices of chicken, a drizzle of glistening special sauce, finishing with a squeeze of mayonnaise and a sprinkling of dried laver. The end result looks (and smells) amazing; a harmonious spectrum of colours and textures that makes our mouths water and our stomachs grumble, even though we’d just eaten.

When asked how she came up with her menu, Prisia tells us that she often makes rice bowls at home because they’re convenient and healthy, the perfect meal to whip up after a long day at work. Eating nutritiously is something Prisia has always believed in, which is why she’s delighted to help children build a healthy relationship with food in her current position.

However, she understands that most people might not have the time to prepare a balanced, home-cooked meal every day. Still, she encourages everyone to take steps toward healthy eating habits whenever possible—after all, a small step is better than nothing. “Home-cooked meals are things I like to advocate for,” Prisia shares. “After becoming a mum, I found that a lack of time is a common issue for parents. So it has become my mission to show them that convenience doesn’t always mean dabao-ing food!”

As she puts the finishing touches on her second rice bowl, we look at the bountiful silver bowls, reminiscing on our own schooling days, each of us sharing memories of our favourite food stalls that we ran eagerly to come recess time. After spending a day with Prisia, we’re grateful that chefs like her have dedicated their time to ensuring that young school goers have delicious and nutritious meals to look forward to every day; it doesn’t hurt that they look so appetising too!

For Prisia, this role is just another chapter in her lifelong pursuit of discovering her purpose in food. She took the plunge into the world of food styling which only propelled her to dive deeper in search of new knowledge in the murky depths of the F&B industry, and then surfacing to share the bounty with everyone around her. The process of never shying away from the unknown has strengthened her resolve. “If you never try, you never know,” she insists. The memories of all the good (and bad) times in her career over the years not only remind her of why she loves food, but also serve as a light to guide her ahead, no matter the path she chooses to explore next.