Also called: Culinary Stylist
Makes food look perfect for photos, commercials, movies, and packaging.
You cook 20 burgers to pick the one with the best shape, then use tweezers, brushes, and tricks to make it camera-ready under hot lights. For a movie scene you may need identical plates of food for 40 takes. It is cooking for the eye, not the mouth.
Freelancers charge day rates of $500-$1,000+.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Certificate, about 2 years after high school. Culinary training plus assisting an established stylist.
Ways in: Trade school, On-the-job training, Self-taught. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Culinary Arts, Photography, Art.
Growing about average.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI-generated food images replace some packaging and ad shoots; film, TV and big campaigns still use real food styled by hand.
Classes: Culinary arts CTE, Art, Photography.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-1029.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.