Your turn-key food production team all in one place.

When you work with us, you receive full project management at a commercial-production level. Our team of culinary professionals includes a commercial food photographer, food and prop stylist, and assistants who have collective decades of experience in the food world. This includes classically-trained chef, recipe developer and tester, food magazine editor. Our team can handle everything from sourcing and cooking, to prop styling and post production editing. You and your food are in good hands.

RACHEL ADAMs

At the intersection of art, food, and marketing expertise you’ll find Rachel and her team.

Hello! I'm Rachel. I came from the corporate world in marketing and communications within the food industry. My education is a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Marketing and Communications from the University of Kansas. From the ground up, I built the internal marketing department at Seattle Fish Co., the region’s largest seafood distributor. Within the company, I launched multiple food brands and developed strategic communication and marketing plans. In addition to my marketing knowledge, I know food....very well. I began her food photography business as a recipe developer and food blogger during the infancy of the market. I've worked as a personal chef, catered large events including Aspen Food and Wine, and conducted recipe testing and development for food brands.

When it came to Rachel Shoots Food, my eyes were bigger than my stomach and I quickly learned I couldn't grow solo. It took a few years, but I found a team of professionals who make my work better. They allow me to focus on the lighting and taking the pictures, while they do what they do best: the food! Over 5 years ago I met Gina Nistico, who I believe has one of the most impressive food resumes in the city. Her food knowledge and attention to detial make her the best food stylist I've worked with. She knows what questions to ask the clients to understand how they want to see the food and is able to build a dish for the camera (a true art). This is why she's become my second-hand woman on set. Together, we have created a flow and communication style that can't be replicated. Our experience together has created a well-oiled food production machine. We run a highly efficient and professional set bringing our clients' vision to life.

The crew

No longer a one woman-show, Rachel Shoots Food is a team of culinary and photography professionals.

Food stylist

Gina Nistico

A classically trained chef, former Food Editor of Taste of Home Magazine and Assistant Test Kitchen Director of America’s Test Kitchen, Gina Nistico has honed her experience into high-level food styling. Her attention to detail is unmatched. This is why she has excelled as one of the premier food stylists in the packaging, advertising, and commercial production industry. Her history at America’s Test Kitchen in Boston taught her to find workarounds to make the food look exceptional while still staying true to reality. She’s able to pivot on set with many food styling tricks up her sleeve. Her approach and handling of food is with the utmost precision creating incredible results for the camera. Gina operates a highly efficient kitchen while translating clients’ vision onto the plate or package.

Some of her clients include: The Washington Post, Ocean Spray, General Mills, Sam Adams, Starbucks, Einstein’s, HelloFresh, KFC, Hilary’s, and Bon Appetit

PROP stylist

A fluid position on our set is the prop stylist. The surfaces and props are the foundation of an image. It tells the story and creates brand consistency. Composition principals and color theory go into every image we create all before the food touches the set. Gina has prop styling backgrounds and often times the project lends to both she and Rachel planning and building the scene. We have collected a library of surfaces, backdrops, plates, glasses, silverware, and food props over 10 years. The studio space allows us to pull from this collection as the shoot requires. Often times a large project requires a dedicated prop stylist. No surprise, we've found the experts in their field as well. They are able to "shop and drop" or spend the day on set building each scene with custom collected props. We also offer custom backdrop creation and sourcing. Props are an art we take very seriously.

ASSISTANTS, digi techs,& retouchers

Project scopes and budgets vary widely. We know there are times we need to surround ourselves with a bigger team. We have built a network of local professionals to call when the job requires. We have assistants who are skilled in both photography and foods styling. Even some complex shoots will require lighting techs who are masters in their field. Sometimes even the best images out of camera need some composite work, focus stacking or photoshop retouching that we prefer to leave to the experts. Our network of image retouchers is long and they can help with anything from clipping to composites.