Graduate of:
Leiths Three Term Diploma in Food and Wine

Bio
Saskia is an influential food stylist and recipe writer who is well known for her ability to create enticing and craveable dishes with mass appeal which encourage home cooks to pick up their pans and get to work in the kitchen. She is growing a loyal following on TikTok for her approachable + crave able recipes, and has been a regular contributor to popular online food brands including Tastemade, Buzzfeed and MOB, with many of her recipe creations have achieved viral success, receiving views and high praise from thousands across the globe.

Saskia is a food stylist, represented by boutique agency Garden. She works across commercial and editorial photoshoots bringing a beady eye for detail and flare for culinary composition to the table. She regularly works as a recipe developer and food writer, often ghost writing for big brands and chefs.
The first steps along her food career were in a branding + marketing role at healthy fast-casual food brand LEON, where she wrote copy for their cookbooks, website and social media (with a penchant for food puns). Saskia has since published three cookbooks. Her first cookbook was ‘Broke Vegan’, which she wrote during the first stages of the pandemic in 2020, complete with a newborn baby strapped to her chest. Due to the lockdown restrictions, she and her wife also photographed and styled the cookbook themselves from home. Although not a vegan herself, she is fanatical about bringing bold flavours out of humble ingredients and through this title wanted to encourage readers to enjoy simple and accessible plant-based food without breaking the bank.

Life Before Leiths
“Before I started at Leiths I was circling around the food industry in a different way, first as the Brand & Marketing Manager for LEON, and then as a Campaigns Manager for Octopus Publishing Group, focusing on their cookery list. I’d always loved food, loved talking about it, and finally decided that I’d had enough of sitting behind a desk and wanted to get completely immersed in cooking.”

What drew you towards a career in food?
Saskia’s decision to dive into the food world came after she realised that talking about other people’s food simply wasn’t going to satisfy her hunger. “Food is all I think about. It sparks connections, it deepens our feelings and it’s the ultimate comfort – who wouldn’t want to work in an industry that no one can live without?!”

What do you love most about your job now?
Following her time at Leiths, Saskia went on to develop a truly unique personal style with food which aims to demystify cooking and build peoples’ kitchen confidence. She has a strong flare for flavour, a beady eye for detail and a ‘no nonsense’ practical approach to cookery. What she most appreciates about her job now is that “no two days are the same. I’m constantly working with different clients, being pushed to try new things and learn new techniques. I love that there’s a job that exists for me to obsess over food and get paid for it.”

Any wise words for future grads?
Saskia’s biggest tip for when you’re looking for work experience and new opportunities is: not to be generic. “When you’re emailing someone you want to shadow, or a restaurant you’re dying to work at, don’t just say “you’d really love to get into the food industry.” Tell them why you want to work with them SPECIFICALLY. Don’t make your email feel like a cookie cutter – inject your personality, compliment people’s work and do your homework – it pays off, I promise.”