As creatives, we sometimes need to take time to have photoshoot days for ourselves. We use these “sample days” to build creative projects of our own, allowing us space to have fun and experiment with new techniques. From new concepts and camera angles, to different lighting and props, we see these sample days as a way to feed our creativity, and make ourselves the client. This week, we met with food stylist Kathryn Conrad to put together a shoot around an ingredient we’ve been hearing a lot about: ube.

Ube: the sweet purple root

So what is this purple root vegetable that’s taking the culinary world by storm? Though new to many of us in the United States, Ube is a purple yam native to the Philippines that is used in many traditional recipes, especially desserts. Many people confuse ube with purple sweet potatoes or taro, but they are totally different ingredients. Purple sweet potatoes share the purple color, and taro can turn purple when it is cooked; but the main difference is ube is much sweeter than either of its purple counterparts. It naturally has a vanilla-like, slightly nutty flavor. Kathryn considered this in choosing what foods to make for this shoot.

Ube creations by FoodPhotoStudio

Ube can be used in so many dishes. Traditionally, it’s used to make halaya (or ube jam): a delicious sweet pudding that is eaten on its own or as an element of desserts like halo-halo (Filipino shaved ice). Ube is now used in a variety of desserts, and here in the studio, we made ube pavlova, glazed donuts, soup, and ice cream.

Ube’s bold color quickly made its dishes Instagrammable. We’ve found that photographing ube dishes is a lot of fun and allows us to experiment with different backgrounds, textures, props, and color combinations we haven’t considered before.

We are fortunate to work with so many different collaborators & brands that create opportunities for us to challenge ourselves and push us out of our creative comfort zones. We love what we do, and giving our time and talent to each other as a gift brings joy to our souls and ube to our plates.

Food Styling and Recipe Development by Kathryn Conrad.

We’d love to work with you to help bring your ideas to life. Let’s connect!