We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Marissa Gosses a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Marissa, thanks for joining us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

As a recipe developer and food photographer, I find success by not being afraid of failure and by persevering until I achieve my desired outcome. This applies to both cooking and photography. Some recipes take several tries to get just right and require patience and determination to perfect them before I am willing to share the recipe with my audience. When it comes to food photography and styling, it takes a lot of persistence to make a meal that might not look very pretty appear delicious. One of my favorite photographs that I have taken was of a cup of black bean soup. Initially, this was something I would have avoided, as brown soup is not very visually appealing. However, after getting the lighting right and telling a story through the props and toppings, it turned out amazing!

Marissa, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Marissa and I am a recipe developer and food photographer. I began my food blogging journey in 2019 because my coworkers always looked at the leftovers I packed for lunch and commented, “I could never have the time to make something like that during the week!” I started quickly writing out the recipes for them and I loved being able to help relieve the stress in their lives not to have to think about an easy and nutritious meal to make during the week.
My recipes aim to inspire someone to cook a
new meal and to give someone the confidence to use my recipes as a base but easily adapt them to make it their own.
In 2020, I took a food photography course focusing on food styling and color theory and quickly learned that no matter how wonderful something tastes, people eat with their eyes, To encourage others to try my recipes, the photos had to look delicious.
Once I felt confident with my food photography, I began working with national food brands to develop recipes for their products and create marketing materials for them.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

When I create recipes and provide food photography for clients, I like to go above and beyond to communicate ahead of the photoshoots to ensure I am shooting exactly what they are looking for. When I deliver their photos, I provide them with bonus materials and always make sure they are happy with what they receive. Since I am working in a freelance capacity, I like to get to know my clients and feel a part of their team. Their success is my success, so when I can create great high-performing content for them, then they remember and continue to reach back out to me.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding part about being a recipe creator is when people let me know that they feel confident to make my recipes and share them with their friends and family. Cooking and enjoying meals is such a fundamental part of our day-to-day lives, coming up with exactly what to buy and cook is often the stressful part. I love that people can go to my recipes and know they are getting an approachable and balanced meal.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.overthespoonfor.com
• Instagram: @overthespoonfor

Image Credits

Sarah Bartee for Brand Photography