Sarah Tramonte Knows All About Food

Sarah Tramonte has worked in food and food media for seven years, most of that time at Taste of Home, where she was a food stylist and photographer. After spending time in a test kitchen and writing food-related articles, she decided to go freelance in July 2024 and start her own business—Tramonte Food Styling & Photography. She offers food styling, recipe testing, in-studio food product photography, restaurant food photography, cookbook photography, menu planning and private dining, all out of her Bay View home studio.

A lot of people would love to work in food. Can you tell us how you got here?

I went to UW-Milwaukee for graphic design and minored in photography. For my senior showcase project, I developed my cookbook. Thinking this would be the perfect piece to exhibit photography and design, I quickly fell in love with the food aspect of the project. I grew a passion for seeing food behind my lens more than anything else. I wrote my own recipes and taught myself how to create a makeshift background/surface set. I enjoyed each aspect of writing, shooting and designing the cookbook so much—that I decided to share my finished product with friends, family, and community.

An opportunity presented itself to publish and sell the Moody Foodie online and at the Riverwest Farmers Market. I was humbled by how so many people wanted a piece of the Moody Foodie and enjoyed following my process on social media. This time was such a fun and igniting chapter for me, and I learned a lot about myself and my passion for food photography. However, I wouldn’t get a job in the industry for another year. I spent a year doing graphic design and photography work for a music company before I got hired as a Junior Food Stylist at Taste of Home (ToH). The Moody Foodie was my resume, which sealed my hiring.  Little did I know then that they were looking for a candidate who could do both food styling and photography – so it ended up being the perfect match!

I spent a year in that position, working on sets alongside talented photographers and set stylists before being promoted to associate culinary producer, where I got to run my first set on my own. This time was crucial for learning “tricks of the trade” in food styling, set styling and photography. I also got a lot of on-camera experience with social media content and the opportunity to contribute to writing articles for the content team for the first time. In my last couple of years as a culinary producer, I trained two of my coworkers to run their own sets, and the streamlined work we could do continued to expand. This past July, I left my full-time position and built up my home studio to be able to take on the same kind of work and allow myself to take on different kinds of work.

How can people book your services?

I am located in Bayview, but I’m also a traveling creator. I go where I am needed, whether that be at a different studio, event, restaurant, etc. You can look at my work on my website at www.sarahtramonte.com and email me at [email protected] to inquire about working together!

From where do you pull inspiration?

When you shoot food, this is an easy answer. Life! What looks accurate and enticing? I love setting up a food scene that makes you think, “I want to be at that party/table,” or showcasing a restaurant’s dishes so wonderfully that your mouth waters when you see it on the screen. I browse online or in my past works to find a start if I don’t feel naturally inspired.  I also love letting authentic food experiences shape my travel plans and itineraries. Understanding people, places, and culture through food feeds my passion and creativity.

How stiff is the competition?

I try to think of ‘competitors’ in the industry as future mentors, mentees, partners, benchmarks, and sometimes friends. I learn so much from other creators. With a tight-knit, special community like Milwaukee, you never know where you’ll cross paths with others and need to support each other. Additionally, I am one person, so I try to keep my door open to collaborations or opportunities for ‘second shooter’ or supporting roles as well.

I love to work with small businesses and will offer flexibility in rates when I can. While understanding that everyone needs to get paid to make a living; I don’t want people to feel they can’t achieve the content they need because it’s behind an unrealistic paywall.

Where do you see your business in the next 5-10 years?

I would like to expand into a larger studio that I can welcome clients into and open up for rental use. This could include using the kitchen/studio space for private dinners, pop-ups, and more. I want to continue to grow my list of clients and hopefully get a chance to focus on restaurants and cookbooks.

Are there other people or businesses you’d like to shout out who helped you along the way?

Josh Rink and Ellie Crowley, two amazing fellow food stylists/photographers who supported me and pushed me to follow my dreams, take the leap, and try freelance. Without them cheering me on, I wouldn’t have had the confidence or courage to do it. My best friend and sister, Amy Tramonte, is always willing to look over and edit anything I do involving words and finds the perfect expression of my thoughts in a professional manner. Also, my friend and incredible business consultant, Amy Narr, offers immense support and constantly says my name in the room of opportunities.

What challenges do you face as a female business owner in Milwaukee and the what is the current state of the economy?

I encounter the same challenges as other women, particularly in male-dominated industries like food and photography, such as struggling to gain equal recognition and credibility. Currently, the economy is a greater force to persevere because everyone’s marketing budgets are smaller, and at the same time, everything is more expensive. Sometimes, knowing your worth and sticking to pricing can be difficult, but I try to remain fair and honest about the worth of my time and the quality of my work.

Do you have a favorite product or service that you offer? Are you working on other side projects that our readers should know about?

Anything I can do in my studio. I love setting up a scene and working independently, executing the vision as I see fit. While I also thrive in a team setting, I get completely in the zone when it’s just me and my work. Plus, I’m not entirely alone because I get to spend time working alongside my kitty cat studio mates, Mochi and Cleo, who are rarely critical of my work.

It’s hard to have side projects when you offer so many different services already, but I would say the side project that would have the least focus on my business would be the private dinners. This could be a side project because it’s not portrayed on my website and is a budding line of opportunity for me.