I got a call from my editor at Prevention a few weeks ago asking me to fly to New York for a photo shoot for a feature I’d written about how my time on Corfu impacted the way I live and eat. At first, I said no. I had just been in New York the previous week and was headed to Mexico the following week. The prospect of another cross country trip did not excite me. But I called back and said yes, and I’m so glad I did.

I love being a writer and recipe developer. But my creative involvement with an article ends after I’ve written the piece and the recipes, tested them in my kitchen and hit “send.” Months and months later, I open the magazine and see my words and recipes transformed into a gorgeous visual spread. Until last week, though, I’d never been involved in that part of the process. What fun to be a part of it all!

I showed up at the studio at 9:30 Thursday morning to get my hair and makeup done and the huge, airy loft space was buzzing with activity. Food stylist, Jee, was cooking some of my recipes on one side of the room. On another side, a huge table was filled with earthen bowls and wooden trenchers and stoneware platters presided over by Robyn, the prop stylist. Over by the windows, Marcus was arranging big, white baffles around a rustic wooden table where the food would eventually be arranged.

What was amazing about this crew was how we all had a similar aesthetic and idea for what the shoot should look like. I had heard stories from food stylists in the past about lacquer and hair spray and foam being used, but Jee believed in letting the food’s natural beauty shine through. Robyn’s props were perfect for it, and Marcus used only natural light and a very minimal, rustic setup. It was perfect. It captured what, to me, is the essence of Greece.

When it came time for me to get in front of the camera, Marcus invoked the feeling of Greece. He’d tease me, telling me to look out at all the fishing boats coming into the harbor (the windows looked out on the Hudson), and even had me constructing one of the salads for the piece to capture me in my element — with food.

I had an absolute blast and really hope to work with that whole crew again in the future (I Land Home cookbook?). Check out the results in the August issue of Prevention!