Stonewall Kitchen Food Styling Class with Christine Tizzard (and a Bonus Pancake Recipe)

“This post is sponsored by Stonewall Kitchen in which I have been monetarily compensated. The opinions in the post are entirely my own.”

On Thursday, Feb. 15^th, I was invited to a Stonewall Kitchen Mix and Mingle Baking Class organized by Branding & Buzzing and hosted by Chef, food stylist and cookbook author Christine Tizzard. The event was held at the newly opened Kitchen24, a culinary event space in Toronto (check out a short video of the venue). Here’s my experience of the class, a description of the products we used, and a mouth-watering pancake recipe.

About Stonewall Kitchen:

“Stonewall Kitchen is a specialty food producer based in York, Maine. They got their start in 1991, selling handmade jams and jellies at local farmers’ markets, fairs and festivals. A passion for innovative recipes and flavors led them to expand to sauces, condiments, mustards, baking mixes, and more—all made with the same high-quality ingredients and detail. They are the winner of 28 prestigious awards from the Specialty Food Association, including three Outstanding Product Line awards.” (Source: Stonewall Kitchen)

Our baking and food styling class utilized Stonewall Kitchen products. At the event, we were introduced to their baking mixes, along with complementary syrups, jams and spreads (see a full list on the Stonewall Kitchen website).

In Toronto, the products can be found at Whole Foods, Sobey’s, Metro, Longo’s, Pusateri’s, and McEwan’s. Having tried some of their products at the event and at home, I was sold on their taste and quality and excited to try their savoury condiments as well.

Overview of the Stonewall Kitchen Mix and Mingle Baking Class:

The event started with a quick tour of Kitchen24, followed by a short info session to introduce our group to Stonewall Kitchen products.  Representatives of Gourmet Trading gave us a presentation of the story and quality behind the brand. Gourmet Trading’s focus is to bring the best speciality food brands to Canada.

A small group of us were paired up and got our hands dirty making brunch items that included scones, waffles, donuts and pancakes using one of Stonewall Kitchen’s baking mixes. The mixes we used included:

• Buttermilk Pancake & Waffle Mix
• Gluten-Free Pancake & Waffle Mix
• Blueberry Scone Mix
• Gluten-Free Cinnamon Sugar Donut Mix

Christine Tizzard was an incredible host and taught us the art of food styling. Aside from making the product, each group had to style two plates. The first plate was focused on the product done simply, and the second plate was the “wild” one where every group showcased their creativity with full access to props and plates at the studio. It was not a competition, although I’d say everyone deserves a trophy for rocking the assignment.

I had a blast partnering up with Sofia (IG @brazilianfoodie) to make the donuts. For our second dish, we loved the idea of having a 1950s diner vibe. We wanted our dish to look mouth-watering, delicious, and to evoke a sense of nostalgia and fun! I’d say we nailed it. Thank you to Christine Tizzard who provided many valuable suggestions and to help fine tune our dish. Of course, Josh Tenn-Yuk’s photos help to capture each dish beautifully!

Here are Food styling tips for working with donuts: 

• Plan the mood, theme or lifestyle you are trying to portray, and work the props and dish around it
• Do a practice plate before committing to the “real thing”
• If using ice cream, take photos as soon as the ice cream touches the plate/food
• Add a human touch or action to bring the photo to life. Something as simple as someone cutting into the food, chocolate or syrup dripping can add another dimension to your picture
• Donuts and pancakes look great being stacked

Overall, it was an interactive event that gave us an opportunity to taste and try out Stonewall Kitchen products, while learning about food styling in a very cool space.

Here is the final dish of each group. Are you amazed or what?

Stonewall Kitchen Buttermilk Pancake Recipe with fresh fruits:

This is a simple recipe that uses the instructions on the package. I’ve added fresh fruit, jam and maple syrup for a touch of sweetness. The pancakes were incredibly fluffy and were a hit with my entire family!

Makes approx 5-6 pancakes

Ingredients: 

1 large egg
2/3 cup of milk or buttermilk
1 cup of the Stonewall Kitchen Buttermilk Pancake and Waffle Mix (dry mix)
1 tablespoon of melted unsalted butter
1 banana –sliced
1 cup of strawberries- sliced
1 cup of blueberries
2 teaspoons of Stonewall Kitchen’s Wild Maine Blueberry Jam
1/3 cup (or more) of 100% pure maple syrup

Instructions:

1. Beat the egg and milk together
2. Add the dry mix and blend together
3. Stir in the melted butter and mix well
4. Ladle 350 degrees F griddle and flip when air bubbles begin to pop. Turn once and cook until done
5. In between each layer of pancakes, add the bananas, strawberries and blueberries
6. Top with pancakes with jam and maple syrup

Social media Handles:

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