Frequently Asked Questions

About Food Styling, Recipe Development and Culinary Consulting

TK Test Kitchen is a full-service culinary content production company. We specialize in food styling, prop styling, custom recipe development, and boutique restaurant consulting services tailored to each client's unique needs.
While TK Test Kitchen is proudly based in Charleston, South Carolina, we regularly work with clients throughout the South and Southeast. We offer both on-location travel assignments and virtual consulting services to meet your specific needs.
Getting started is simple! Either fill out the contact form on our website or email info@tktestkitchen.com, and we'll be in touch to discuss your project.

A food stylist prepares food specifically for the camera, which requires much more than standard cooking techniques. We employ specialized skills and professional techniques to ensure food looks its absolute best under studio lighting and camera conditions.
Our goal is to capture the most appetizing and visually appealing presentation possible for your culinary creations.
We maintain an extensive in-house prop collection, which is included with our styling services. Additionally, if your creative vision requires something unique or specialized that is not in our current inventory, we can source specific props for your shoot.
Absolutely—adapting to brand guidelines is a cornerstone of our service. Our primary responsibility is to execute your vision with precision and care.
The most successful shoots begin with thorough pre-production conversations to ensure all team members are aligned on creative direction and expectations.
We offer styling services for both photography and video productions. Our techniques are adapted specifically for each medium to ensure optimal visual results regardless of the format.

Our recipe development process begins with understanding both your brand voice and your audience. We take time to learn who will be using these recipes and what appeals to them. After pitching multiple concepts, we collaborate closely with you to select recipes that best represent your product or brand.
When developing recipes, we prioritize ingredient accessibility, broad appeal (avoiding specialty equipment requirements), and ease of preparation. Most importantly, we highlight the unique qualities of your product—whether that's the heat retention of cast iron cookware or the aromatic qualities of heirloom rice.
Rather than limiting ourselves to a specific cuisine, we adapt our recipe development to execute your brand's unique vision—whether that means creating Mediterranean-inspired menus for a tapas café or traditional Lowcountry recipes for a local rice farm.
What remains consistent across all our recipes is an emphasis on quality seasonal ingredients, user-friendly preparation methods, and exceptional flavor profiles that showcase your products at their best.
Absolutely! We regularly develop recipes for both restaurant menus and published cookbooks. Our versatile approach allows us to create everything from signature restaurant dishes to accessible home-cooking recipes.

Our restaurant consulting services include:
- menu development
- creation of standardized recipe books
- HACCP plan development
- and tabletop design and sourcing.
Each service is customized to address your specific operational needs and brand identity.
We offer one-time consultations and ongoing support packages tailored to your needs. Typical consulting relationships range from a few weeks to several months, depending on the scope and complexity of your project.

Contact us or a personalized quote based on your project requirements. Our pricing reflects each unique project's scope, duration, and specific needs.
Contract requirements vary by project type. Formal contracts may not be necessary for standard styling jobs, while larger recipe development or consulting projects typically require a signed agreement and deposit before work begins.
Booking timelines vary by service type. Recipe development projects generally require a few weeks for proper development and photography.
However, schedule permitting, we may be available on shorter notice—sometimes as little as 48 hours in advance—for styling jobs with minimal preparation requirements.
Absolutely! Past assignments have taken us to Texas, Alabama, South Florida, and Tennessee.

Yes, our prop collection is available for rent independently of our styling services. Please contact us for availability, pricing, and rental terms.
Absolutely! We’ve worked with restaurant clients across multiple states, including Texas and Georgia. Contact us to learn more!
Of course! For food styling examples, please view our portfolio gallery. For recipe development and writing samples, please visit our recipes page or Substack newsletter.
Collaboration is at the heart of what we do! Every successful photo or video shoot is a team effort, and we pride ourselves on working seamlessly with photographers, videographers, and other creative professionals to deliver your vision with excellence.