By Liz Warton
As a woman of many careers, Susan Stockton has always been passionate about life. Growing up in a family that loved to cook, she inherited a love for food and sharing it with others. After attending cooking school and working in restaurants, Stockton heard that a new television network dedicated to food was looking for freelance stylists. She went in to apply and become the first chef in the Food Network kitchens. Today, Stockton oversees a staff of twenty and runs a full production schedule in her kitchens, while judging culinary competitions and launching new business ventures for the Food Network.

Liz Warton: How did you get to your current position? What in your background helped you get there?

Susan Stockton: I was a late bloomer - cooking was my third career. My dad was a photographer and an entrepreneur so I grew up in a photo studio. Everyone in my family cooked but since I wasn’t looking to open a restaurant, I never thought of it as a career. But that was years ago. Dozens of career opportunities in food are available now that did not exist back then - especially for women.

I have to say that everything I learned in my prior businesses (Florist, Graphic Design, Catering) contributed to what I now do. And I think this is true of many people. Little of what we learn is ever wasted. In college I majored in Fine Arts. Interestingly enough, several people in our kitchens also came to food from careers in the arts.

I started working at the Food Network as an entry-level freelance Food Stylist working in the kitchen. After cooking school, I catered, worked in restaurants and styled food for print, trying to learn as much as I could. Luckily the Food Network took me on full time and asked me to pull together a business plan for a permanent kitchen staff. I was their first chef. As the Network grew, so did our kitchen. Some of our original crew is still here. It’s really a great place to work.

LW: What drew you to work for the Food Network?

SS: Twelve years ago, I was watching Food Network late one night with some friends in a restaurant kitchen and just got hooked. It was pretty primitive TV in those days but such fun. No one else was doing anything like it. I was told their culinary director was looking for freelancers so I dropped by to see for myself and never left. The Network had no library of original shows. So, they were taping as fast as they could, about 6 shows per day, and showing old Julia episodes to fill the gaps. As in any start up company, you get to learn everyone’s job. It was intensely creative, collaborative and crazy! As the Network has grown, it remains interesting and continues to be a challenge.

LW: People outside of your work probably think your job is incredibly glamorous. What is an average day really like?

SS: Like most people, I start my “glamorous” mornings with coffee and email! Then I get to visit the Food Network Kitchen, which is adjacent to the set, and meet with members of my culinary team (roughly 20 people) about whatever jobs are coming through. The Chelsea Food Network Kitchen in New York is truly a crossroads of some of the best chefs, authors and home cooks in the world. You never know who will be dropping by. I love meeting people who are passionate about food and I have many opportunities to do so.

We have two studios and even have the ability to tape in the kitchen. So we are quite busy and must always be “on”. When we are in production in our big studio, the kitchen is going full tilt. Our stylists are preparing camera-worthy food and meals for events; the Test Kitchen is developing new recipes for our cookbooks and testing recipes for the many competitions we sponsor. We taste everything to be sure the recipes you find on foodnetwork.com really work.

I also visit location productions and judge some of our competitions. Currently, I’m involved in a new venture: the production of cookbooks to accompany some our chefs’ shows.

LW: What is the most satisfying part of your job? The most difficult?

SS: Satisfying: If I meet someone at a party and they learn I work at the Food Network, they light up and want to tell me their favorite chef, show, and their mother’s meatloaf recipe . They ask about celebrity chefs’ lives and how to get tickets to shows. I often hear that the Network is a positive, fun place to get really good food information.

Difficult: Getting out of those conversations after an hour or so.

LW: What skills, talents or personality traits are most essential in your career?

SS: We are constantly challenged to look at food in new ways to keep our Network fresh. This department gets tossed a lot of balls to juggle: we style, develop, cater, write, edit, research – with many deadlines. To do this, it’s critical to really love what you do. Be organized, open and creative, have a passion for all things food – and a decent sense of humor.

LW: Do you have any recommendations for people that want to get into production for food television? How do you turn the dream into reality?

SS: We do use freelance cooks in our kitchen. When we are not in production, you could always schedule an informational interview. If you’re interested in entering TV production, give Scripps Networks’ Human Resources department a call.

But if you are really going for the gold, have the ‘chops’, and want to be in front of the camera, make a tape and send it in for year three of our ‘Next Food Network Star’ series.

LW: Food TV has grown exponentially in the past several years, thanks in large part to the Food Network. Where do you see the future of food television programming?

SS: It is in the viewers’ hands – literally. With shows airing on the Internet, Tivo, cell phones and I-Pods, people can watch what they want, when and where they choose.

We try to listen hard to our viewers. Right now, they are asking for delicious food that they can make quickly at home without visits to multiple markets for ingredients. While viewers may not crave restaurant recipes at this moment in time, they love watching chefs who set food trends and compete in shows like Iron Chef America and our Challenge series.

As times change, so will our programming. We’re listening.