Setting the Table with Andy Chapin
By Natalie Gitt
In a sun-drenched home filled with ceramics, camera gear, and the scent of ripe stone fruit, Andy Chapin does what she does best—layering flavor and feeling with equal intention. As the food stylist behind Fable’s Summer Seasonal campaign, she composes more than plates; she creates a mood. Through vivid, thoughtfully constructed dishes, each scene carries the weight of memory: generous, textured, and gently undone.
With a visual language shaped by years in floristry, wardrobe, and food styling, Andy assembles vignettes rich in color and contrast, guided by the kind of joyful imperfection that defines summer gatherings. The result is abundance, rendered with care—sun-warmed fruit, edible flowers, a checkerboard of feta arranged with quiet precision.
We caught up with Andy to talk about her path to styling, the rituals that define her own summer table, and how the right piece of tableware can turn a meal into something more.
“Maybe a plate isn’t just a plate, maybe it’s part of the story—of how we gather, share, and remember.”
How did you first get into styling?
Styling came into my life as sort of a half accident. One of my first jobs as a teenager was at a flower shop, and I ended up designing on and off for about 15 years. Through those experiences I worked with different planners, chefs, and stylists, and learned a lot from everyone I collaborated with. Eventually I fell into wardrobe styling through friends and working on shoots, which opened up doors to different kinds of styling. Food became an unexpected outlet for creativity that I've really found playful and gratifying.
What influences your approach to food styling?
I think one of my biggest influences has been one of my best friends, designer and maker Michaela Rechtchaffner. She's always played with food in such a non-serious way with the most beautiful vessels, and her touch is always apparent in my work.
“Food became an unexpected outlet for creativity that I’ve found really playful and gratifying.”
What does summer look like around your own table?
Summer meals definitely mean eating outside. Living in Vancouver, our window is short, and as apartment city dwellers, it's such a gift to be able to share meals with larger groups outside in our yard. We're able to host more family and friends until later into the evening, and we almost always have those special summer foods—corn, tomatoes, stone fruit, and cherry pie from our own cherry tree.
Do you think the way we present food changes how we connect?
I think the way we present food in terms of sharing—family style vs. individual plating—changes the way we connect and have contact over a meal. It’s a little more intimate and personal. Even if you’re sharing a meal with newer friends, strangers become less strange when you’re sitting at the same table passing food around.
What role does tableware play in all of this?
Tableware is so, so important to my presentation. Whether it's my favourite mix-matched plates for a more relaxed feel, or pulling out the "nice" plates that make a meal feel a little more special, I really enjoy choosing my pieces carefully and with intent. A perfect mug for my hands, a funky serving spoon, a bowl my grandma made years ago. Maybe a plate isn't just a plate, maybe it's a part of the story—of how we gather, share, and remember.
