It’s official: London is in the midst of a fashionable food revolution, as an increasing number of style-savvy young women are eschewing careers in design, modeling, and photography for independent culinary ventures, from hand-pressed nut milks, to runway-inspired baking and cool-yet-nutritious on-site cooking. Here, Vogue.com meets the founders of three burgeoning brands who are as pleasing to the eye as their products are to the palate. The Brand: TART London Photographer Lucy Carr-Ellison, 28, and model Jemima Jones, 27, founded TART London in 2012 after identifying a gap in the market for fun, health-conscious catering for major fashion and film shoots. Currently based in Notting Hill, the dynamic duo has collaborated with luxe labels such as Saint Laurent and Gucci, as well as prolific British artists such as Quentin Blake. Why the switch from fashion to food? Carr-Ellison: We bonded as friends over a mutual love of cooking and eating, and so it felt natural to move in that direction. It didn’t feel like too much of a departure as we were already cooking for fashion shoots and we still feel very much a part of the whole production. How have your creative backgrounds influenced your culinary creations? Jones: Well, we carefully consider the look and taste of each dish—vibrancy and texture are very important. Normally, we’ll cook six or seven plates for lunch so we can edit and ensure that all the flavors and visuals complement each other. What are the signature Tart dishes? Jones: We love interactive plates, so I would say our pho soups and noodle dishes, which come with lots of fun sides, like clams and mussels. Also, our salted caramel and chocolate tart with a roasted pecan and hazelnut base is a firm favorite for dessert. Your ultimate culinary muse . . . Carr-Ellison: [Australian chef] Skye Gyngell. We really admire her unusual, innovative use of flavoring. Her dishes are simple but modern and bold, too. Career highlights? Jones: Working with some incredible talents that we’ve always looked up to—such as [photographers] Tim Walker, Nick Knight, David Sims, and Glen Luchford—has been amazing. We’ve also been able to work with some great labels such as Versace, Valentino, and Mulberry, which has been so much fun. What’s next for TART? Carr-Ellison: We’re in the process of writing a book, which is exciting, and we’re also about to launch a week pop-up restaurant with Wedgwood in Queen’s Park, North West London. The Pressery Friends and fellow food lovers Chi-San Wan, 29, and Natali Stajcic, 30, launched The Pressery in 2014 with the aim of supplying Londoners with hand-pressed, activated almond milk crafted from the finest local ingredients. This year they aim to make the products available outside of London, and will be hosting a series of curated talks and dinners. The Pressery mantra? Wan: Simple: to offer a simple measure toward a healthy and balanced lifestyle. We even have our own hashtag: #supernaturalgoodness. Why the move from fashion to food? Wan: I see The Pressery as a means of combining my passion for food with my former career in fashion design, advertising, and styling. It’s a new exploration of both. Stajcic: Juggling new motherhood with a demanding role as an events planner pushed me to realize my own dream of starting my own business. The Pressery allows us both to work in a way that’s flexible, it’s never a standard nine-to-five day, which I love. Your big break? Wan: We managed to raise £10,000 in just two hours on Crowdcube, which was awesome! Stajcic: Also, being included in Gestalten’s prestigious Start Me Up!: New Branding for Businesses book was a real honor. Describe your personal style. Stajcic: During spring you’ll usually find me dressed in a playful mixture of patterns—I don’t like to play by the rules. Florals, tie-dye, and stripes are all mixed up with my staple Acne leather jacket. Wan: I’m a real minimalist at heart, so my wardrobe is made up of understated labels such as Margaret Howell and Mansur Gavriel. What’s your favorite new Pressery recipe for spring? Wan: A nutrient-rich morning smoothie, made from our Original Almond Milk, chia seeds, cacao nibs, maca, a banana, tahini, and schisandra berry powder. I promise it will keep you powered up until lunchtime. Bunny Little’s Bakery Katy Taylor draws upon years of styling experience to inform her vibrant and covetable cakes. Be it delicate summer florals by Erdem or Roksanda’s bold use of color-blocking, the 31-year-old star baker has a unique knack of translating of-the-moment trends into sweet, Instagram-worthy treats. How did Bunny Little’s Bakery come about? I’ve always loved baking and entertaining (or any excuse for a party)! A small café suddenly became available on our local high street in Kentish Town, North London and a friend and I decided to snap it up and launch our own bakery. It really was quite spontaneous. I created the brand from there, in early September 2013. Who is Bunny Little? Bunny Little stemmed from my own childhood nickname, Bunny. The ‘Little’ just sounded sweet, and I wanted the bakery to attract families, too. I like to think of Bunny Little as my furry fashionista who loves to bake as much as she loves her latest runway looks from Alexander Wang or Marques ‘ Almeida. Tell me about BLB’s signature cakes. Well, our oversize rainbow cakes are very popular and our hot-pink ombré cakes have been a real hit. Runway trends always tend to inspire what I’m baking. I’ve recently created a series of baked lollipop biscuits with iced slogans that nod to Sophia Webster’s cool clutches and purses. Cake accessories, if you will. Top tips for aspiring bakers? Always use the freshest, organic ingredients whenever possible and only bake cakes that you’re really interested in eating. Also, just have fun with cooking and experiment as much as possible. Finally, there’s nothing better than baking with a cocktail on the go. Baking highlights to date? Hooking up with the two-Michelin-star chef Marcus Wareing to create a pop-up called ‘Bunny Little’s Fashion Afternoon Tea’ was so exciting, and working with amazing British labels such as Anya Hindmarch and Asprey has been really great, too. Who would you most like to bake for? Madonna. I just love her and I can’t imagine that she’s eaten a cupcake in quite a while, so I think that would be fun.
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