about amanda
If you had told me years ago that a catering business, an unfinished cookbook, and a whole lot of trial and error would lead me here, I am not sure I would have believed you.
Looking back now, every messy, exhausting, beautiful step makes sense. A layoff, a divorce, three small kids, and a stubborn refusal to give up bread. That is how I accidentally built a catering business, burned out, and got talked into writing "that damn book" I never finished.
But that unfinished book led me to everything I am today! Food photography, food styling, a studio, flying all over the country for chefs and restaurants, and eventually becoming a board certified Doctor of Functional Nutrition with a clinical focus in migraine. I know, seems random, but it's all about food in this girls brain!
Food has been the thread throughout my life. I understand it all the way down, how it nourishes, how it heals, and how it makes us feel when we capture it in the perfect light. All the support I offer my clients now, is everything I wish I had been handed back then.
If you're curious...
MY STORY
I Get Where You Are,
Because I Was You
A layoff, a divorce, three small kids, and a stubborn Italian woman who refused to give up bread. That is how I accidentally built a catering business, burned out, and got talked into writing a cookbook I never finished. I call it "that damn book" now.
But that unfinished book led me to everything, food photography, a studio, flying all over the country for chefs and restaurants, and eventually becoming the confident food stylist and photographer I am today. Every tool I build for my clients is one I wish I had been handed back then.
Photo Credit: Love Shutter Photography
Me at 35 in my commercial kitchen, at my first ever professional photoshoot. This was a little red barn they turned into a kitchen, such a sweet little space for a baby entrepreneur.
Amanda Richardson, BCDFN, CFNC
Amanda (Loren) Richardson is the Creative Director, Visual Strategist, and Founder behind Amanda Loren Studios, a high-end visual production studio serving ambitious cookbook authors, culinary visionaries, and scaling food and beverage brands.
As the "Keeper of the Visual Brand," Amanda bridges the gap between big ideas and set execution. She leads authors and founders through complete visual strategy, manuscript mapping, and on-set creative leadership, ensuring every image that lands on bookstore shelves, e-commerce storefronts, and retail displays makes an immediate, bestseller-quality impression.
Her cookbook work spans independent self-published authors to titles produced with SPARK Publications and international publisher Insight Editions. Her work has been featured in notable publications including Insight Editions, SPARK Publications, The Cookbook Creative, EBONY, Paper City, The Charlotte Observer, Travel Noire, LKN Magazine, and Ballantyne Magazine.
In addition to her creative leadership, Amanda is a Board-Certified Doctor of Functional Nutrition with a clinical focus in migraine, as well as the publisher of Migraine Unread, a publication rooted in the deeply personal experience of living with Hemiplegic Migraine. This clinical background brings a rare depth, intentionality, and reverence for ingredients to every concept she designs and executes.
Known for her barefoot spirit, editorial style, and commitment to authentic visual storytelling, Amanda crafts imagery that stirs emotion, builds brand equity, and elevates food far beyond passing trends. Outside of client work, she donates her creative talents to causes close to her heart, including Fork Cancer and The Make-A-Wish Foundation.