Name

Shannon McQuaid

Occupation

Food Stylist, Recipe Developer & Food Advocate

Tell us about what you do.

I’m a registered dietitian by trade, but nowadays I primarily do recipe development through content creation on Instagram. I also do food styling in a contract capacity.

How did you get into food styling, recipe development and food advocacy?

I have always loved to cook and as a dietitian, that love only grew. I started sharing food content on my own personal Instagram and someone suggested I start my own food account. It began as just a resource to share food but from that, I got my first food styling contract which ended up being for the Canada’s Food Island cookbook. This opened my eyes to the possibility that this could be something I could do as a job. As a dietitian, I did recipe development and so that part of the content I started to share on my Instagram account came naturally to me. From my Instagram, people connected with me for recipe development and content creation organically.

What PEI products do you love to use in your kitchen and recipe development?

In the winter, I love to use island seafood and dairy products. People don’t often associate seafood with the winter months but I’m a huge fan of frozen seafood like lobster and scallops. As a busy mom, it’s easy to pull some frozen lobster from the freezer and make a quick and delicious meal. In the summer, I love island produce. I highly recommend community-supported veggie boxes in the warmer months!

Why is it important to you to use locally grown ingredients?

There are lots of reasons but I think the number one reason is to support local. By purchasing locally we keep our economy stimulated. Another reason is that the products are fresher and more nutrient dense. When products are grown closer to home, you can buy and eat them sooner rather than later when some of their nutrients have diminished.

What are some of your favourite PEI foods?

One of my favourite recipes that I have made over and over again is a lobster corn dip that I created for LobsterPEI. It’s a baked lobster and corn dip using fresh or frozen PEI lobster and in the summertime, fresh PEI corn along with PEI cheese. You can find the recipe on my Instagram @savourbyshannon.

What value do you think there is in sharing your content on social media?

The more people you reach and show them how accessible cooking is, the more they believe they can do things in their own kitchen. I also love that I get to highlight local products. Not only does local product look better, it tastes better too!

Back to Faces of PEI