Well Fed Network

Posted by Madeline Miller on Edible TV.

I have a feeling the Food Network might be getting even job applications than usual once this news hits the street. According to the Rockford Register, Sarah Copeland is a 30-year old who gets paid to eat by the Food Network.

Copeland is a recipe developer, which means she “spends her days cooking, dreaming up recipes and of course, eating.” I’m shocked that she’s shocked that people are amazed by her job: “I’m always amazed by what a strong reaction people have to food, and to my job. When they find out I get paid to play with food all day, most people say I have their dream job.” Copeland was recently featured on the Fine Living Show called “I Want Your Job.”

So how does a recipe developer spend her day?

Most of Copeland’s time is dedicated to writing and developing recipes for foodnetwork.com, and for the Food Network Kitchens Cookbooks. She hosts the Food Network’s “Will Work for Food” blog and takes pictures of her goods for the network’s Web site. Her recipes also have shown up in magazines such as Redbook and Rachel Ray Magazine.

“Picture me juggling a notebook, a camera and a spatula full of frosting, and you’ll have a good idea what my daily work life is like,” she said.

She ended up working at the Food Network after graduating from the Institute for Culinary Education and a three-month externship in France. She later worked as a pastry cook in a three-star New York City restaurant and was a personal chef in St. Tropez. When she came back to New York, she was a food stylist, restaurant critic and recipe tester.

Check out the full article to hear the whole story and get Copeland’s recipe for Apple and Pear Pie.