But she's much more than just the author. Summers represents the most recent version of a burgeoning type of culinary personality, in which recipes are created with presentation in mind, matched to the perfect plate, and photographed so beautifully, we practically drool on our keyboards.
Like Grace Bonney of the blog "Design*Sponge" and Philadelphia native Joy Deangdeelert Cho of the blog "Oh Joy!", Summers is a newfangled Martha Stewart for an unfussy generation that believes dishes are meant be as tasty to look at as they are to eat.
Picture the dreaded weeknight dinner, turned as aspirational as a Pottery Barn catalog.
It takes a singular set of talents to develop such a brand. Summers got her culinary training as a private chef in the yachting world, sailing the globe and feeding clients along the way. "You've got to be able to cook for anyone who comes on board . . . make something out of nothing," she says.
She took advantage of all the edible wealth her ports of call had to offer. "People are so welcoming," says Summers, who got hands-on lessons from gourmands in places including Greece, Italy, Mexico, and Honduras.
On board, the meals she served were about more than just food. Presentation, setting the table, getting the perfect flowers in the right container were just as important. "I get inspiration from the food, but it's not always about the food. The color of something can inform a dress, a tabletop, a pattern for a wallpaper. All of it."
In time, Summers got a freelance gig for Martha Stewart, helping to design sets for some Christmas-themed shows. "I never even knew there was a thing called a food stylist," she recalls. "I walked out of the office and said, 'I'm going to be a food stylist.' "
