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Double Duty: Susan Rowell-Bundy

By Southern Grit · On May 15, 2018

Article by Debra Freeman

Photography unless otherwise stated by Fitz

Lead photo of Susan Rowell-Bundy at Westminster-Canterbury

It is said that you eat with your eyes first, and in Susan Rowell-Bundy’s case, this is perhaps doubly true, as she pulls double duty as the photographer for the Proud Plates program at the Culinary Institute of Virginia and as one of two pastry chefs at Westminster-Canterbury on Chesapeake Bay in Virginia Beach. One day she is throwing flour across her scratch-made bread, the next day she is shooting light across student plates for her photographs.

Rowell-Bundy at the Culinary Institute of Virginia

While attending the Culinary Institute of Virginia in 2016, Rowell-Bundy had a conversation with Andy Gladstein, campus president of the Culinary Institute of Virginia at the time, about food photography. From that discussion, and with over two decades worth of photography experience under Rowell-Bundy’s belt, the two came up with the idea to photograph dishes that students created in order to showcase their culinary skills. The program is aptly named Proud Plates. Her photos are also used to market the culinary program on social media and other platforms. Always one to put her stamp on things, she even painted the oval plates in the halls of the Culinary Institute of Virginia that are surrounded by her photography.

Rowell-Bundy photographing Proud Plates at CIV

Watching the students bring their plates in for her to photograph, her intensity and focus are immediately apparent. Students lay down plate after plate gingerly, as to not disturb the ingredients; they hover around her as she sets up lighting and meticulously looks through and around the camera’s lens to compose each dish where it looks as delectable as possible.

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Interestingly enough, Rowell-Bundy has not always had a culinary career. After some time as a nurse, she decided to change careers into something that was more personally gratifying. “I had been baking at home for 30 plus years…though nursing was rewarding, a creative side wasn’t filled,” she said. She ultimately decided to go to the Culinary Institute of Virginia to fuel her creativity and was able to foster her passion for baking.

Rowell-Bundy kneaded bread at Westminster-Canterbury

Her focus is also apparent while watching her work at Westminster-Canterbury; part of her duties include menu development and production for more than 700 residents each day. She is involved in every aspect of the baking department; working approximately 50 hours a week, arriving at 5 a.m. to order ingredients to precisely weighing each loaf of bread before dusting it with flour before it goes into the oven.

CIV Proud Plate 3.19.16 by Susan Rowell-Bundy

Not one to rest on her laurels, her ultimate goal is to open a bed and breakfast; Rowell-Bundy gardens in the little spare time that she has, and wants to create a destination venue, where she can meet people, cook, and of course, bake.