About Rebecca Frey
Hi, I’m Becky! I’m a professional costume designer and wardrobe stylist, as well as a recipe developer, food writer, food stylist/photographer, and a classically trained pastry chef.
I grew up in Central Pennsylvania, home of delicious Amish and Pennsylvania Dutch cooking. (Whoopie pies! Shoo fly pie! Pot pie! Basically…a lot of pie.) Central Pennsylvania is also home to Hershey’s Chocolate, as well as companies including Utz’s, Martin’s, and Snyder’s of Hanover. It also hosts the York Fair, home of funnel cake and deep-fried Oreos, so I suppose my love of food comes as no surprise.
Costume Career
I earned my M.F.A. in Costume Design from the School of Drama at Carnegie Mellon University, and have worked professionally as a costume designer, assistant costume designer, wardrobe stylist, and shopper.
My design and styling credits include popular television shows such as Conan, Today, Saturday Night Live, Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, Today, My Next Guest… with David Letterman, The Meredith Vieira Show, Night of Too Many Stars, Live PD, and VH1’s Divas Live. I have also designed theatrical productions, worked on several Broadway shows, and shopped for the Metropolitan Opera costume shop. My work has been featured in television commercials and on the cover of several magazines.
I’m a member of two costuming unions (Theatrical Wardrobe Union Local #764, and United Scenic Artists Local #829, both branches of IATSE). Over the years I have dressed everyone from Al Pacino to Triumph the Insult Comic Dog.
I also love to draw and paint, and enjoy making illustrations using a mix of mediums including pencil, ink, watercolor, marker, and acrylic paint. I especially love to draw foods and dishes from around the world, and sell my creations via Zazzle and Etsy.
For more on the costume aspect of my life, feel free to check out my portfolio website.
A Passion for Pastry
I’ve always loved to bake and cook (probably that Pennsylvania upbringing!) As I worked my way through the often competitive, time-consuming, physically demanding, and emotionally draining world of the entertainment industry, food became my stress relief and refuge from the chaos of NYC. I’d often come home after a long day on set to whip up a batch of cookies, or chocolates, or marshmallows, or my signature homemade pretzels.
About six years ago, I made the decision to more seriously pursue my passion for food, through a combination of travel, professional training, food photography courses, and of course a lot of eating and kitchen experimentation along the way.
Professional Training
This decision eventually led me to London and Le Cordon Bleu, where I earned the prestigious Diplôme de Pâtisserie (French pastry techniques diploma) in 2019. (For a more in-depth look at my experience as a pastry student at Le Cordon Bleu, check out my pastry school diary.) I recently completed an MSc in Culinary Innovation, jointly delivered by Le Cordon Bleu London and Birkbeck, University of London, graduating with Distinction in 2022 and earning the award for Best Culinary Innovation Management Student. For my master’s dissertation, I studied the relationship between cookbook consumers and Pennsylvania Dutch recipes.
In addition to my pastry training at Le Cordon Bleu, I hold a Professional Chocolatier’s Certificate from Ecole Chocolat, and an RSPH Level 2 Award in Food Safety. I have studied food photography with The Art of Intuitive Photography, and taken short courses on a variety of techniques such as gumpaste flower-making, boulangerie, and sugarwork, including training with Chef Nicolas Houchet at Le Cordon Bleu London, and with Chef Kathryn Gordon at the Institute of Culinary Education in NYC.
Please visit this page to learn more about my professional training.
In my free time, I enjoy combining my design skills and passion for pastry by creating hand-rendered food illustrations, which are available to purchase via my Etsy and Zazzle shops.
I hope you’ll follow along on my journey, both here and on social media. I’m on Instagram, Facebook, and Threads as @bastecutfold. You can also connect with me on LinkedIn.
And yes, I chose the name “Baste Cut Fold” for this blog because each word doubles as both a sewing term and a cooking term, reflecting my two worlds: costumes and confections!