Susan Stockton

Susan Stockton is a culinary innovator and entrepreneur with a diverse background in design, catering, and food media. Her passion for food led her to a remarkable 18-year career at Food Network, where she played a pivotal role in establishing the network as a leading culinary authority.   

Before transitioning to the world of food, Stockton honed her entrepreneurial skills. She ran her own graphic design company for two decades, followed by a two-year stint managing her own catering and special events firm. After gaining experience at La Tulipe and freelancing as a food stylist, she joined the nascent Food Network as a freelance stylist and cook. Her responsibilities quickly expanded, and she became instrumental in shaping the network’s culinary direction.   

As one of the founding members of Food Network Kitchens, Stockton built and led a talented team of 30 culinary professionals. This team provided content, recipes, and trend analysis, as well as production assistance and the visually stunning food featured on Food Network cooking shows. Stockton’s leadership was crucial in developing content for various departments, including the network’s website, marketing, sales, production, and its parent company’s news service. She also spearheaded the creation of a series of cookbooks  under the Food Network Kitchens collection, including Food Network Kitchens Cookbook, Making it Easy, and Food Network Kitchens Get Grilling, transforming her team into published authors. Stockton herself is the credited author for two of the series books: Food Network Kitchens Favorite Recipes and Food Network Favorites: Recipes from Our All-Star Chefs. 

Stockton’s influence extended to various aspects of the network’s growth. She oversaw culinary editorial for Food Network Magazine and branded cookbooks, developed concepts for FNKitchen branded airport restaurants, and led the development and design of Food Network branded cookware products at Kohl’s. Her vision and dedication were essential to the network’s success.

Prior to her Food Network tenure, Stockton graduated from Peter Kump’s NY School of Cooking, cooked in a Greenwich Village bistro, and freelanced as a food stylist. She moved to New York City from Boston, where she had built a successful design firm, catering business, garden and home store, and worked as an art director for a Cambridge film company. Today, Stockton serves on the Board of Directors for the Food Education Fund for New York City's Food & Finance High School, continuing her commitment to the future of America's culinary professionals.