The good thing about shooting food is that they are small. You don't have to have a full blown studio to fit your subjects as opposed to fashion photography. If you are commissioned for a project for a restaurant/cafe, most likely you need to go on location wherever the client's kitchen is. Here are some tips to create a mini-studio wherever you may be:

1. The basics: matching background and flooring
2. BE be resourceful: check out your surroundings: wood blocks, trays, decorative pieces, etc.
3. Know what your client wants: bright/pastel colored themes, plain white or artistic shots
3. Be a girl/boy scout: bring your own stuff plain colored paper, poster, linens with sizes enough to cover the wall + flooring of your mini studio

Note: For product shots (e.g. grocery items/consumer goods), make life easier for graphic designers with a white-on-white background. 

I created a mini studio with 2 bright green colored trays from the client site (as show on pic below) as background and flooring with natural lighting.