Yes, you can use any kind of lighting you like. Heck, even just nice window light is a great option. Some even prefer it. But your at the mercy of mother nature and of course can only shoot when it daylight and bright outside.
When I first started, I assisted for the guy who shot all the food photography for Olive Garden and Red Lobster. Did other food as well but those were the two most well known ones. His "go to" modifier was always a large softbox. Large meaning 4' by 6'. Powered ny two 2000 watt lamp heads. Back then we only shot large format so you needed the power.
Today, lighting for food is all over the place. But light to a photographer is like brushes to a painter. Which one(s) you use is up to you. And even HOW you use it. Sure, I could say "Use a large softbox". Ok. Where? On top? Off to one side? How close? How far away? Long ways or short ways? Angled? On it's side? And of course this is true with any modifier you choose to use.
To me, there is no better way to learn lighting than to use a diffusion panel/scrim. People like California Sunbounce make these. However, prefab ones are very expensive. You can make them easily yourself. The most common way is to make the frame out of PVC pipes. Common sizes are 4' x 6' or 3 1/2' x 6 1/2'. The pipes come in 10 foot lengths so you use 2 and cut them down and join together with elbows. Then simply cover with some kind of diffusion material like ripstop nylon or any translucent material.
Why do I always suggest these? Because now you have complete control over the diffusion and placememnt of the lighting. The light and modifier are separate so you can play around with the distance of each independently. You can play with the distance of the panel in relation to the subject and then play with the distance of the light source in relation to the panel. With a softbox, it's one complete unit. You can't move the light in a softbox to a different position. Or with an umbrella. It has to stay where you mount it. Well, you can move the umbrella a little closer or further away from the light by sliding the shaft, but thats not a lot and the light is still in the same place. Not so when using a panel. I can place the light in the top area and create a nice fall off. I can bring it close to make that area brighter and let the light fall off faster. Or I can back it off and create one really large soft light. And I can do this with the panel at any position.
And you can make this panel for under $50 or so. Depends on the materials you decide to use.
Also, the key to food is the styling of the food itself. I don't care how nice the lighting is. If the food is not styled well, it won't look good.
