With Thanksgiving on its way, it is difficult to concentrate on anything other than food. Although food and design seem to be a far fetch, they really do have a lot in common. After watching a good three hours of Food Network, the combination of food and design mirrors the pure perfection of peanut butter and jelly.
No one wants to eat something that is not visually appetizing, so designs role in food presentation is major. The physical appearance of food is equally important in restaurants and in home cooked meals. Alton Brown from Iron Chef America says that a plate of food is like a painting; chefs need to think like a designer in order to present their food in an appetizing manner. The plate is like the frame, and the food is the composition. Color, texture, and shape are just as important in a plate of food as they are in a painting.
On the show Food Network Challenge, different pastry chefs compete to create a birthday or wedding cake for a specific client. Each chef must transform into a designer when laying out the structure and idea for the cake. The shape of the cake must be determined, as well as the colors and motifs in order to decorate it. Chefs must take the clients preferences into consideration, as incorporate their own style and creativity into the design. Color is a key factor in making the cake look unique yet appropriate for the occasion. Similar to designers, pastry chefs must use the design process of thinking, looking, and doing in order to create a cohesive and yummy masterpiece of a cake.
Food presentation is all about creativity and unity. Along with balancing flavors, chefs are also responsible for balancing color, texture, and proportion of a dish. Like design, simplicity is key in presentation, too much clutter on a plate is equally as disturbing as a messy room or a busy painting. Successful chefs must not only be great cooks, but great designers.
No one wants to eat something that is not visually appetizing, so designs role in food presentation is major. The physical appearance of food is equally important in restaurants and in home cooked meals. Alton Brown from Iron Chef America says that a plate of food is like a painting; chefs need to think like a designer in order to present their food in an appetizing manner. The plate is like the frame, and the food is the composition. Color, texture, and shape are just as important in a plate of food as they are in a painting.
On the show Food Network Challenge, different pastry chefs compete to create a birthday or wedding cake for a specific client. Each chef must transform into a designer when laying out the structure and idea for the cake. The shape of the cake must be determined, as well as the colors and motifs in order to decorate it. Chefs must take the clients preferences into consideration, as incorporate their own style and creativity into the design. Color is a key factor in making the cake look unique yet appropriate for the occasion. Similar to designers, pastry chefs must use the design process of thinking, looking, and doing in order to create a cohesive and yummy masterpiece of a cake.
Food presentation is all about creativity and unity. Along with balancing flavors, chefs are also responsible for balancing color, texture, and proportion of a dish. Like design, simplicity is key in presentation, too much clutter on a plate is equally as disturbing as a messy room or a busy painting. Successful chefs must not only be great cooks, but great designers.
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