Culinary Art - More than Just Cooking

While the preparation of food is considered a true science, the presentation of food is, to many creative chefs, a form of art. Great plate presentation involves taking into consideration the shape, color, texture, and arrangement of food on a plate. While diners come to your restaurant looking foremost for a delicious meal, an artistic presentation of that same delicious meal can vastly increase a diner’s overall restaurant experience. The visual experience of dining alone is said by many to be 90% of a customer’s experience. So don’t fall short on making your food look beautiful – a little bit of creativity just may gain you that repeat customer or recommendation you need!

Below are some suggestions to create an overall extraordinary dining experience for your customers:

Service

This can be most simply defined as the delivery of selected foods to a customer with impeccable service. The dress of the staff is one of the first judgments made by a customer. Is the server’s clothing clean and neat? Is the server well-groomed? Is the server well spoken and knowledgeable about the menu and establishment? Has the butter been slacked to room temperature for the customer? Has the bread been heated? Is the tablecloth clean? Are the silverware, glassware and plates clean? Was the customer greeted when he or she arrived? Are the bathrooms clean? The list can go on and on. The focus here is to understand that the overall look and feel of the establishment and the professionalism of the Front of the House staff are as vital a part of your operation as the food. Customers are more likely to return to establishments that gave them the great overall experience.

Preparing Food Properly

No amount of “bells and whistles” (garnishes) will hide a food item that has not been cooked properly. This refers to something as simple as preparing a steak to the proper internal degree of doneness or as complex as a gastrique that has been reduced at the proper heat so as not to crystallize the sugars. This really goes back to cooking as a true science. First a chef must understand and perfect the preparation of food and all of its components. This must be the number on priority for your entire kitchen staff - a plate may be garnished to perfection but a beautiful plate of ill-prepared fish will still be sent back every time. Food sent back costs you both time and money (and perhaps a repeat customer), so make sure that both time and care are put into each dish first and foremost.

Cutting Food

A chef often uses a knife the way an artist uses a paint brush. With the help of a great knife, a chef has the ability to change the normal shape of a food item into something truly extraordinary. The key here is consistency. For example, make sure the whole bucket of julienned carrots are exactly the same size and shape to create a neatness to your plate that will not distract the eye of the consumer. Cutting your food items to the same approximate size and shape will also help to make sure that your cooked items are consistently prepared to the same level of “doneness”. And don’t be afraid to combine the wonderful food shapes created by your trained chef on the plate in a way that will be memorable for the customer.

Molding Food

Foods like rice, salsa, grains, and potatoes can be shaped into a visually pleasing form by using a mold. Kitchen tools such as timbales, ring molds, ramekins, glassware, and even PVC pipe can be used to achieve height, shape, and form to a plate to make it more appealing and interesting to a customer. (Make sure to ask your PERFORMANCE Foodservice Area Manager about E&S Direct, he or she can help you find the perfect mold to give that wow factor to your next dish).

Plateware

Choosing the right plate to present your food is often as important as the food itself. Picking shapes, colors, rim sizes, rim decorations, or even a small cast iron skillet to present the food you have poured your passion into can make the difference between getting $8.00 and $16.00. Especially for dishes that may be more monochromatic in nature, a dish or bowl that contains a pop of color can give your dish the eye appeal it needs.

Placing Food on the Plate

Always consider the different shapes, harmony of colors, visual textures, and height when putting a plate together. Make sure to keep it beautiful and appetizing. When a plate gets set in front of a customer, make sure that he or she is going to be very impressed. Creating new ways of presenting old favorites will provide a memorable experience. Who says a sandwich has to lie flat on a plate? Propping one half of a sandwich against the other will give your customer a view into all of the elements of your dish. If your chefs work hard to create their dishes, make sure the customer can see it!

Garnishing

Dusting a plate with garnishes like paprika, powdered sugar, or parsley is a great way to accent your food. Don’t be afraid to use fresh herbs, micro greens, or edible flowers, these items will give a pop to the eye and give a little bit more visual interest to your dish. Putting sauces in streakier bottles to create patterns is another great resource in decoration and can transform a normal dish into a work of art.

So remember, before your customer gets the chance to taste your dish, the eye appeal will already give him or her some preconceived notions about your establishment, and the dish about to be consumed. In other words, people eat with their eyes first, so make sure that the passion you and your chefs put into your dishes is reflected in every area of your establishment.

Contributed by:
Chef Lonnie Varisco, Center of the Plate Specialist
Performance Foodservice - Caro ROMA