My thoughts on culinary design: not a passing fashion but a real cornerstone of modern catering
Until a few months ago the main outlet for my boundless passion for cooking was dinners with friends . These evenings in the company were certainly the first “exams” of my culinary maturity ; nothing was ever left to chance, a few days before the event I was thinking about the menu, studying curious combinations that could amaze and leave my “guests” open-mouthed: a raw scampi , a yuzu mayonnaise , my mind was already projected to a kitchen ready to surprise.
In recent years, together with the culinary taste I have definitely refined the aesthetic one; it is no longer enough for a dish to be “good”. To totally satisfy the guests, the recipe must be greedy for taste and appearance: the eye always wants its part.
The flow must give off positive vibrations, it must be able to touch all the strings of our contentment, caress the palate, stimulate the sense of smell and fascinate the sight.
In a context, such as the current one, where food is increasingly overwhelmingly recognized as a true art form , here too recipes must satisfy certain design standards in order to be fully appreciated, in their entirety: of fundamental importance are the color and shape of the dish aimed at determining the final dishing , facilitating the tasting at the table and enhancing the colors of the dish . In my modest idea of cooking, based on contrasts, the pigment of the dish will always contrast with the color of the food, creating a “harmonious contrast”, an absolute complementarity to sight.
The strength of design in the kitchen also manifests itself in our unconscious , an excellent culinary creation if not supported by a dish, by a dish and by an adequate context, it risks not breaking through the heart of the guest, it risks being a voice that is not totally heard and understood by the patron .
A final tip that I would like to give you: respect yourself and respect your dishes , whether you are chefs, cooks or simple lovers of cooking. Make sure that your every creation, even the simplest, can hit the customer, a particular in the dish, a suitable serving dish. In the kitchen it is better not to leave anything to chance .
