THE BEAUTIFUL EXTREME ART OF PLATING NOW

With the advent of Food TV, food porn, and Instagramming foodies at every turn, we’ve become more aware of the importance of plating -- making sure things look attractive as they are served.

We’ve evolved from slapping food onto a dish, to extreme lavish opulent baroque displays, to neat compartmentalized arrangements, to contemporary artful expressions.

Now, some are taking plating to further extremes, with painstaking, unbelievably intricate, phenomenally executed works of food art. 

The Art of Plating is all about gastronomy as a form of high art – utilizing form, texture, and color, to not only wow us visually, but to tell a story and evoke emotions. They provide a platform to share this art with the world.

Focused on the process and artistry involved in creating some of today’s most spectacular modern haute cuisine, they invite some of today’s most brilliant culinary innovators to share their vision, inspiration, passion, emotions, and life stories, along with their photos, documenting their masterpieces. 

The platings are extremely beautiful. They are conceived with extreme notions about what food is and can be. They are achieved through extreme attention to detail and through scientific feats that approach magic. 

Extreme skill is required to manipulate the ingredients in ways that defy logic and expectation, while ensuring that they taste as amazing as they look.

These platings are influenced by fashion, design, technology, and contemporary art. But at their core, most importantly, and most essentially, they are about taste and the art of eating.

Commissioned by Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant, artist duo Lernet & Sander, pushed the extremes of plating with Cubes, a photography series in which they meticulously transformed individual raw foods into perfect cubes of 2.5 x 2.5 x 2.5 cm each. Pomegranate, kiwi, grapefruit, yellow beet, purple cabbage, corn, and more.

Peach Bavarian, Mango Mint Gelato, & Black Tea Consommé, by chef Riccardo Menicucci, of restaurant Acquerello, nailed the balance of sweet and cool flavors, with a genius composition of compressed peaches, mint, and the tannic acid twang of black tea.

Chef Andre Chiang, of Restaurant ANDRE, developed the concept of Octaphilosophy, 8 characteristics that define the ultimate beautiful gastronomic experience: Unique, Pure, Texture, Memory, Salt, South, Artisan, & Terroir. His platings push the extremes of primal aromas and textures to evoke an endless trail of memories.

Chef James Close, a former pro golfer turned chef, professes simplicity, but his dishes push the extremes of visual and taste sensations. His Michelin starred Raby Hunt Restaurant turns out jewels, like his Yorkshire Rhubarb with Tonka Bean Panna Cotta, an exquisite study in pink.

Chef Alex Atala, of 2 Michelin starred restaurant D.O.M., took on the mission of reinventing the exotic flavors of Brazilian cuisine. A former DJ, Atala found his passion pushing the limits of gastronomy, with flavors of the Amazon and museum quality platings. 

Some of his favorite extreme ingredients from the mystical rainforest are jambu, a tongue-tingling herb, and priprioca, an astonishingly fragrant root, used by the cosmetics industry. His Banana, Lemon, & Priprioca Ravioli will put you in an extreme state of bliss.

“The are singular moments that remind us of other moments, aromas, sensations, and states of mind,” says Chef Quique Dacosta, of Quique Dacosta. Dacosta’s platings are emotional, tugging on our memories.

”I can imagine myself treading on these leaves and can hear and feel the rustle. I’d like to feel the same in my mouth, but with a different taste,” he explains, of his Raíces y Hojas Secas (Roots and Dry Leaves), “Once we have the scene of autumn on a wood plate, we invite our guests to taste this snack outside in the garden, under some trees with similar leaves.”

Read more about Beautiful Extremes as it relates to Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact including Extreme Surf is Beautiful Now and Extreme Peaks are Beautiful Now.

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: Courtesy of The Art of Plating. Peas, Carrots, Brussels Chips, Avocado Cream, Black Sesame Foam, by Corrine A. Rice.
2. Image: Courtesy of The Art of Plating. Photo by Mikuláš Gottwald. Coconut, Miso, & Purlsane, by Chef Tim Raue, of Restaurant Tim Raue.
3. Image: Courtesy of The Art of Plating. Photo by Signe Bircke. Eggplant, Amaranth, & Licorice, by Bryce Shuman, of Betony.
4. Image: Courtesy of The Art of Plating. Photo by Marte Garmann. Porridge of Old Grains, Porcini, & Amaranth, by Chef Even Ramsvik, of Ylajali.
5. Image: Courtesy of The Art of Plating. Crispy Potato Gnocchi, Smoked Oyster Cream, & Petite Grise, by Chef Andre Chiang, of Restaurant ANDRE.
6. Image: Courtesy of The Art of Plating. Pancetta Wrapped Rabbit with Jus, Butternut Squash Purée, Garlic Soil, Black Olive Salt, Dijon Mustard Seeds & Charred Leeks, by Chef Andre Chiang, of Restaurant ANDRE.
7. Image:Courtesy of The Art of Plating. Photo by  Mikuláš Gottwald. Imperial Caviar, Calpico, & Cucumber, by Chef Tim Raue, of Restaurant Tim Raue.
8. Image: Courtesy of The Art of Plating. Photo by Mikuláš Gottwald. Red Shrimp, by Chef Tim Raue, of Restaurant Tim Raue.
9. Image: Courtesy of The Art of Plating. Cubes, by Lernet & Sander.
10. Image: Courtesy of The Art of Plating. Peach Bavarian, Mango Mint Gelato, & Black Tea Consommé, by chef Riccardo Menicucci, of Acquerello.
11. Image: Courtesy of The Art of Plating. Saint-Jacques Ravioli, Purple Cauliflower Consommé & Pickled Shallots, by Chef Andre Chiang, of Restaurant ANDRE.
12. Image: Courtesy of The Art of Plating. Yorkshire Rhubarb with Tonka Bean Panna Cotta, by Chef James Close, of The Raby Hunt Restaurant.
13. Image: Courtesy of The Art of Plating. by Chef Alex Atala, of D.O.M.
14. Image: Courtesy of The Art of Plating. Photo by Sergio Coimbra. Banana, Lemon, & Priprioca Ravioli, by Chef Alex Atala, of D.O.M.
15. Image: Courtesy of The Art of Plating. Cerezo en Flor, by Chef Quique Dacosta, of Quique Dacosta.
16. Image: Courtesy of The Art of Plating. Raíces y Hojas Secas (Roots and Dry Leaves), by Chef Quique Dacosta, of Quique Dacosta.
17. Image: by bachour1234. Dulcey Cake Pop with Salted Yogurt, Raspberry Sauce, Meringue, Dulcey Cremeux, Frozen Pacojet Yogurt Rock.
18. Image: Courtesy of The Art of Plating. Dried Butter Pea Flowers. Sea Bass, Seaweed, Wild Garlic, Clams, Butter Pea Blossom, Mushroom, & Kombu Dashi, by  Aurélien Poirot.
19. Image: by BN App - Download now!
20. Image: Courtesy of The Art of Plating. Plating Galore by Chef Yann Bernard Lejard, of  restaurant Glow.