High end culinary skills and aesthetic presentation are essential to create a sumptuous experience, says chef Niklesh Sharma

The taste of any dish depends a lot more on how appealing it is for the eyes. Yes, presentation is that important and it is a game-changing element in the culinary industry. Research at Oxford University shows that sound could enhance the sense of taste. By this, it simply means that chef’s creative canvas has monstrous wings which know no boundaries to make the dish plate look more appetizing.

It is believed that a part of us, our intensity to make others happy by preparing a meal for them, attention to details, and the most important ingredient, joy makes the food taste even more delicious. Highly detail-oriented chefs would make the process of cooking a divine experience for themselves and for the ones who taste it. Culinary presentation is a journey that leads chefs towards redefining self-learning and successfully brings a balance in the cosmic forces of yin and yang.

Culinary presentation is an art

Cooking or rather the feast is incomplete without an aesthetic presentation. World’s famous chefs define presentation as ‘a cherry on the cake’ and a ‘cloud nine experience justified’. It is an angelic ritual of the food and culinary industry. Presentation is both the apple of the chefs’ eyes and nourishes customer’s souls.

In fact, during the lockdown last year, people tried umpteen dishes and recipes while they were locked inside their homes and attempted to plate the dishes in a visually appealing manner. However, very few possess a good understanding of the art of culinary presentation. It won’t be wrong to say that it is, indeed, an art and requires creativity and innovation.

Let’s go through various tips and tricks with reference to the components of the art of culinary presentation.

Micro step Macro magic

You name it and chefs can bring magic on the plate served to you at high-end restaurants. They make use of mesmerising factors like plating, colour, shape and size of the plate, its texture and visual appearance with an aim to bring in curiosity among customers.

Be it a tiny step of presenting a coconut dessert in the natural coconut shell, serving authentic South Indian food on premium banana leaves, or offering appetizers on the quirky ‘plate on wheels’, such micro-steps leave a huge impact on the customers visiting restaurants or on the guests you are hosting.

Details matter

The flawless formula for converting a dining experience to a divine experience is to work endlessly on your craft. In order to extend the appropriate flavour, you should have an eye for details as well while you are preparing a dish. From a delicious dish, thirst-quenching drinks to toothsome desserts, there is only one magical element that brings the ‘x-factor’ to the table and it’s nothing else than a detail.

The creator is the one who never underestimates the power of details on the plate. Perfect choice of plate or glassware, shape and size, texture and the look, colour, and placement of the ingredients, and the right textured garnish to add the best visual appeal, are some of the few ways that can massively enhance the beauty of the feasts.

The idea is that there should be a balance between colour and contrast, the height of the food on the plate, usage of right ingredients at the right place, visual appeal, garnishing with a purpose, and a flavour of sauces as all these elements play a very important role in extending the right look, feel and flavorsome taste of the dish.

Food craft and styling

The top-notch chefs of the culinary industry say that the one who cooks the food should style it. The role of chefs in the master kitchen doesn’t end with cooking but styling and presentation are the core roles and should be executed by them only.

Food stylists shouldn’t come to the scene when they haven’t cooked the food themselves. However, some chefs have contrary views on this and they say that food stylist are the experts and are thoroughly connected to the industry. They believe that styling and putting art on the plate is not possible without understanding the process of cooking. The food stylist possesses a deep understanding of the whole process of cooking as they know how to assemble the ingredients and present the meals in the pro way. In such cases, inputs from both the chef and the stylist can help in falling the things in the right place on the plate.

The choice of plate

As a matter of fact, the design, shape, and size of the plate have witnessed a major uplift in the past few years. We’ve been watching culinary reality shows on national and international channels for many years now and have come across this fact many times. The crockery industry has also seen a good pace of growth along with increasing demands of fascinating serveware and cutlery. High-end restaurants and chefs do choose and use plates and crockery based on the factors like practicality, innovation and durability, which portray the ability of the design and usability.

Various creative manufacturers make the culinary industry run smoothly by introducing new designs regularly in the market. Restaurants and chefs do not look far and beyond their own country for procurements. Additionally, the hotels and restaurants also update their crockery frequently to keep abreast with the recent artsy trends in the culinary space and to extended high-end contemporary culinary experiences to the customers. Hence, it’s a win-win for both parties.

Spicing up the taste buds

With the spices entering the kitchen and dishes, it leaves an ever-lasting impression on the cuisine and the one who is savoring it. Spices, dried or fresh, for instance, rosemary, mint, black pepper, coriander, paprika, oregano, etc enhance the plating and this is a golden rule of culinary presentation that can never backfire.

Herbs and spices are lifelines of the culinary industry. If you welcome and treat them well in the kitchen, they do the magic with cooking, plating, and yes, your taste buds as well. Sprinkling spices or herbs around the rim, and incorporating their leaves or branches leave customers awestruck. All the presentation-oriented chefs believe that different dishes should have their own unique garnish that will extend a distinct culinary experience to the customer.

Diced fruits and veggies

Remember the fresh texture of tiny diced fruits and carrots in the drinks? They look lip-smacking, don’t they? Beverages look all the more appealing to quench the thirst with twisted ribbons of asparagus and translucent juicy slices of radish. This is, indeed, a tasty and unique way of garnishing. Berries, cherries, and cut fruits not only extend a splash of colour but enhance the flavour of the food or beverage as well. Taking care of bursts of colours and texture when serving juices and cocktails in a transparent glass makes the efforts worth relishing.

Summing up

In order to extend the sumptuous experience, all one needs is high-end culinary skills and dedication for aesthetic presentation. From choosing the right ingredients to the perfect placement of garnish, chefs do these tasks round-the-clock. Conceptualising, combining the sketch design and executing an idea are a few of the highly significant elements of the culinary industry. In the past few years, chefs have given a lot of attention to the presentation and styling of dishes which successfully brings about huge respect for the chefs and the culinary industry on the whole. It has been recognised and has even gathered a place as a career prospect and stands as a promising field for budding chefs across the globe.

The art of culinary presentation will continue to reach new heights with innovative and creative ideas entering the culinary space on a daily basis and will entice the food story of all the existing and forthcoming cuisines.

(The writer is the founder of APCA — Academy of Pastry & Culinary Arts.)