Food & Cook Design

Food & cook design

Food & cook Design is the fusion between the art of planning and that of cooking. Food design is the term that encompasses the process of design studies and research. These lead to the birth of food-related products. This discipline deals with the conception and design of foods. These are complex food products and products somehow related to them.

Food & cook design

In Food Design different disciplines meet and mix. Such as biology, genetics, anthropology, psychoanalysis, sociology of nutrition. But also research on sociability and social mediation, together with the history of kitchen systems and forms of conviviality.

Works of art to eat, dishes that look like paintings, or restaurants that, thanks to a careful mix of style and planning, manage to become famous, establishing their own brand and name that remains imprinted thanks also to winning and striking images. The secret is the choice of the appropriate food design, which is able to find coherence between the image of the table and that of the dishes being served.

The food design can help in the study and creation of packages, those that most respect the company's philosophy, which communicate the product better and at the same time show it at its best, enhancing it. However, as far as the managerial field is concerned, it involves consultancy to catering companies.

To understand what a Food&Cook Designer really does, we interviewed Nicoletta Mearelli for you, expert in this sector and we report what she told us below.

What was your professional training?

Food & cook design

After studying cooking I specialized in Visual Food and plating, deepening my knowledge through the study of various international cuisines and the relative presentation of the dish. In the culinary field and especially in food & cook design, humanistic studies have helped me. There are many references to food in literature and it is essential to know the history of popular traditions to find ideas for improvement.
I have been a teacher of Visual Food and plating at Gambero Rosso in Rome and Naples at a professional and amateur level. Now I deal with teaching, often individual, aimed at professionals and I collaborate with restaurateurs both for what concerns plating and food management.

What does a VisualChef and a Food&Cook Designer do?

Food & cook design

I mainly deal with the aesthetics of the dish in its entirety, from the plating of a single course to entire menus, I therefore collaborate with restaurateurs and caterers for daily service and for events, trying to impress through the beautiful and good to eat. As food and cook designer I deal with designing and creating dishes or entire thematic buffets in compliance with the customer's initial idea, the environment and the style of a restaurant.
At the same time, having done management for a long time I also deal with food management consultancy.

The term VisualChef comes from what?

I started studying Visual Food at the Modena Academy and I myself became a teacher in various cooking schools. Dealing mainly with plating and food design, as well as being a cook, I found this term interesting as it exactly combines the two aspects.

What is Visual Food?
In very simple terms, a set of specific techniques, from cutting or positioning food through which we can represent anything we want on a plate, taking inspiration from nature or a geometric or design object. A multifaceted discipline that allows you to apply creativity and imagination in different food contexts.

Where does the passion for food & cook design come from?
Certainly from the passion for aesthetics and for good cooked or raw food. From love for tradition and innovation without ever going to extremes in the presentation of a dish, aimed only at striking with an image.In the kitchen we talk about food and nutrition, and beauty and creativity must never, in my opinion, prevail over the taste and functionality of the dish itself. Consequently, each creation or dish must respect, for example, the serving temperature, texture, taste, combining the right balance with the style and tone of the restaurant.

What do you think is important to convey to your students?

Study, in-depth analysis, imagination and creativity applied to the choice of excellent raw materials from our territory that make our cuisine unique. Another aspect I am particularly interested in is the study of the techniques used in cooking and cutting. By studying and applying the techniques you can make great presentations, enhancing the taste and harmony of a dish.

For those who want to learn more about the role of Nicoletta Mearelli and follow her projects, we invite you to visit her website www.cookingart.it. We just have to thank her for this interview and wish her a lot of luck in her working career.

The discovery of a new dish is more precious to mankind than the discovery of a new star.
(Anthelme Brillat-Savarin)