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color on the menu foodservice marketing Ready For Prime-Time Viewing
Diners’ obsession with Insta- gram means restaurant dish- es must be prepared for their close-up at all times. Fruits and vegetables are an ideal way to add color, visual ap- peal and texture to the plate.
BY SOPHIA MCDONALD
Flavor always comes first when creating a dish, but presentation is a major consideration as well. One of the best ways to make a meal look as good as it tastes is
to add color. “When color is used in a cor- rect way it brings visual appeal,” says Brian Kaywork, lecturing instructor for American Bounty Restaurant, a farm-to-table restau- rant located on the Hudson Valley campus of The Culinary Institute of America, which is based in Hyde Park, NY. “However, it can be more than that. It brings vitality and life to a dish.”
Color can come from grilling meats or concentrating sauces, but if the goal is to add an array of bright hues (not to mention great flavor), produce is a key ingredient. “Pro- duce is generally going to be natural colors,” says Jesse Gideon, president and chief culi-
nary officer of Fresh To Order, a “fine-fast” restaurant chain with 10 locations in Georgia, South Carolina and Indiana. The company’s headquarters is in Alpharetta, GA. “They’re colors that people grew up seeing all around them. They see them in grass, in trees, in the changing of the leaves, at the grocery store.” Those colors hint at the nutritional value of the food, which makes our brains light up and encourage us to dive in. That’s a big rea- son people say we eat with our eyes first.”
There are some good business reasons for adding color to the plate as well. Eating at a restaurant is about more than sustenance. It’s about having an experience, and how food looks is part of that experience. “You really have one shot at making a good first impres- sion,” says Brian Stapleton, vice president of food and beverage for Aramark Parks and Destinations, a branch of the multinational company engaged in foodservice, facilities management and uniform provision that has its headquarters in Philadelphia. “If the plate comes and it’s not pleasing to the eye, it’s already somewhat suspect in your mind’s eye. That first impression can be enhanced through your presentation.”
In addition, the rise of social media has changed the way we eat out. “We’re living in an Instagram world,” says Katie Hag- gart, trendologist with af&co. a restaurant and hospitality consultant firm based in San
PHOTO COURTESY OF GAMMA NINE
Francisco. “The more photo-friendly the food is the better, and color absolutely helps food look more beautiful.”
Fruits, vegetables and herbs allows chefs to add interesting shapes and textures to a dish. As more unusual varieties of produce become widely available, it’s easier than ever to add color in unexpected ways. Haggart points to yellow, purple and green cauliflow- er as an example, or Mountain Rose apples, which have pink streaks through their pale flesh. These unexpected sources of color are likely to wow guests and keep them coming back for more.
TASTES OF THE RAINBOW
“Chefs have an arsenal of choices for in- corporating color to a dish: purées, sauces, specific cut sizes or niche items,” says Kay- work. “Edible flowers and microgreens con- tinue to be great options (with judgment) for plates. In our kitchen we have used vegeta- bles in unique ways: carrot hummus (without beans), salt-baked squash carpaccio, fava bean puree, spring pea pasta sauce and yellow beet tartare.”
Stapleton has long been an advocate for using produce-infused purées and sauces to add color. “When I was making Caber- net-based sauces, I would add red beet to the sauce because it would give it this really incredible color profile when you put it on
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