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PHOTO COURTESY OF FRESH TO ORDER
Chefs must also think about cooking techniques when using fruits and vegetables to add color. “If you understand produce and how to work with it, you can make the colors brighter and stronger, or you can make them more muted,” says Gideon. “Steaming brings the chlorophyll of something like broccoli to the surface, so it makes it brighter. Then you have the question of, do I put it in ice water to stop it there, or do I let it cook to mute the color? There are lots of options. You can make it olive drab or almost neon green.”
HERBS FOR MORE IMPACT
Herbs can also be used to add interest to a dish – although not in the same way they were in the past. “There was a period of time in the 80s and early 90s when you would put food on a plate, and if you didn’t hit a home run you’d finish it with chopped herbs of some sort,” says Aramark’s Stapleton. “That methodology has gone away. If you’re think- ing about putting something on the plate that’s not adding value to the total experience, you shouldn’t put it on.”
“I use a lot of herbs because they’re beau- tiful, especially if they have flowers on them,” says Gideon. “We don’t really mince or grind them. We have a very rough cut, because it gives them that spark and zing that resets your palate. Texturally they’re very interesting. I would rather look at fresh mint than fresh basil. It has bumps and ridges that capture light in interesting ways.”
“On most occasions, herbs are accents to the dish that brighten and enhance,” says Kaywork. “On certain occasions, the herbs are the stars of the dish. Think pasta a la Geno- vese or chimichurri. Often the herbs are green and uniform in color. However, there are choices that can offer alternative colors, such as chive flowers or purple basil.”
COLOR, COLOR EVERYWHERE
“Color is becoming more important across the board,” says Haggart with af&co. That
being said, restaurants in different categories often end up approaching their use of color slightly differently. “Fine-dining restaurants have always had a bigger focus on crafting beautiful dishes that are pleasing to the eye, but fast-casual restaurants are also having to step up their game. They’re just as often – if not more – photographed than fine-dining restaurants because people can afford to eat there more often.”
Fine-dining restaurants often can use more creative methods of adding color be-
cause they can charge more for their food. People also are willing to wait longer for their food to be delivered, Stapleton points out, which means chefs can spend more time perfecting the plate.
Even though purple endive and micro- greens may be too expensive for some restau- rants, “there are certainly ways to get creative and incorporate color in an affordable way,” says Haggart. “Shaving rainbow carrots into a salad is more cost-effective than edible flow- ers.” pb
PRODUCE BUSINESS / AUGUST 2018 / 47