By Ruby Southgate

Professionals Called ‘Food Architect’

Who knew there were professionals called food architects, I certainly did not?

Food architecture is defined as the art and practice of designing and fabricating foods to have a specific aesthetic and function. Food architects are trained to design and create a structure that can be used to present any cuisine. Just like an architect, they must consider aesthetics, costs, timeless context, safety and the properties of the available building materials (the ingredients) to construct a well-executed masterpiece.

For example, in a five star restaurant the chefs will have a special design that they must follow for each cuisine with only a small number of measured out ingredients available, they then have to make the food look aesthetically pleasing, as well as having a stable structure, so no ingredients start running off. A food architect must understand the forces and materials holding everything together just like an architect would when designing a building or landscape.

By contrast, food architects are not normally seen in fast food chains, as they rely on speedy mass production, not on delicately plated up dishes that some would describe as a piece of art. Who would have guessed the amount of time and effort that gets put into designing a dish that we only see for a matter of seconds before we dig in!?

When I create my meals, I tend to spend a good couple of minutes trying to make my food look appealing, however I normally give up as it quickly becomes cold and I become hungry. I have always had a massive appreciation for any dish I receive that looks beautiful, as I understand the amount of time it would have taken for them to come up with the design. I love dining out, just like the next person, I love tasting new dishes from new places and I enjoy looking at how each dish has been plated up and if it is worthy of a photograph.

I think food architects are massively underrated and that more people need to acknowledge their skills. There are many people behind the scenes who put a great deal of effort into designing a dish that eventually sits in front of you.

Photo by Victoria Shes