Serving style to the plate

A workshop by Tableware experts 
Tavola showed us how presentation 
is key when it comes to enjoying food

I have had an amazing, awesome week. Do you know those weeks when you are so busy you do not have time to scratch your head and are tired but energised at the same time? I had one of those.

It was for a good cause that I was so busy and yet so intrigued. I had bitten off a lot and I was actually chewing without choking.

You see, this past week I became super-human Kari. Well, of sorts.

I started a baking course with 
Dima Al Sharif, from the blog Dima’s Kitchen, who has single-handedly convinced me that I could win the wars with my stubborn oven and go beyond the ordinary. I will dedicate next week’s column to discuss those adventures in baking.

This past week, I also had the distinct privilege of working with Middle Eastern fine kitchen and tableware haven, Tavola, to plan an engaging session this past weekend for food bloggers all over the Middle East.

It was a fun and engaging session and, as food bloggers and food lovers, we were treated to very useful tips on how take food presentation from the ordinary to the extraordinary, while still keeping the integrity of the food.

The mission was to celebrate food in all its glory by focusing on “How to Style a Plate.” The workshop featured informative and engaging demonstrations by Tavola’s retail manager, Wakami Saab on Moritsuke (Japanese plating) from her native Japan and tricks on styling the most difficult foods by noted UAE-based food stylist and chef, Fiona Archibold.

Fellow food blogger, Sally Prosser from 
MyCustardPie.com, pointed out that “Great care was taken to tailor the event -— from the buffet breakfast, to sharing the expertise of their own staff in several areas (such as the knife talk and Japanese plating), to bringing experts who would have intense appeal to the foodies in the room, particularly Fiona and Suzanne [Husseini].”

Arva Ahmed of 
ILiveInAFryingPan.com also shared her reaction to the session. “I walked out with goosebumps after hearing Fiona Archibald free flow about food styling.”

I couldn’t agree more and, in fact, I promise you a full sit-down session with Fiona, who is the consummate passionate ‘foodista.’ Be sure to watch this space for that feature.

From Wakami Saab, we learnt about the features of Japanese plate decoration, which is very elaborate and inviting not only in Japanese restaurants, but also in Japanese homes. They have a love affair with beauty and organisation and have taught the West a lot about the fine art of living well. The delightful art of Ikebana (Japanese floral arrangement), the Way of Tea (traditional tea ceremony), and their beautifully sculptured Japanese gardens are all fine art illustrations of this Japanese take on beautification.

In the culinary world, it is known that the Japanese were the first to arrange food delicately on a plate as opposed to piling 
the disorganised slush 
the rest of us were having for dinner.

While French cuisine is undeniably wholly French in nature, traditional Japanese Moritsuke directly influences the beautifully designed plates associated with French cuisine and gourmet food.

The Japanese approach to arranging food on a 
plate is all about framing and space using height, colours, flavours and finding the right balance. It 
also has elements of numerology, since only odd numbers of food items are used on a plate.

While the concept of “eating the rainbow” is now popular among Western nutritionists, the Japanese have long since been doing so.

It is funny how this week’s column comes on the heels of my previous one about us living in the Middle Eastern Melting Pot. Nowhere was this more evident than at Tavola last weekend.We do live in the most exciting food culture melting pot!

(Also present were food bloggers of the Table Talk UAE collective as well as cookbook authors Suzanne Husseini and Arianna Bundy, former Dubai One presenter Saba Wahid, and architect, Tony Archibold.)

· Kari is a Dubai-based journalist and photographer of the food blog chefandsteward.com. Follow her on Facebook at facebook.com/ChefandSteward and contact her at:

· kari@chefandsteward.com

• Food and Dining