Читать книгу Start & Run a Catering Business - George Erdosh - Страница 21

Food presentation is extremely important in many catering businesses, especially for high-end, upscale catering. For fundraising projects with minimum budgets, there is less emphasis on presentation. High-class presentation takes time and money, and you can only afford to do it if someone is willing to pay for it. That doesn’t mean that the low-end caterer can get away with dumping food on disposable aluminum platters. Food can be presented nicely with minimal effort and cost, small additional garnishes, and a touch of artistic presentation.

Demand for high-quality food presentation is higher in affluent, sophisticated areas of the country. In some places, and especially for some clients, presentation is so important that they neglect the food quality. As long as it is beautiful, elegant, and artistic, you can serve sawdust on arugula leaves with squash blossoms, drizzled with motor oil.

In some circles artistic presentation of food has gone too far, especially in the trendiest areas of California. The kitchen and chef put more emphasis on presentation than flavor. Mercifully, the trend appears to be fading. Presentation and flavor should be balanced, but flavor shouldn’t suffer because of presentation. I would rather see a few simple but carefully placed garnishes on a plate to complement a delicious entrée than the time-consuming creation of a food stylist.