I was recently reminded of how important food photography is last week at Figs. I have been working with our chef and technology supervisor to launch an application that will allows diners to place orders directly from an ipad. In Kuwait, photographs of the choices are crucial when a guest decides what to order. They commonly pull up instagram or look at the pictures already on the menu. As a result, the restaurant decided to have a corresponding photograph for each dish on the ipad. We had pictures of our regular menu items, but none of the chef’s specials that will be debuting in the weeks ahead. Thus, the restaurant coordinated a “food photo shoot” so that we could have professional images of these offerings.
Luckily for me, the timing of the photo shoot aligned with the beginning of my “training” in the kitchen. As you know from my past entry, I pretty much forced my way into the kitchen. I surreptitiously observe and memorize until someone entrusts me with a task or I feel comfortable (and courageous) enough to start working on something myself. Thus, I had a front row seat to the many preparations required for the shoot.
Work began weeks before the actual shoot took place. Once Chef Andy, our corporate chef, conceptualized his new specials, he had to introduce them to the rest of the chefs. He had to teach them how to cook them and assemble them. He would stop by the restaurant, call them together, and hold demos in the back of the kitchen where he prepared dishes in front of him. I saw that this was also an opportunity for Andy to solidify his ideas and troubleshoot potential problems. A dish would be one way in his mind, but actually preparing it resulted in alteration and improvement. For one thing, he could see what was actually possible in the Figs kitchen. He could get feedback and bounce ideas off of the other chefs as well.
In the days prior to the shoot, the chefs from Figs set to work prepping the ingredients that would be necessary to craft each dish on the day the photographs were to be taken. Garlic had to be cleaned, vegetables had to be meticulously diced, and meat had to be portioned. At least twenty plates were scheduled to be presented and each plate had several components including the main piece, such as a protein, sides, and garnishes. The task proved mighty, and work like dicing and chopping was something that I could help with.
Sunday, my first official full day of “training” fell the day before the shoot. This time proved especially exciting. On that day the chefs prepped as much as they could ahead of time. The meat was actually seasoned. Components that wouldn’t perish were prepared, labeled, and refrigerated. I shadowed a chef who worked his way down the list of plates, making sure all of the parts for each plate were accounted for so everything was readily available for the actual plating on the day of the shoot. For example, I got to make jalapeno pesto that would go along with a veal chop. When I finished, it we put saran over it, labeled it, put it with other items that would go on the plate, and put in the refrigerator. The next day we could simply take it out and plate it.
One thing I learned that a photo shoot depends on how the food looks, not necessarily how it tastes. The pesto, for instance, needed to look especially green for the pictures. Therefore, we added green peppers to the mix, something the recipe itself didn’t call for. Although the taste proved slightly different than what the guests will ultimately receive, the visual looked outstanding.
Monday, the day of the shoot, was a full production that took the entire day. A professional photography team arrived in the morning to set up a screen and lights. They sanctioned off part of the restaurant and allocated a carefully lit table for photographing the food. The best chefs from all of the company restaurants were on hand to help in whatever way they could. Each one was armed with a chronologically ordered list of the plates. The corporate chef, Andy, led the charge, announcing which plate they would work on. Ingredients were removed from the refrigerator and ready for use. Andy had an ipad with his own pictures of each plate so that everyone could see how it should be assembled. He and a team patiently perfected plate after plate before sending it out to the photographers. It went on like this for hours: plate after plate being captured in all its glory.
At 4:00, all of the servers and waitstaff, even those on their day off, arrived. Figs ensures that each server knows all about every dish so they can explain it to the guests. When every plate was photographed, it was set aside on one long table. When 20 or so plates had been completed, the head chef from Figs, Samir, would explain each and every dish to the servers. They stood around taking notes and asking questions. I stood with them. Even though I had observed all of the dishes, I wanted as much education as possible. Once we got through a group of dishes came the truly amazing part- tasting!!! For “educational” purposes, we dug into each plate. We did three sets of dishes in total.
Around 7:30, the shoot came to a close with the presentation of desserts. I watched with pride as my red velvet soufflé was explained to the servers; as you recall, that was a dish I envisioned on a whim and wound up making it to the actual list of specials! As an extra treat, Andy let me plate a serving of it myself and take photographs of it. They took professional photographs as well, but he thought that was a way I could be a part of the shoot and celebrate something I’d played a role in creating. (And I got to eat that serving!!)
I came to Kuwait to learn, and I certainly learned a great deal throughout the process. I saw a whole behind-the-scenes aspect of the food industry that I had not really considered before. So often we focus on taste and eating, but food is, in fact, an industry. A restaurant transcends the dining experience; there is marketing, costs, sales, and yes… even photo shoots! !”
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