Food that Looks Too Good to Eat!

(As featured in The Star Metro May 20, 2008 by CS Nathan)
What makes food look good in the pages of glossy magazines and cookbooks? Many people are unaware of the work behind the scene that is required to create that visual perfection.Food styling is the art of making food look good for the camera, although the procedure may render the food inedible due to the use of styling products.

Showing the difference: Nadzri (seated) and his team – students (from left) Owen Ong, Kamau Mash from Kenya, Kent Cheung and Kelvin Yeo Too prepared a threecourse meal to demonstrate the difference in preparing food for consumption and for photographs

Students enrolled in the culinary arts programme at Nilai University College (NIUC) showed the press the difference between meals and those created for photographs at a recent demonstration at its Flamme restaurant. Food styling is soon to be incor-porated into their culinary arts syllabus. Led by senior lecturer chef Nadzri Mohd Alim, the team wowed the audience with its presentation.One cameraman even took a bite of a fake ice cream that looked more tempting than the real thing!

The real thing: The same cheesecake, made for consumption. Presentation is a key difference in food styling.

Food styling emphasises making food look good enough to eat. However, before a photographer can take the best shot, the food often dries up, shrinks or even melts (ice cream), therefore creating a need to use certain products and techniques to keep it looking perfect. Nadzri, who completed a course in food styling at the Culinary Institute of America, declined to let the audience in on the secrets of his trade, only saying: "The preparation and techniques used differ, depending on the type of shoot, whether for commercials, print advertisements or billboards.Learning how to work as a team is essential because chefs need to co-operate with a photographer, art director and prop stylist."

The chef de culinaire joined NIUC as he felt the university college provided first-class facilities."The training restaurant Flamme and its 465 sq metre training kitchen is one of the best I've had the privilege of teaching in.""No other college's training kitchen can boast a pastry room, demo kitchen, cold cuts room and butchery," he said.

This sure looks good!: A cheesecake prepared for the camera only.

"Graduates with knowledge in food-styling have good career prospects as qualified food stylists are hard to come by in this region and their expertise is in demand. Students will definitely benefit from learning new kitchen techniques in food preparation, making them more versatile and innovative in the kitchen," added Nadzri.About 100 students, comprising locals and foreigners from Africa, China, Indonesia and Vietnam, are enrolled in the culinary programme at Nilai UC.