Art is a never ending source of inspiration, even and especially for chefs and bartenders. There is a strong and old bond between art and food&beverage; both of them are vivid expressions of culture and they are strictly tied to the life, tradition and innovative waves of the peoples who create them. We can also say that cooking and mixology are definitely a form of art and we recognize it under the name of Culinary Arts.
From the beginning of history, art and cooking grew together; here you can find an article from The Guardian about this topic.
Food has also inspired a great number of artists and it is very common in art works; here’s another article from the Smithsonian Magazine focusing on the subject.
Now, fully stated that food is a source of inspiration for art, the question is: what can we say about art influence on food? This second article from The Guardian tries to cast a light on the matter and produces some examples.
At this point, it is up to us to highlight all those elements which could be of inspiration to chefs. Art is... 1) colour nuances and combinations; 2) lines, shapes and geometries; 3) texture and consistences; 4) culture and history; 5) tradition and innovation; 6) personal or shared reminiscences, feelings and sensations; ...
These are only a few examples; there would be a lot more to say, but even from what stated till now, it is clear that there is a lot of intertwining between food/drinks and art. In fact, if we stop for a minute and have a look at the list, we can say that all the elements underlined belong to both of them!
Here’s your turn: have a look at some art pieces and masterpieces by your own, choose your favorite art work / art subject / artist / art period / art wave and invent a menu/drink list completely inspired to him/her/it. Try to express through your choices of food, dishes, drinks, flavour and colour combinations its/his/her core message. Edit your menu using Canva and paying attention to graphic details so that everything will be connected to the theme chosen.
In order to start you research from somewhere, here you can have virtual tours of the Tate Britain and National Gallery collections. However, you are not supposed to stop there: keep searching around till you find your own source of inspiration!
Have a look at my students' menus (5B ENO - 2019/2020):