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The Importance of Food Presentation, Explained by a Chef

The Importance of Food Presentation, Explained by a Chef

More than just taste

Most of us go through life enjoying our favorite foods as unfancy meals that can be found just about anywhere.

But for every foodie, there comes a time when we get to sample something prepared by a real pro. When you eat something created by a Chef with a real vision, every detail is just right.

The flavors will be impressive, of course, and the ingredients will be fresh, but the presentation is where things really get interesting.

Compelling food presentation is one of the main reasons for the rise of foodie social media culture.

For many restaurants and Chefs, making use of creative presentation doesn’t just provide guests with a great experience, it also serves as a smart marketing move, as the guests will be tempted to share photos of the meal with their friends and followers.

We’re going to explore food presentation, food carving, and why even amateur cooks should care about the visual element of every dish.

To get some answers, we talked to an expert in food presentation and food carving: Effie Noifelt. Noifelt has spent years as a Private Chef and master carver, creating elaborate displays from fruit and vegetables for festivals and special events.

Even if you’re not looking to do any carving or arranging yourself, you’ll gain a greater appreciation for just how much care and effort goes into making food not just taste great, but look great too.

How presentation can upgrade a meal

what mean food presentation

Presentation is important, plain and simple, but it still tends to fall by the wayside at many restaurants and even in some culinary schools.

We definitely need to be clear about this point: the food itself always takes priority, and we would never want to imply that presentation can make up for food that may be lacking in flavor and fresh ingredients. It’s not true.

However, ignoring the power of presentation represents a missed opportunity and a large one at that.

Eating is a multi-sensory experience, and seeing a dish that has been presented just so can make a culinary experience that much more memorable.

Still don’t believe us? Here’s a short test you can try. Grab yourself a simple snack– anything that’s not very complex.

A few crackers or toast will do fine. Now, before taking the first bite, hop on your phone or computer and pull up a photo of a gourmet meal or an elaborate dish created on a cooking competition show.

Your snack is going to taste better.

No, you won’t get all the complex flavors of your visual aid, but we trust you get the point.

Eating isn’t just the work of your mouth and taste buds, it also involves your sense of smell, touch, and sight, meaning your brain is in on the action as well.

Great presentation takes a meal to another level, and Noifelt agrees, noting that food offers so many different opportunities for mental and sensory stimulation.

Good presentation upgrades the dish. The plate itself becomes an artistic canvas to be filled with colors and textures. The colors have to be balanced with certain kinds of textures and direct the client to travel with the utensils to an experience that will result in stimulation of the other senses.

Presentation is important, but what’s the next step? Do only professionals get to delve into complex food presentations or can amateurs get involved, too? Let’s find out.

Learning presentation

what mean food presentation

If you attend culinary school, you will learn a bit about food carving and a lot about food presentation.

Where it gets tricky is in the artistic side of the presentation. Food preparation, for example, is fairly black and white. There are safe food handling guidelines that must be followed, cooking temperatures are more or less pre-determined, and cooking times aren’t that flexible.

Presentation is based solely on creativity, so while certain techniques and trends can be taught, original ideas need to come from the individual.

Noifelt told us that food carving, in particular, is a balance between technical skill and creative thought.

It takes talent and a lot of practice time in order to learn intricate food presentation. You need to know how to use your tools for one thing. Food carving requires many different knives, for example. But you also need to come up with your own ideas. In the end, this is just as important.

So can amateurs get involved with food carving and creative presentation? Absolutely. The only catch is that you’ll need to be willing to gather the tools yourself and commit plenty of time in order to find your own style.

In the beginning, it’s acceptable to just mimic presentation styles you’ve seen on TV or online. In many cases, this will be enough to impress dinner guests, but getting to that next level is going to require introspection and plenty of experimentation.

Get creative! You can even draw quick sketches of your ideas before you step into the kitchen.

If you’re feeling really ambitious, order a few stylish plates and platters. You’ll be surprised how changing your canvas inspires fresh ideas.

If you’re looking for resources on how to get started with home cooking and baking , click these links for some helpful videos that explain the basics.

Theming your dish/carving

what mean food presentation

There are plenty of Chefs, amateurs and pros alike, who find one visual theme and stick with it through each and every meal.

This is fairly common in the world of fine dining, where for many years ring-based presentation has dominated.

When it comes to food carvings, flowers are one of the most common shapes.

But sticking to a unique theme for each event can really make a meal feel special.

Noifelt has created carvings for many different events, and as such, she nails down a theme for each long before reaching for the carving knives. Like many great artists, she even finds ways to incorporate elements of her culture into her work.

It definitely helps to choose a theme for each display. For a wedding, the theme would be hearts and flowers made from carrots and yellow melons. For seasonal events, I like to carve butternut squashes into birds, fish, and flowers. A large fruit like a watermelon offers a great opportunity for carving an image into the skin. As a tribute to my heritage, I love to carve ancient Greek gods in my pieces.

Once again, the key here is finding your own niche. Searching for your own unique ideas isn’t just exciting, it’s an important step on the way to becoming a true culinary artist.

Every meal is a chance to tell your story, even if the ingredients are common. Sharing something special with your audience makes the culinary experience fulfilling for everyone involved, which brings us to our next point.

The fruits of your labor

what mean food presentation

Many artists are somewhat removed from their audience. A director can’t sit in on every screening of their new movie. A painter doesn’t travel around as their work cycles through various museums.

But culinary professionals, on the other hand, are typically close at hand, and while not every Chef takes the opportunity to see the reactions of their guests, Noifelt views this experience as the best part of the job.

I’ve always loved watching the faces of the people tasting my dishes. Sometimes at work, I’ll step out of the kitchen and watch my clients as they take the first bite. I’ve received a number of rewards throughout my career, but the most rewarding moment is when I see someone enjoying a dish that was made just for them.

Whether you’re a professional Chef or just a home cook, this work is all about people. The goal is to always make someone happy. It might be a group of friends or it might be just yourself, enjoying a finely-crafted meal on a Tuesday evening.

Even if your presentations aren’t especially elaborate, diners will notice the effort, appreciate it, and maybe even snap a pic to post online.

Go forth and enjoy

In a sense, food presentation may be the perfect encapsulation of the human desire for expression and reinvention.

It involves taking something common (and necessary) and making it more interesting, more appealing and creative.

Humans don’t just cook to survive, we cook to make daily life fun, to play around with our pre-existing notions of what a meal should be. We find ways to make something as simple as food express beautiful, abstract concepts.

We hope you’ve come away from this article with a greater appreciation for the ‘art’ in ‘culinary arts.’ Maybe the next time you come across a food photo on social media, you’ll be able to acknowledge it as the art piece that it is.

what mean food presentation

Posted by: Igor Ovsyannnykov

Igor is an SEO specialist, designer, photographer, writer and music producer. He believes that knowledge can change the world and be used to inspire and empower young people to build the life of their dreams. When he is not writing in his favorite coffee shop, Igor spends most of his time reading books, taking photos, producing house music, and learning about cinematography. He is a sucker for good coffee, Indian food, and video games.

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The Art of Food Presentation

Why is food presentation important? Here’s how plating techniques can create a multi-sensory experience for diners.

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You’re sitting down at that new restaurant everyone’s been raving about. The server at last brings out the plate… and you finally get it.

A savory spinach-and-feta crêpe that makes your mouth water just looking at it. A steaming bowl of butternut squash soup with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle of chives. Sparkling crimson raspberries floating in a fizzy flute of champagne.

Food is not just sustenance, but a rich experience . While taste is important, food that is plated and presented well is more attractive to customers and can set the tone for the entire restaurant.

Presentation and plating can draw attention to the specific ingredients in a dish, whether for aesthetic or practical reasons. For anyone considering a career as a chef , a strong grasp of plating and presentation techniques is vital for continued professional development. These skills help culinary professionals stand out as they train, stage, and begin to work in a variety of environments.

Why Is Food Presentation Important?

Think about a perfectly plated meal you’ve enjoyed that engaged all five of your senses. Maybe it was an expertly crafted uramaki roll with razor thin avocado slices, a dusting of panko, a drizzle of unagi eel sauce, and a ginger-wasabi rose embellishing the plate’s rim. Between the greens and oranges, the spicy and salty, the shapes and textures of the garnishes… you may have decided to make the restaurant your go-to sushi joint.

Various types of fusion sushi on a bamboo mat

An experience like that sticks with a customer for much longer than a meal that involves mediocre presentation, and creating that kind of memory is exactly what chefs are looking for. Well-executed food presentation can create a sense of professionalism in the mind of eaters and offers an exciting element of a meal that many can’t recreate with the same skill in their own cooking efforts.

In the digital age, strong presentation can also make dishes more apt to be photographed and shared via social media . While there are definitely pros and cons around the prevalence of pre-meal photos shared on sites like Instagram, it can be an effective way to generate attention and sales for many restaurants.

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Food Plating Techniques

Important considerations to make regarding the element of appearance include the color, size, and pattern or texture of the plate.

It may be especially helpful to look at the plating and presentation process as generally following a series of steps. This starts with choosing a plate, then deciding how the main dish and core sides are arranged or layered. From there, it’s common to move onto sauces to create visual contrast and shapes that aren’t easily rendered with more solid food. Finally, the garnish provides a finishing touch.

Bright colors work well against a dark background, while more neutral or subdued colors can use a white background to create some visual excitement. Besides the colors of the foods, different techniques for adding color might include the use of sauces, spices, and garnishes like fruits or flowers.

Fancy plated meat dish with vegetables on a white plate

Thinking about the ratio of food to plate is another technique that involves some artistry. Serving a smaller portion of food on a large plate for more white space, or serving dishes in miniature receptacles can be interesting ways to present food masterfully.

Of course, you have to balance practical and artistic considerations – food should never be difficult to eat nor excessively messy because of the vessel it’s served on or in.

Beyond plates and bowls, the arrangement of foods is key. There should be a star item, one that takes top billing and is also likely the largest portion on the plate. This approach avoids visual competition and instead allows the sides to support the main dish.

Chef grating cheese over a meat dish

It’s also important to think in three dimensions, as the height of food on a plate can also entice diners. Stacking items for a layered look can be visually appealing and make the meal appear more substantial than it would scattered across the plate.

Skills Involved in the Plating Process

How can you make sure you plate effectively and provide the best possible presentation to customers? There are many different considerations, from how to incorporate sauces and garnishes to the knife skills needed for flourishes like a vegetable rosette, and the plate you use is undeniably foundational.

While earning a culinary arts degree or diploma from Escoffier, students can explore techniques and hone skills to help them with plating during their careers. Check out Escoffier’s culinary arts programs or talk to an Admissions Representative to explore your options.

Here are some other articles you might like:

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This article was originally published on February 20, 2019, and has since been updated.

*Information may not reflect every student’s experience. Results and outcomes may be based on several factors, such as geographical region or previous experience.

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Top 11 Food Presentation Tips for Your Restaurant

By Katie McCann

illustration of grilled fish being plated

In the restaurant industry, food plating and presentation are a key part of the guest experience. 

Unfortunately, during a dinner rush, food plating is often one of the first things that gets overlooked. You end up being either too busy or too focused on the taste of the dishes – food presentation becomes a far away afterthought. 

Don’t worry – you don’t need to have an advanced art degree to turn your dishes into gorgeous masterpieces! There are no hard and fast rules to “correct” plating, but there are several important ideas to keep in mind when preparing and plating your restaurant dishes. 

In this article, we’ll go over everything you need to know to plate your food like a master chef, including:

  • What food presentation and plating actually is
  • Why it’s so important for your restaurant
  • 11 easy plating tips and tricks

Bon appetit!

What Is Food Presentation and Plating?

Food presentation refers to the arrangement of food on the plate in a way that makes it appealing to the diner.

A plate should engage your diner’s senses and draw them into the experience as much as a painting in a gallery draws in the observer. Not only will a good presentation add value to your customer’s dining experience, but they’ll be more likely to post and share a meal on Instagram when it looks as good as it tastes!

The plate should carefully balance taste, texture, and color. By playing with these components, you can bring a sense of satisfaction to your diners as soon as the dish is delivered to the table – before they even take a bite. The plate can be either dressed with a sauce, topped with garnishing, or arranged in a quirky, fun style.

Why Good Food Presentation Is Important

There are many benefits to preparing an attractive plate of food. First and foremost, since cooking is a form of art, the final food presentation lets the chef get creative and stamp their own identity on the menu . You present a story to your diners to read with their eyes first, then with their taste buds. Food presentation and plating are also a way of tempting diners throughout the restaurant, who see the dish on its way to the table and immediately want to order the same.

From the management perspective, food plating and presentation is a simple way to provide diners a better dining experience. When done right, it can turn a dinner party into a great success and receive praise and recognition for your entire restaurant. Having a system in place for plating will also help when tracking inventory – if you know what is going into each plate instead of haphazardly dumping garnishes on a plate, you’ll know exactly how many ingredients are used up per dish. 

Now, let’s take a closer look at why presenting your food attractively is substantial in your restaurant business.

chef arranging garnishes on a plate

Attract Customers and Elevate the Experience

The way food is presented has a big impact on how your diners perceive it. We all judge food even before we take a bite – for the most part, that judgment is entirely on how the food looks. Plus, having food that looks good can be a huge traffic driver. You can think about it this way: You could make a milkshake at home, but there’s a reason that Black Tap in New York constantly has a line out the door for their towering milkshakes.

Beyond driving traffic, plating and presentation are also a huge factor in perceived value – which impacts how much you can charge. When you put the extra care into your food presentation, diners are going to be willing to pay more. If we go back to New York, diners at Black Tap are lined up to pay anywhere between $15 to $18 for a milkshake. While you could get a milkshake for a few bucks at a drive-thru, people are willing – and waiting in line – to pay top dollar for a good looking milkshake.

Even if your dishes are the best in the city, they have to look the part as well.

Communicate the Quality of Your Restaurant

The way you plate food and present it communicates the quality and standards of your overall restaurant experience. When food is presented poorly, it can be perceived as a mismanaged kitchen staff or low-quality ingredients. 

Top level food presentation instantly helps diners perceive your restaurant as high quality, before they even take a bite. The extra care and detail that goes into preparing it will directly influence a diner’s perception of your whole restaurant and your food.

Essential for Restaurant Marketing

It’s important to maintain your food aesthetics as much as your overall restaurant interior and exterior. We live in the age of social media where everything is shared online – including every drink, meal, and dessert. Foodie accounts are huge right now! Not maintaining the appearance of your food presentation could alienate these growing marketing opportunities. 

For example, if people on Instagram don’t like the way your food looks on a plate (no matter how tasty it is), it likely won’t make it to their Instagram feed or story. When you miss out on people sharing your meals within their network, you’re also missing the chance to appear in front of potential new diners! 

Food presentation is important for more than just social media shares on diner accounts – it’s important for your own profiles as well. In an increasingly digital age, having a well-rounded online profile is an opportunity to show diners what’s available at your restaurant. Whether you’re sharing expertly styled food on Instagram or adding it to your profile in review sites , make sure each dish looks good! After all, a picture is worth a thousand words!

an artistic plate

There are so many ways to serve and present food. But it’s the small details that make all the difference in ensuring your dish and restaurant stand out from the rest.

Here are 11 food plating tips that will help you step up your serving game.

1. Match with Your Restaurant Theme

The way you plate and present your food should reflect the type of restaurant you’re operating. So first, consider the theme of your restaurant. 

If you’re running a small, ethnic restaurant, your guests expect a simple, rustic, hearty food presentation. But at a high-end, pricey and hip restaurant, your guests would expect to see some form of delicacy in your dish presentation – from the presentation on the plate to the dish it’s served on. 

2. Choose the Right Tableware

The color and size of the tableware is important. If you’re new to food plating and styling, it’s best to keep it simple with white, ivory or light shades of tableware. This way you can experiment with the positioning of elements and embellish with garnishes or sauces without worrying about clashing colors. 

Make sure to keep an eye out for cracked or broken tableware – it can be a complete turn-off to customers and unsafe to eat off of. Regularly conduct checks to either replace or fix damaged tableware. 

3. Create Layers and Height

Start building up, not down or sideways. By layering and stacking food, you can add a lot of dimension to your plate. 

When plating food, it’s a good rule of thumb to have three different heights. It helps fill up space and make food look bigger (without actually increasing the portion size ). You can start by experimenting with three components and their heights: protein, starch, and vegetables.

chef finishing plated entrees

4. Play with Textures

Using textures is a great way to create depth and dimension with your food presentation. This can be as simple as adding a delicate foam or sauces with a crunch on top. You can also drizzle dressing sparingly around the plate and place the meat in the middle. 

5. Serve Smaller Portions

This is all about finding a delicate balance. Generally, smaller portions are more attractive and easier to style. If your plates are absolutely maxed out with food, it doesn’t leave a lot of room for presentation. But you want to make sure guests feel satisfied when they leave. There’s nothing worse than leaving a restaurant feeling hungry.

It all depends on the type of restaurant you are and the customers you attract. If diners aren’t expecting huge portions, you have some room to experiment and find a balance between a dish that fills them up and a food presentation that wows. According to the National Restaurant Association , serving smaller portion sizes is one of the top five most restaurant trends in 2019!

6. Slice Meat Horizontally 

Try fanning out meat by slicing horizontally to show off its quality. The best way to do it is to slice on a 45-degree angle and against the grain of the meat, to provide a more tender cut. 

7. Use Complimentary Colors 

Color adds energy and contrast to your dish. Bright vegetables and fruits, such as beets, carrots, and cauliflower make a striking difference on a plate. Work with complementary colors (i.e. red and green) and try adorning salads and meats with banana leaves or citrus zest.

But be wary of colors that seem artificial. It’s typically seen as bad practice to serve a blue dish, because blue isn’t a color naturally seen in food.

8. Choose the Right Plates

A large plate is always a good idea since it gives you more space to work with, but avoid the pressure to completely fill up the plate! If you cover every part of a large plate, it will look messy and overcrowded – leave some breathing room.

You’ll also want to use different plate sizes for different dishes. For instance, large plates are a better fit for steaks, while an appetizer usually comes in smaller plates. If you use large plates for every portion, it can impact how much food diners feel they are getting. 

9.Harmonize Garnish and Decoration

Garnishing and can add flavor and texture to your dish. It shouldn’t be an afterthought but rather an edible element that is purposely placed to balance the rest of the dish.

It may sound easy but the right garnish requires a lot of precision. Make sure you don’t overdo it. And make sure it’s edible – no server wants to explain to a guest that they can’t eat something on their plate.

Garnishes come in a variety of forms such as herbs, spices, edible flowers, sauces, creams, and citrus zest. You can even include them in dessert. For instance, if you’re serving mango ice cream, you can add a slice of mango in the center or corner of the scoop to give it some color, texture, and a fresh appearance.

10. Use the Right Tools to Serv e

Using the right tools when plating food makes a big difference. You put a lot of effort into perfecting your dish, so use plating tools to match your hard work and attention to detail.

Here are some of the most basic plating tools you’ll need:

  • Precision Spoons: With this tool, you can place sauces of other types of liquid food on the plate in the right amount you want. The spoons are unique in design – they have a much deeper well which allows you more control when pouring.
  • Squeeze Bottles: This gives you even more control over sauces and liquids to create designs on your plate. Get artsy by adding swirls, dots, and other patterns to create a unique appearance. 
  • Decorating Brushes: Unleash your inner artist during the plating process. With brushes, you can create much more unique texture and other small details on your plates. 
  • Molds: Serve food that is in precise shapes, such as squares, circles, ovals or hearts. 

pastry chef decorating confections

11. Keep It Simple and Express Yourself

Free your mind! Most chefs recommend using white plates for food presentation. But you can always get creative and use plates and cutlery from natural materials like wood or stone. You can even take it a step further and serve food in unusual bowls and plates. For instance, serve soup in a coffee pot, or wine in a vase decanter. Be courageous and express the artist in you!

Styling and plating food might take time and a little patience, but the extra effort will pay off for your restaurant’s reputation and operations. Use these food plating tips, tricks, and techniques and start experimenting with different ways to improve your food presentation – and your bottom line!

Photo of Katie McCann

Katie is a former Content Marketing Specialist at TouchBistro where she writes about food and restaurant experiences. She doesn’t shy away from the finer things in life, but no matter how much success she continues to acquire, she stays true to her roots and still considers imitation crab as gourmet. If she isn’t writing, you can find her on a patio with friends and a pitcher of white wine sangria.

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How Important Is Food Presentation?

Steak with salad

Did you know that before the food ever touches your tongue you’ve already tasted it? that may sound impossible, but we visually taste our food long before we ever taste it in our mouths. As you see a waiter carrying your plate to your table to begin deciding how the meal will taste based on how the food looks. In simpler terms, this visual tasting experience comes down to good or bad food presentation. If the food looks appetizing, you’re more likely to want to try it and enjoy it when you do.

Same Ingredients, Different Presentation

Think about how your desk looks at the end of a long week when you haven’t taken the time to clean up. Papers everywhere, old granola bar wrappers pushed to the side, a dusty keyboard – with your desk looking like that, you likely aren’t very tempted to take a seat and get any more work done. Now, imagine the same desk with everything in its place. A clean keyboard, organized files, an inviting workspace. The items on the desk haven’t changed (except maybe throwing out those old granola bar wrappers), but the presentation of the items is very different. The same experience can be used when we’re looking at a plate of food. Two plates of food containing the exact same ingredients can be placed on a table to choose from, and by human nature, we will choose the more visually appealing plate every time. The same ingredients with a different presentation can make or break the success of a dish.

Presentation is Art

Food presentation is the best way for a chef to bring their personality into a dish. How you choose to present food to your guests is an art form, and you get to choose what that art looks like. With a little extra time spent plating, you can utilize the texture, color, and taste of the food to create a masterpiece on the plate. A story for your guests to read first with their eyes, and then with their mouths. You can bring the culture of the food to the surface of the dish with traditional presentation or make something totally unique with a more abstract technique. Food presentation is the key to pulling all five senses into the experience of eating. Hear the food being cooked, smell the ingredients, enjoy the texture as you eat, create an unforgettable taste, and of course, visually taste the food before it ever hits your tongue.

Our team of artisans in Assaggio make all the dishes with heart and passion. From our appetizers to our desserts, everything is made to perfection! If you are ever in the North End , stop by Assaggio and experience our visually-appealing and heart-warming food .

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Plating 101: Contrast and Balance in Food Presentation

  • Andrea Feldman
  • 21 April 2017

November 2020 Update: Learning to trust your own instincts and eye is a crucial aspect of developing plating expertise. This post has been updated to include both savory (Culinary Arts) and sweet (Baking & Pastry Arts), with JWU Providence chefs Branden Lewis '04, '06 MBA, CEC , and Jaime Davis Schick '07, ’19 M.Ed., CEPC , weighing in on the exacting but fun art of making beautiful and balanced plates.

The art of plating is all about contrast and the balancing of multiple elements on a single plate. When Chef Lewis teaches plating and presentation to Culinary Arts students in the College of Food Innovation & Technology , he emphasizes 4 key concepts:

  • Flavor and Texture: Contrasting textures and flavors also help avoid tasting boredom. You want diners to anticipate every bite, and engineering the plate in such a way that complementary textures and flavors enliven each bite ensures that element of surprise.
  • Color: Think of how bored you’d be if you were faced with a totally beige plate. Vibrant and contrasting colors naturally attract. We eat first with our eyes and the rest of our senses follow.
  • Complexity: The complexity of your plate should suit your restaurants clientele. There are many different levels of formality — and plating to match!
  • Symmetry and asymmetry: Think about the negative space on the plate as much as the positive space (i.e., where the food sits). Guide food into place, and don’t try too hard — you want things to look naturally artful, but not overdone.

Infographic detailing plating information

On the dessert side, Chef Schick has a few rules to live by — but she is quick to remind students that rules are made to be broken. The overall goal when plating is to please the customer’s eye and palate, which means that every decision about flavors, colors and textures should support that goal.

  • Balance unorthodox flavors with accessible ones. Don’t be afraid of “wild card” flavors that brings something unexpected to the plate. For example, Schick plates a jalapeño doughnut with milk chocolate cremeux, coconut ice cream, mango sorbet and mango ribbons. The mango adds color and a pop of bright fruit flavor, plus it cuts through the richness of the chocolate and ice cream.
  • Odd numbers are best. “Think of creating lines that your eye can follow. Odd numbers are the rules I live by!” When the central elements on your plate are geometric — for example, a rectangular crème brûlée or perfectly round doughnut — it frees you to play with asymmetry in the actual plating.
  • Deploy fruit like little pops of bright flavor. Schick’s fruit elements are deployed with precision, and always to balance out rich and/or savory elements: “I always cut blueberries and raspberries in half — not only does it reduce bulk on the plate and make a more interesting shape, but it’s a more pleasant bite.”
  • Got scraps? Use (and re-use) ‘em! There’s no room for food waste in Schick’s world. Her miso dessert features a shortbread base made of miso, vanilla, butter, cake flour and almond flour. Any leftovers can be pulsed in a food processor to make miso sand to use as a textural element. She’s all about finding a use for everything — it just takes a little creativity.

Three Food Plating Styles

  • TRADITIONAL: Think family dinner: veggies at 2 o’clock, main at 6 o’clock and starch at 10 o’clock.
  • TRIO: Quite popular, especially in small plate/tapas restaurants.
  • LINEAR AND CONTROLLED RANDOMIZATION: Where your food aligns to an imaginary grid line or curve, with some of the food artfully breaking out of the grid at seemingly random intervals.

Plating styles are influenced by current trends in cuisine and culture. There are countless plating styles in use today, and luckily, social media allows us to see a dish someone is eating in Spain, for example, almost simultaneously. That kind of unprecedented access means that you can track food trends and styles in real time.

It’s important for students to find their own favorites through trial and error. Chef Lewis recommended students start by mapping out their plates ahead of time while they built up a stronger comfort level with plating. It takes serious focus and practice to create or define your own plating style. (But it can be done!)

Explore more of Chef Schick’s dessert plating philsophy . Follow Chef Lewis , Chef Schick and Advanced Pastry on Instagram; Advanced Pastry is curated by Chef Schick and showcases the incredible work of our advanced students!

Want to Learn More?

If you’re thinking about taking your interest in the culinary arts to the next level, find out more today about JWU’s world-renowned culinary programs.

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DISHES FROM CHEF SCHICK (TOP) AND CHEF LEWIS (BOTTOM).

Miso crème brûlée with white chocolate cake and mixed berry sorbet by Chef Jaime Schick

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How to Beautifully Plate and Present Food

Last Updated: January 23, 2024 Approved

Starting With Beautiful Food

  • Plating a Meal

Presenting Tricky Dishes

Expert q&a.

This article was co-authored by JoAnna Minneci . JoAnna Minneci is a retired Professional Chef based in the Nashville, Tennessee area. With 18 years of experience, Chef JoAnna specialized in teaching others how to cook through private cooking lessons, team-building events, and wellness and nutrition classes. She also appeared in numerous television shows on networks such as Bravo and Food Network. Chef JoAnna received Culinary Arts training from the Art Institute of California at Los Angeles. She is also certified in sanitation, nutrition, kitchen management, and cost control. There are 19 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, several readers have written to tell us that this article was helpful to them, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 606,487 times.

JoAnna Minneci

Things You Should Know

  • Cook meals with a variety of colors and complementary textures to give your meal some visual appeal even before plating.
  • Default to white plates, leave 1/3 of the plate empty, and add different foods in odd numbers to achieve a balanced look.
  • Layer proteins or main courses on top of filler foods like rice or noodles, and use herb or sauce garnishes to add finishing touches.

Step 1 Avoid a monochromatic color scheme.

  • When you're planning meals, think ahead about the colors you want to feature on the plate. You might not be able to represent all the colors of the rainbow at every meal, but challenge yourself to have as much color as possible.
  • If you realize you're about to serve several like-colored foods, like grilled chicken and mashed potatoes, adding a serving or two of fruits and vegetables is a fantastic and easy way to add pops of color. The richest greens, oranges, reds, purples, blues, pinks, and yellows on your plate probably take the form of fruits and vegetables.
  • If you're not sure how to add color, utilize garnishes. [3] X Research source Nearly any savory dish is well-served by a sprinkling of fresh chives, parsley, dill, or mint. Lemon and lime wedges are welcome alongside poultry and seafood dishes.

Step 2 Bring out vegetables' brightest colors.

  • Lightly steam them instead of boiling them. [4] X Research source Steaming vegetables makes them look appetizing and flavorful, while boiling creates the opposite effect. [5] X Research source Take broccoli, for instance: steaming broccoli turns it a fresh, bright green, and each floret retains its shape and texture. Boiling broccoli results in a mushy texture and a paler color, which isn't as pretty on the plate. The same holds true for asparagus, carrots, green beans, and many other vegetables.
  • Roast or sauté them with a little oil or butter. Roasted or sauteed vegetables look quite appetizing when they're allowed to caramelize a little in oil or butter. The bright orange or green of the vegetable is offset by brown, crispy spots. It's a delicious way to cook vegetables.

Step 3 Sear your meat and let it rest.

  • There are exceptions to the rule of searing your meat. For example, if you're serving braised beef , you'll have to think of creative ways to make the meat look appetizing even though it doesn't have a crispy crust. Serving it with a sauce is a good way to add visual interest.

Step 4 Cook fried foods carefully.

  • Fried foods often continue browning a bit after they've been removed from the hot oil. Carefully monitor foods as you're frying them to make sure they don't get too dark.
  • Take pains to handle the fried foods gently so they look appetizing when you're ready to plate them. For example, if you need to check whether a piece of fried chicken has reached the correct internal temperature, stick the meat thermometer in a place where the resulting hole won't be visible. [8] X Research source

Step 5 Take texture into account.

  • The way you handle the food just after it has been cooked, and before it is plated, can really affect the texture. Pasta, for example, should be kept in water or tossed in a bit of oil just after cooking so that it doesn't start to clump. [9] X Research source Fried foods should not be covered with airtight lids because the heat from the food will end up steaming the breading and causing the food to get soggy.
  • Once the food is on the plate, a spritz of oil or water can improve its visual appeal if it looks too dry.

Step 6 Experiment with interesting shapes.

Plating it With Care

Step 1 When in doubt, choose white plates.

  • That said, there are exceptions. If you have a set of special plates with a pattern or a certain color scheme, it's fine to use them. Just make sure they complement the food you're serving instead of vying for attention.
  • Don't forget to take the rest of the table into consideration, too. Cutlery, glasses, and linens will enhance the overall appearance of the dish upon the table.
  • When looking for interesting tableware, try going to Asian grocery stores, craft or flea markets, and antique stores. You can find some very interesting tableware from all of these sources.

Step 2 Visualize the finished plate.

  • As a general rule, half of the food on the plate should be comprised of vegetables, one fourth should be comprised of meat or another protein, and one fourth should be comprised of a starch.
  • Start plating food in the center of the dish and work outward from there so that the food is centered in the middle of the plate.

Step 4 Follow the rule of odds.

  • To quickly add some crunch to a dish, try topping it with some crushed, roasted walnuts, almonds or pepitas.
  • A dollop of crème fraiche or some pieces of goat cheese can add a soft, creamy texture to savory dishes. Whipped cream or pastry cream is a good way to add a soft element to sweet dishes.

Step 6 Layer foods to add height.

  • An easy way to start layering food is to serve the protein on a bed of starch. For example, serve a kabob on a heaping of rice, or serve grilled swordfish on a pile of mashed potatoes.
  • You can use sauces to layer as well. Ladle a pool of au jus, marinara, or whatever sauce you're using into the center of the dish, and arrange the other elements of the dish on top.
  • Aim to make foods look bigger, not smaller. Fluff up your salads, for example, instead of smoothing them down. Create a little cross-hatched stack of cooked asparagus instead of presenting it in one flat layer. [17] X Research source

Step 7 Use sauce wisely.

Adding Appetizing Touches

Step 1 Use garnishes that enhance the flavor of the meal.

  • If you serve a dish with lemon or lime wedges, consider creating slender, pretty twists instead of slicing them into thick wedges. This might entice the diner to actually use the garnish instead of scooting it to the side of his or her plate!
  • Think outside the box and use garnishes you might not normally consider. Sprinkle a dash of cinnamon over a chicken dish, or a handful of pomegranate seeds over an otherwise ordinary salad. Choose garnishes that add a burst of both flavor and color.
  • In many cuisines, flowers are an acceptable garnish or a large inedible leaf sitting underneath the food. In broader Western culture, it's recommended that nothing inedible be served on the plate. As well, since certain garnishes can affect the flavor, choose carefully.

Step 2 Employ drizzles and swirls.

  • Rather than just pouring a sauce over your food, consider putting it in a squeeze bottle so you can create a pretty swirl or pattern. [19] X Research source If you don't have a squeeze bottle, put the sauce in a plastic food storage bag, cut a small piece off one of the corners, and squeeze the sauce through the bag.
  • Don't overdo it. The key is to add a touch of color, flavor, and texture without overpowering the main part of the dish.

Step 3 Make sure the plate is clean.

  • If you're serving the pasta with a protein, arrange it attractively on the heap of pasta. For example, if the dish includes shrimp, place the shrimp on top instead of burying the pieces inside the pasta heap.
  • Just before serving, you can mist the pasta with a bit of olive oil to make it glisten attractively.

Step 2 Present

  • Soups and stews tend to splash and run, so it's also important to make sure that the sides of the bowl or plate you're serving them in are wiped clean before serving.
  • Casseroles might also come out on the brown side. Serving them alongside a bunch of fresh salad greens is a good way to offset the neutral-looking main dish.

Step 3 Enhance desserts that taste better than they look.

  • Use a cookie cutter to create a neat shape. A star or leaf-shaped brownie will look more interesting than your basic square.
  • Serve it with mint. Adding a few fresh sprigs is a great way to enhance many desserts, especially fruity ones.
  • Sprinkle cocoa, cinnamon or powdered sugar on top. Choose the powder that contrasts in color to the dessert you made.
  • Sprinkle crushed peppermints on top. It'll look like you topped your dish with pink glitter.
  • Speaking of glitter, add edible glitter to the dish to take it over the top.
  • When all else fails, plate it with a swirl of whipped cream. [24] X Research source You can pipe it through an icing bag fixed with a star-shaped tip to create a visually pleasing shape.

JoAnna Minneci

  • Try keeping all presentation of the food relevant and simple. A nice formal dish is great for a celebration, but even simple meals can be improved with the addition of some herbs. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
  • Read current cooking books and magazines for ideas. Your local library is a wonderful resource and many culinary magazines are now available for download, allowing you to read the recipes in the cooking area straight off your iPad, eReader, or other device. This also enables you to decorate a table with the electronic device as a reference! Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
  • There are now plates that keep food hot (patented). An excellent final touch for certain delicious hot recipes (Especially if they are expensive and time-consuming to prepare). Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

what mean food presentation

Things You'll Need

  • Food magazines and cookbooks
  • Ideal dinnerware and tableware
  • Inspiration from recipes and restaurants/cafes that you like

You Might Also Like

Garnish Food

  • ↑ JoAnna Minneci. Professional Chef. Expert Interview. 23 November 2021.
  • ↑ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/13/plating-food_n_1763865.html
  • ↑ https://www.webstaurantstore.com/article/200/basic-guide-to-food-presentation.html
  • ↑ https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-steam-vegetables-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-108512
  • ↑ https://www.professorshouse.com/steaming-versus-boiling-vegetables/
  • ↑ https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-sear-meat-47333
  • ↑ https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/how-to/article/learning-to-fry
  • ↑ https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/how-to-use-a-meat-thermometer-article
  • ↑ https://www.huffpost.com/entry/texture-of-food-cheap-spaghetti_n_5b60c302e4b0b15aba9d7d4e
  • ↑ https://www.today.com/food/how-plate-your-food-pro-celebrity-chefs-reveal-their-secrets-2D80186757
  • ↑ http://blog.kitchenaid.ca/10-tips-plating-food-like-a-pro/
  • ↑ https://www.tablespoon.com/posts/how-to-plate-like-a-chef
  • ↑ http://startcooking.com/seven-ways-to-present-food-like-a-chef
  • ↑ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/food/food-reviews/Plate-your-food-like-a-pro/articleshow/32962204.cms
  • ↑ https://www.thekitchn.com/tip-for-plating-pasta-perfectly-264049
  • ↑ https://www.mybluprint.com/article/insta-worthy-desserts-how-to-plate-like-a-pastry-chef
  • ↑ https://www.mirlandraskitchen.com/how-to-decorate-with-whipped-cream/
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihxsCYijU20

About This Article

JoAnna Minneci

When you’re plating food, try to visualize what the finished product will look like. Only fill the plate about two-thirds of the way, since the negative space will accentuate the appearance of your food. As you add elements, remember that odd numbers look more appealing than even numbers, and try to group foods with different textures near each other. Stacking and layering foods is a good way to play with height, which can create even more visual interest on the plate. For tips on choosing garnishes to finish your dish, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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13 Food Presentation Ideas for an Unforgettable Culinary Experience

Sydney Kida | May 28, 2022 |

13 Food Presentation Ideas for an Unforgettable Culinary Experience

Eating is a sensory activity, and that doesn’t mean just taste — the culinary experience engages all the senses. That means texture, taste, aroma and, in some cases, even sound  (think: the sizzling of fajitas or sparklers atop a cake). When it comes to cuisine and the customer experience, how the food looks when it comes out of your kitchen is just as important as how it tastes.  

Need some food presentation ideas to take your dishes to the next level? We’ve got the details on why you need to step up your plating game, as well as how you can do it with 13 creative food presentation ideas sure to impress. 

Why Food Presentation Matters

We eat with our eyes first. You can put photos of beautifully arranged food on a restaurant menu and guests will point and say, “I’ll take one of those!” when without the photo, they wouldn’t have even considered it. Similarly, an artfully arranged pastry display in a cafe or bakery window will entice guests to come inside to see if the food tastes as good as it looks. 

Whether you’re a fast-casual establishment with a laid back vibe or a high-end restaurant with elevated and sophisticated dishes, presentation turns a regular meal into a memorable customer experience. People are drawn to beautiful things and let’s be honest, first impressions are everything. 

In today’s world of social media and influencer marketing, unique and beautiful food presentation increases the likelihood of a guest posting a photo to their social media and tagging your eatery. That’s powerful positive publicity and some serious word of mouth marketing – and it’s free ! Plus, people are more likely to try out restaurants recommended by a friend, especially if the dishes look thoughtfully planned and carefully curated.  

On the flip side, sloppy or unappetizing presentations can result in negative reviews online. Reviews are forever when written on the Internet and 94% of today's consumers check online reviews and photos before choosing a place to eat. 

Incorporating interesting food presentation ideas is an opportunity to get creative, show off a chef’s skill, and provide that “wow” factor to the dining experience. Just make sure the substance matches style! Unique dishes mean guests can only get them at your restaurant, and this uniqueness inspires loyalty. Plus, guests will gladly pay more for an artfully designed meal.

Creative Food Presentation Ideas , Tips & Tricks

A creative presentation of food is the final touch to a meal. Here are thirteen tips and tricks for presenting food, ranging from simple dishes to fine dining: 

Edible Flowers

Nothing classes up a dish like dainty flowers. Flower petals add pops of color in salads, soups, desserts, and even entrees. Because flowers are a beautiful and unexpected thing to appear on a plate, they are memorable. Just make sure they’re edible ! 

There are many food presentation techniques related to sauces that a chef can experiment with. A guest’s name spelled out in chocolate drizzle on a dessert plate is a fun way to celebrate a birthday. Dots, smears, and swirls of bright sauces add visual interest for both sweet and savory dishes. Practice with piping bags or squeeze bottles to perfect the hand control required for these sauce techniques.

Food presentation isn’t just about what to add to the food or how to style it. The tablecloth, place setting, and cutlery play a part, too. For in-restaurant dining, make sure your tables are welcoming with candles or flowers. If a guest is ordering to-go, the packaging is part of the visual appeal. So often en route, the food’s presentation gets ruined. To prevent that, choose high quality, eco-friendly sectioned packaging that keeps the food in place. 

Deconstructed

As far as simple food presentation ideas go, deconstructing is a classic. Eating traditional meals in a deconstructed way makes humdrum food feel like a new experience entirely. For example, a deconstructed burger and fries encourages a bite of fries with onion and tomato — it’s a new way to enjoy an old classic. Having a focal point, like a red onion ring in the center, keeps it from looking sloppy.

For a fine dining steak presentation, the best way to elevate it is through height and layers. Visually, steak is flat and typically darker in color. Adding a colorful garnish with some height to it makes it look more exciting. If you don’t want to go for height, create layers to the dish for a similar effect. Cut the steak horizontally and fan it out to create layers. Place the steak atop or under a side, like mashed potatoes or greens. Pre-cutting the steak not only saves the eater time and effort, it gives them a peek at the beautiful pink in between the brown sides. 

Make Every Side Dish a Main Event

Just because it’s a side dish doesn’t mean it’s less tasty or important! Don’t forget about sprucing them up, too. Unless someone requests separate bowls or has a food allergy, you don’t have to serve side dishes in separate bowls. The placement of sides next to other food can make for a colorful palette and encourages the eater to enjoy the meal as one experience. If you don’t have the space on the main plate for the sides, serve them on beautiful plates with a stand-out design or color. 

Play with your Food 

The arrangement of an appetizer is everything: it must be enticing and easily shareable. A fried onion bloom is iconic for this reason. To make an engaging and interactive appetizer experience, consider plating it in a way that’s fun and interactive for your customers. For example, mozzarella sticks can be arranged around a focal point (marinara dipping sauce) or stacked on top of each other like Lincoln Logs. Top with a leaf of lettuce for a roof. Great for the kids’ menu! 

Sugar is cheap and you already have it on hand: just learn some techniques to create garnishes to top your crème brûlées and cakes. Sugar can be twisted into some truly stunning and unique shapes when caramelized. Not only does this add sweetness to your dish, it also adds a unique flair that’s sure to end up on their Instagram. 

The plate is your canvas, so make it a composition. While this may take some more time, it’s an opportunity for the chef to consider new flavors and designs. Think about the shape of the plate as well, not just the design or color. A square plate with round food in it provides an interesting contrast. Make the plates do the work for you.  

Color Theory 

Even if someone orders plain fish and chips, think of ways to pop color onto that plate. Yes, there is the standard lemon and parsley. But how can you go the extra mile? Another addition of color can make this basic dish be remembered above the rest. Go for purple cabbage in coleslaw instead of white or green. Plus, the more color, the more nutrition you are offering your guests. Certain colors can elicit certain feelings in customers. For example, red and yellow stimulate hunger.

Tools for the Job

Make sure you have the right tools in the kitchen for the delicate placement of food, garnishes, and sauces. Use squeeze bottles and piping bags for liquid-like foods, and precision tongs to place food just so on the plate. Don’t forget a small towel to wipe the plate clean in case of any accidental smudges. 

You don’t want the dish to become overwhelming or unwieldy to dig into. To leave room for presentation, consider either providing a smaller portion, or using a larger plate. While adding color is best practice, you don’t need to include every color or food group on a plate.

The best food presentation is authentic. If your restaurant’s appeal is its hominess and folksiness, having an over-the-top presentation when guests love the simplicity isn’t catering to your audience. If you are known for your simple and effective presentations, play to your strengths. Above all, stay true to your restaurant’s personality and ambiance.

Enhance Your Restaurant with Revel 

Cooking presentation is just one part of a successful restaurant. While show-stopping presentations are the hook to attract guests, efficient and reliable cloud-native software is the glue that keeps the whole enterprise functioning seamlessly. With a robust restaurant POS system , Revel Systems® keeps servers and kitchen staff updated in real-time to keep guests happy. 

See how our suite of tools can help your restaurant by requesting a free demo today!

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Top 7 Food Presentation Templates with Examples and Samples

Top 7 Food Presentation Templates with Examples and Samples

Sarnali Dey

author-user

Navigating the vast expanse of the food industry? Dive in as we unravel the essence of the sector through a series of expertly crafted PowerPoint templates. From the dynamic tides of the frozen food market to strategies that make your restaurant's voice resonate, our presentations aren't mere slides - they're your beacon. Whether you're kickstarting a food venture, unveiling a revolutionary product, or painting the tapestry of your brand's journey, we've got the perfect blueprint tailored for clarity, precision, and impact. Why wade through the waters of uncertainty when you can sail with authority? Discover the roadmap to your food industry success, one slide at a time.

Navigating the intricacies of the food industry demands structured planning and insightful examples. This blog explores the top 10 food plan templates that can transform your culinary strategy.

Template 1: Frozen Foods Industry Report PowerPoint Slides

Unlock crucial insights into the booming frozen food sector with our in-depth Frozen Foods Industry Report template. Discover astonishing facts, like the rapid market expansion in European countries and emerging consumer behaviors shaping the frozen food domain. The presentation dives deep, clarifying market players like Nomad, ConAgra, and General Mills with their five-year financial summaries. Grasp strategies like risk mitigation and go-to-market approaches backed by robust analytical tools like SWOT and Porter's Five Forces Model. This functional, content-rich template isn't just aesthetically engaging but a treasure trove of information for researchers and business professionals. Download this comprehensive report now

Frozen Foods

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Template 2: Marketing Activities For Fast Food Restaurant Promotion

Elevate your restaurant's promotional endeavors with our all-inclusive Fast Food Restaurant Marketing Activities template. Imagine having an edge by employing strategies meticulously crafted for both the digital space and traditional avenues. This deck highlights pivotal online marketing maneuvers, from impactful social media campaigns to targeted email outreaches. Delve into offline gems like billboards and TV commercials, each adding a unique flavor to your promotional mix. The cherry on top? An integrated calendar for streamlined content distribution and dashboards to gauge campaign efficiency. Let your restaurant's voice resonate louder and clearer. Dive in and see the magic unfold!

Marketing Activities for Fast Food Restaurant Promotion

Template 3: Fast Food Business Plan PowerPoint Presentation Slides

Equip yourself with our definitive Startup Fast Food Business Plan template. Delve deep into essential realms, from an exhaustive market analysis to razor-sharp financial forecasts. This comprehensive deck will serve as your compass, guiding you through marketing dynamics, operational nuances, and financial intricacies. Whether strategizing customer engagement or understanding the financial trajectory, our blueprint ensures you're not navigating the competitive waters blindfolded. Curated with precision and practicality in mind, it’s more than just a presentation; it’s your roadmap to success. Set your fast-food dream in motion!

Fast Food Business Plan

Template 4: Launching New Food Product PowerPoint Presentation

Unveil your new food product with panache and maximize sales and profits using our comprehensive Launching New Food Product template. This deck provides actionable insights, from highlighting recent Food Manufacturing industry trends to understanding key competitor moves. It’s not just about the launch; it's about anticipating challenges and turning them into opportunities. Demographics, objectives, risks - our presentation touches every facet of a successful product launch. Equip your team with a robust strategy that ensures your product reaches its target audience and resonates with them. Embrace the future of vacuum-packed food with a launch that makes waves!

Launching New Food Product to Maximize Sales and Profit

Template 5: Business Pitch Deck for Food Start-Up

Kickstart your food venture using our well-crafted Business Pitch Deck for Food Start-Up. Tailored to elevate your business proposal, this presentation deck accentuates key components every investor seeks: market trends, competitive analysis, financial projections, and more. Delve deeper into your unique selling proposition and stand out amidst the crowded food industry. With 56 logically structured, content-ready slides, this pitch deck is not just a tool but a launchpad for your entrepreneurial journey. Seize this chance to captivate your investors and mold your food startup's future.

Business Pitch Deck For Food Start-up

Template 6: Food Company Profile PowerPoint Presentation

Illuminate your food business's journey with our content-rich Food Company Profile template. Offering a 360-degree view, this deck delves into your business, from operations and key achievements to financial robustness. Let stakeholders and customers resonate with your vision, mission, and core values. The deck boasts of your global footprint and magnifies financial insights from various business units. Dive deep into SWOT analysis layout plans and underline your social responsibilities. With 42 expertly crafted slides, captivate your audience by revealing what truly sets your company apart. Enhance your company narrative and let it echo with credibility.

Food Company Profile

Template 7: Food and Beverage Company Profile PowerPoint Presentation Slides

Navigate the rich tapestry of your Food Business Promotion and Beverage business with our detailed Company Profile template. This deck highlights pivotal insights and reveals your firm's ethos, vision, and mission. Showcase your products, brands, and geographical reach, spotlighting manufacturing prowess. Analyse product success with revenue growth metrics and flaunt a rich timeline from 1992 to 2021. This presentation offers a comprehensive business model, emphasizing sustainable strategies and vital financials. Dive deep into CSR initiatives and value creation while offering potential investors a lucid view of export opportunities. With 51 impactful slides, this template is your narrative sculpted to perfection. 

Food and Beverage Company Profile

Bonus Template: Food Product Pitch Presentation PPT Template

Craft a compelling narrative for your food product with our strategically advanced pitch presentation template. Addressing the heart of your product, it pinpoints the problem it solves, its market potential, and projected revenue. Within its concise span of 10 to 20 slides, every detail, from your mission statement and marketing strategies to yearly milestones, is showcased precisely yet impactfully. Dive deep into your product's unique selling proposition, backed by informative graphs and charts that fortify your pitch. Tailored for clarity and persuasion, this template is your key to leaving an indelible mark on potential investors. Engage and convince; kickstart your success journey now!

Food Product Pitch Presentation

The Endnote

In the constantly changing food sector, possessing the appropriate tools can be the dividing line between prominence and oblivion. Our collection of PowerPoint Templates, from in-depth industry reports to strategic pitch presentations, is a testament to the power of precise, impactful, and well-structured information. Each template is designed to cater to specific needs, whether you're a seasoned professional or an aspiring entrepreneur. These aren't just presentations; they are strategic roadmaps, guiding you to make informed decisions and resonate with your target audience. The food industry's landscape is vast, but with these tools, you can navigate it with confidence and authority. Harness the potential of these templates and chart a path to success in the culinary world. Embrace the journey and let your culinary vision come alive.

Related posts:

  • Top 10 Must-Have Food Startup Pitch Decks to Get Investors’ Attention
  • ‘How to Setup a Food-Related Business’ in SIX Steps – Food And Beverage Firm Pitch Deck Included
  • How to Craft a Perfect Food Industry Business Plan?
  • How to Design the Perfect Service Launch Presentation [Custom Launch Deck Included]

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10 Creative Food Presentation Templates

food-eating-presentation-templates-for-prezi

Food is always on our mind… but this time you also need to make a food themed presentation!

And believe me, food presentation is a real science on its own.

Luckily these tasty presentation templates will help you out for making a digital food presentation. We’ve collected some of our best and most creative food, diet, eating, cooking, health and nutrition themed presentations into one gallery, so you’ll have a nice selection on the menu.

Most of these templates are designed for the Prezi presentation software, but some also include a PowerPoint PPT version – be sure to check before you purchase.

The good thing about Prezis is, that your presentation will be remembered – make a zooming effect and build your presentation on a large visual canvas, something that’s much more engaging compared to PowerPoint slides.

So let’s get started and find something to eat… I mean to present!

1. Food Menu Presentation Template

what mean food presentation

This time you’re the chef and your job is to cook an amazing presentation! Prezi presentation template with a restaurant background and a man holding a menu. Highly customizable template, change the color and size of the menu and topic squares. A universal template for making a presentation about a bar, cafe, healthy menu or diet and eating out at a fancy restaurant. Zoom in and add text, images, videos and create your own custom menu layout. Bon Appétit and don’t forget to tip the waiter!

2. Food Clock Presentation Template

what mean food presentation

A Creative Prezi Template for presenting about food, diet, health, eating, nutritions. A Plate and various fruits and vegetables as a clock or time symbol. Create a Prezi about weight loss or staying healthy and fit. Talk about sports, fitness and what are the best foods on certain time of the time. Rearrange the layout and add your own images. Images included: orange, kiwi,watermelon, tomato, strawberry, carrot, broccoli, apple. Present about healthy eating or cooking a balanced meal, restaurant, healthy meals, cooking a lunch, dieting, fresh foods.

3. Calorie Bomb Presentation Template

what mean food presentation

Stimulate the creative senses of your audience with a colorful and healthy presentation. A Prezi template with a vegetable and fruit sphere shape on a water splash background. Make your own healthy calorie bomb – zoom into fruit and vegetables and present your content. Make a presentation about diet, health, nutrition or cooking the right green and delicious meals. Colorful slide backgrounds with the fruits and vegetables staying in place while zooming in.

4. Health and Diet Presentation Template

what mean food presentation

When was the last time you thought about your health?A creative Prezi Next presentation template for talking about health, diet or sports. A sliced orange on a wood surface with a classic clock face inside it. A great concept to illustrate that people should take more time and think about their health. Present about living a healthy lifestyle with a moderate food diet and enough physical exercise. The template features an orange clock on a wood stage background with orange topic covers around the orange. The overview slide also includes a text placeholders for your presentation title and subtitle.

5. Healthy Drink Presentation Template

what mean food presentation

Prezi Template for a health, diet or exercise related presentation. A glass cup with a smoothie/juice on a kitchen table background. Zoom into the rectangles and present your own content on a colorful background. Easily customize the rectangles by changing the color, size and layout. Present about staying healthy, eating the right foods, or creating an exercise plan.

6. Love of Food Presentation Template

what mean food presentation

Prezi Template related with food. Various red food icons forming a big heart shape that symbolizes the love for food. Zoom anywhere and add the content you need. All icons are separated elements, move them around and create a unique layout or change the background. Talk about dieting, eating, recipes, cooking, staying healthy, catering, fresh food ideas, fitness, healthy snacks

7. Vitamin Presentation Template

what mean food presentation

Prezi Template with a medical/healthcare theme. Colorful vitamins/drugs flying out of capsules. Talk about staying healthy, eating vitamins, pills or food supplements. Present about the most important vitamins and which foods contain them. Create a presentation for a drugstore, pharmacy or a medical company, hospital. Create a healthcare presentation, present about prescription drugs, medical treatment. A good template for educating people about foods, vitamins and food preservatives.

8. Kitchen Presentation Template

what mean food presentation

Present your story in a kitchen themed Prezi template. All elements are 100% zoomable. Objects in the template: oven, water tap, fridge, dishwasher, bottles, microwave, cooking tools, towel, flowers, plates, glasses, a pot, stove, cutting board and a teapot. Objects are not movable or editable separately Present about cooking, eating, recipe, diet, making a meal, lunch, restaurants, food critics.

9. Diet Plan Presentation Template

what mean food presentation

Prezi Template, fun content about healthy food, diet plan topic designed with black wooden table background and a plate covered with fruit sectors. White plate is surrounded with silverware and on top is a transparent image of fruit sectors, such as strawberry, orange, kiwi and apple. In this template high resolution images are being used. Semi-transparent colourful circles is used as a background for texts, to increase readability. They are Prezi shapes and can be modified (rearranged, colour change).

10. Brain Food Presentation Template

what mean food presentation

Create a unique keyword-based presentation with this prezi template. Mixed pieces of white paper on a white food plate. Replace the examples with your own keywords, change fonts and text colors. Template also includes a hand with spoon which can be used to animate in final 2 keywords. Use the milk glass to surprise the audience with a hidden message. Make a creative marketing presentation, or really talk about cooking, eating, diet, vitamins, or health. Suitable for a good presenter who does not need to show text on slides.

So what’s the recipe for your food themed presentation?

Are you going to present about the cooking of food or the fun part, eating it?

Whatever the topic, I hope you found some great ideas and inspiration, even if you didn’t choose a Prezi Template from this list.

what mean food presentation

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  • The Art of Plate Presentation

what mean food presentation

Components of an artistic plate design

art of plate design infographic

Of all the work that we do, the art of plate presentation is one of the most intriguing. Creating a visually stunning “picture on the plate” and hearing “Wow! That’s beautiful!” brings a great sense of creative satisfaction…so long as the next comment is “It tastes even better than it looks!” Visual beauty without fantastic flavor is garbage.

Today’s chefs are so talented, so artistic, so visually creative that presentations run the full gamut of super simple to very complex. And each restaurant will have its own creative style which is often defined by its cuisine. For instance, many of the presentations below are geared toward the high-end establishment and are too complex for the average restaurant, but perhaps would still work for the chef’s special, the one place where a chef can truly highlight his/her talents and train staff the etiquette of plate design.

So, what makes for a great presentation? How do you go about designing a plate? What are the do’s and don’ts? Here are things which I’ve found helpful. The first step is to try to visualize the plate in your mind. What do you want it to look like? Is there a design idea you want to use as a template? Have you seen a presentation you’d like to mimic using your food instead? For me, it usually starts with the concept of lines, arcs, circles and/or triangles.

Download and share the infographic on the right…just share a link back to this site!

The Art of Plate Presentation – Lines, Arcs, Circles and Triangles

Simple geometric shapes are the “skeleton” of plate design, the base upon which the flesh is added. Consider all the images which follow and how all plate presentations can be defined by simple geometric shapes: lines, arcs, circles, etc. Being able to “see” the underlying patterns (skeleton) of a layout make it easier to visualize the end result, and to play with variations of design before you ever put food to plate.

I always start my plates by thinking of the lines, arcs and patterns that may work, often using my hands to draw an imaginary design on an empty plate to help me visualize it before I even start adding food.

Geometric shapes are the basis of plate design

Single Line

These presentations takes full advantage of white space.

Single Line plate design

Two lines can be used in a variety of ways to create stunning presentations. Sometimes used as 2 parallel lines, somes crossing each other to form an “X”.

Two Vertical Lines

Plate Presentation: 2 Lines

Horizontal Lines

Horizontal lines on the plate are a great way to really feature the full details of what you are displaying because this perspective gives the fullest view of what’s being presented.

Horizontal Lines

Two Lines – Crossing (like an X)

What’s interesting about this design matrix is that it is more interesting, more visually appealing, if the crossing point is off-center, especially if the starting and ending points of each line is also random (i.e. not side by side).

2 Lines forming an X

Three Vertical Lines

This style works especially well if you are plating a trio.

3 Vertical Lines

Arcs (affectionately called a “swoosh”) add fluidity and a sense of motion to a presentation. If your design looks too “hard” or too “blocky” try adding an arc or two.

plating with Arcs

Arc & Line

A single arc and a single line. This design brings both fluidity (the arc) and stability or strength (the line) to a presentation. The center image is a horizontal line inside an arc.

Arc and Line

Circle and Line

Similar to Arc & Line, this offers both a soft and a hard component to the plate. Typically the circle is off-center to the left.

Art of Plate Design: Circle and Line

Structured Chaos

Some plates look like chaos, but a closer look reveals structure. This is one of the hardest plating styles to successfully pull off…if its wrong then all you have is a mess on a plate. Balance, white space, and a focal point is the key.

Structured Chaos design

The classic 3 component (starch, veg, protein) design: 10 o’clock, 2 o’clock, 6 o’clock. But also used for more avante garde presentations.

traditional triangle design

Centered Circle

A classic presentation is to center everything, making a tower in the center of the plate, stacking all the components, and then putting a “mote” of sauce around it all. This presentation style also gives great height (elevation) to the design.

Centered, stacked plate layout

A more modern approach is to place items slightly off-center. Being a little off-center creates tension and interest for the eye.

Off center plate layout

The plate design below is beautifully intricate yet somehow appearing to be simple. Complex plate designs are difficult to pull off for multiple reasons. First, too much on the plate can quickly turn into confusion. It takes a skilled eye to make complexity aesthetically balanced. Second, intricacy takes time to plate correctly…do you have time to plate this dish correctly during service? Third, very few people have the eye and the hand to plate complex designs correctly…so you will probably have to create every plate yourself during service.

Complex plate design

Breaking the Rules – Decorating the Rim

The old rule of plating was to keep everything off the rim. The rim acted as a frame for the plate and the Chef would yell at you if you had even a speckle on the rim. Today, the rim is often still considered to be a border…but it is a border to be played with!

Plating on the plate edge

Other Components of Plate Design

A well designed plate will have a sense of balance. “Balance” doesn’t necessarily mean symmetry. A beautiful presentation which appears to be chaotic can actually have balance and a hidden structure, whereas a chaotic mess on the plate is simply that…a mess on the plate…it lacks balance and structure. Balance means that you look at a plate and it makes sense, you understand it, you may even think “wow! that’s nice!”

But a plate that is confusing to the eye, or is distracting because there is either no focal point or too many focal points, are lacking balance. The art of plate presentation can be simple…or very complicated!

Focal Point

The focal point of the dish is the spot which the eye goes to first, the item which draws your attention. Be aware of the way your eye moves around the dish. What does it notice first? Where does it go next? What is the last thing your eye goes to? Know what your focal point of the dish is, and make sure that the focal point is also the item on the dish which you want to highlight. Techniques which create a focal point include color, elevation, and placement. Bright or contrasting colors draw the eye. Elevation draws the eye. And where you place something on the plate either accentuates or “hides” it. Use any or all of these to create the spot you want to be your focal point.

Additionally, we read from left to right, our eyes are used to moving that way, it feels natural to us. So your focal point should usually be either near the center or left of center. This certainly isn’t set in stone, it’s simply a general practice which is easier to work with…however, sometimes the focal point can be on the right, it is just a little more difficult to achieve that sense of balance.

Know the Clock

Chefs will often describe a dish using a clock for placement. The front (bottom) of the plate is 6 o’clock, you can deduce the rest. In the image below the servers would be told, “The front scallop gets placed at 5 o’clock in front of the guest.” Part of the visual appeal is the angle at which the plate is viewed. Placing the plate before the guest with that scallop at 6 o’clock changes the entire presentation!

Knowing the clock positions

Negative or White Space

Leave some areas of the plate empty. This helps to “frame” the items you are presenting, drawing the eye to what is important. If the entire plate is filled with food then there is nothing to see, nothing to look at, because it is just one big mass.

Using white space

Giving items on the plate elevation or height brings visual dimension to the design, making it “3-D” rather than flat. The trick is to plate the elevated element on the plate in such a way that the design flows and it doesn’t hide other elements. The typical spots to place your elevated component are usually in the center or back left. Placing it at the front of the plate (6 o’clock) rarely works because then it hides the rest of the dish.

Using Height or Elevation

Similar Colors

Making a dish of completely similar colors can be challenging because if all the colors are the same hue then the dish can become one dimensional and boring. But, adding a small amount of opposing color to an otherwise “same-hued” dish can make it stand-out such as this one by Chef Alain Ducasse.

Knowing the clock positions

Contrasting Colors

Most of the time you will use contrasting colors to add “pop” to the presentation. With the exception of soups & salads, browns and golds (the colors of seared proteins) dominate most plates. So adding red, green, or purple brings contrast and interest to the design.

using contrasting colors

Plate Shape

Play with different shaped plates. If you are having difficulty getting an aesthetic design for your dish, try a different shaped plate! Sometimes the same design on a round plate is horrible but on a rectangular plate it’s perfect.

Same as above. Sometimes moving your dish to a larger or smaller plate is all that’s needed to help re-focus the final design.

Plate Color

The general consensus is that white plates tend to work best. Having said that, black plates with bright colored foods look awesome! If you use colored plates just be sure that you can still see the food. Dark food on dark plates is no good. Also, overly designed plates with lots of color, flowers, designs, whatever will detract from your food and make artistic presentations more difficult. These plates would be impossible to do any design on…the plate itself is the presentation.

choose the correct plate color

Small, subtle garnishes can really bring a plate to life.

Take a Photo

I’ve found that if I take a photo of a dish that I can then evaluate it from a more objective perspective. It’s easier to look at a photo and see how you can tweak the presentation to add more balance. You’ll see where you need more or less white space, where a splash of color is needed, or what components are distracting.

In a busy kitchen we usually don’t have the luxury to spend that additional time to photograph a dish when developing a presentation. But if you have a very special dish you’re working on then taking a photo can help finalize your plate design. It is one of the “secret tools” in the art of plate presentation.

Visual Texture

By visual texture I mean different shapes, textures, heights, densities. In this image you have the denseness of the lobster, the green puree is soft yet stable enough to mound, the orange foam is light and airy. The pea shoots add a certain whimsicalness to the plate, and the morels offer visual complexity. Lastly, the small granules on the right add a finishing touch of finesse and a sense of “crunch” to the plate.

art of plate presentation - using Visual Texture

Inspirational Sources for Plate Presentation

The internet provides access to a host of inspirational sites for plating ideas. Here are a few of my favorites:

  • Pinterest (no, its not just for women!) Checkout my Food Porn board.

What are your favorite sources of plating inspiration? Who are some of your favorite artistic chefs? What are your thoughts on the art of plate presentation?

guest

For the centered-circle presentation, I trust that you’d surround the tower with a “moat”; a “mote” of sauce might leave the dish high and dry! That aside, thanks for an article that offers much to consider, not just for chefs but for photographers, too.

ChefsResources

Glad you enjoyed the article @disqus_987sgGpb9W:disqus . You mentioned photographers and it reminded me that when I photograph a dish that I often get additional insights into a slightly better presentation when I look at the photo. I’ll have to add that to the article!

ronan talbot

hello david i find your web site in linkedin, is very interesting. i am a gourmet restaurant but i dont know au to pass the next level . cant you advise me for the presentation of the plate. the link with reduction of balsamico vinaigar or with reduc of mango ? or creme. do you use a brush? or a pipette. une need to move on specialy for the maine course, my dish doesnt look modern enought no fashionable the main course. my dish doesnt look fasi joins you some of them if you can tell me what do you …  Read more »

David Buchanan

Hello @ronantalbot:disqus First, I am no expert! But I have replied privately to your email.

david i send you some of my dish for you to comment it. ronan talbot

Deedra

The art of plate presentation just blew me away. I have the kind of dishs that don’t allow me to do this because they have a busy pattern. I am drawn to the Know your clock and the off center presentations because I feel the more fuller the plate looks the more satisfied the person. I found your post from the Gordon Ramsay Masterclass.

Thanks so much @disqus_eny0vlN3x1:disqus! Glad you found the post helpful. You found it via the Gordon Ramsay Masterclass?! I’d love a link to that page so I could check it out…that’s quite a complement coming from him!

Vince B.

I found it in Gordon Ramsay’s Master Class as well. Very helpful. Plate presentation is probably where I need to strengthen my skills the most so this was truly helpful. It was in the class work book listed in the paragraph below. Thank you!

• Plating and presentation are paramount. Read this article https://www.chefs-resources.com/kitchen-management-tools/fond-tidbits-for-chefs/the-art-of-plate-presentation/ for rules and tips on visually stunning contemporary food presentation.

@disqus_5sWPseFwPY:disqus Awesome! This article was one of the funnest ones I’ve written and I’m glad that others find it useful. Thanks for including the paragraph from Chef Ramsey’s site.

Brian96797

I also found this page from Gordon’s MasterClass. It’s a class being taught by Gordon Ramsey on http://www.masterclass.com . There’s a workbook that goes along with each session and the workbook linked to this page.

Tanya Paterson

I too found your page through the Gordon Ramsay Masterclass. I loved your hints and tips on making a beautiful plate! I have much to learn!

This is awesome! Thanks for the comments about this. Getting a link from Gordon Ramsay’s class is a real honor. I’m tempted to purchase the course just to see the link! And I’m very glad that you found my hints helpful.

Heather Stugen

Hello, I found this article incredibly helpful and will be useful for the future. I am currently doing Gordon Ramsay’s Masterclass which is how I came to your webpage. I would love to send you some images of food I have prepared to get your feedback on it. Do you have an email or some other way for me to send these. Thank you!

Hi @heather_stugen:disqus you can reach my here https://www.chefs-resources.com/contact-us/ Then I can reply w/ my email and you can send some photos. Very glad that you find the info useful!

Brenda Merriman

Hello, I too found your article through the link on Gordon Ramsay’s Masterclass. Thank you for the great tips. Maybe one day I will be able to make my dishes look as beautiful.

Janice Germani

hi, thanks for such a great article. I am a chef and a university student and i need to use this article for a reference in my final research, Is it possible to know who wrote this article and the year please? thanks again and if you please have similar articles please let me know

I’m honored that you’re using the article for your research @janicegermani:disqus The final draft was posted on Dec. 29, 2015 and is written by me, Chef David Buchanan. But please use Chefs-Resources.com as the source, or both my name and the site if you prefer.

If your research is posted online I’d love to read it when you’re done.

Thanks alot will do if i have the authorizations from the university once its finished

Emily Klunk

Hello, This is a great resource! I am working on a webinar on plate presentation and would love to have the permission to use some of these images. Who would I need to contact for this permission? Thanks.

David Buchanan

@emilyklunk:disqus so glad you find the page useful! I only can give permission for the images by chef David Buchanan and the first image of lines, arcs, circles. All the rest you would need to follow the links on each image to the original page and seek approval from there.

For the images from David the only requirement is that you give a credit link back to this page. I’d love to see your final work!

Thank you David!

Selaine Jommo

Good article. Thanks.

Sophie

Can you recommend a book on the art of plate presentation which has the information on this webpage?

ChefsResources

Unfortunately I don’t know of one, but thanks for the compliment about liking the plate presentation article.

FlerptyFloopin

Anything for Japanese Plate Presentation

Unfortunately no, I don’t have experience/info on Japanese plate presentation. But a good google search should help you find this info.

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36 Free Food PowerPoint Templates For Delicious Presentations

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By Al Boicheva

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3 years ago

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36 Free Food PowerPoint Templates For Delicious Presentations

Today is a day for something tasty. Here we have 36 free food PowerPoint templates that cover multiple topics such as restaurants, vineyards, coffee shops, recipes, cooking, diets, nutrition, and everything food-related. We looked everywhere to find and select the best ones and as usual, there is something for everyone and their upcoming projects.

Now let’s gather some delicious ingredients for your upcoming presentation! 🍕🍕🍕

36 Free Food PowerPoint Templates: Overview

  • Restaurants and Coffee Shops 
  • Food Presentation 
  • Cooking Presentation 
  • Diet and Nutrition Presentation 
  • Food Campaigns

Just as a recipe has no soul and you, as the cook, must bring soul to the recipe, even the best presentation templates will fail to capture the audience without your creativity. 🍒

Restaurants and Coffee Shops PowerPoint Templates

We’ll start with 9 free presentations dedicated to restaurant businesses, pizza places, bakery shops, coffee shops, and vineyards. The templates include image placeholders, editable content, infographics, and marketing analysis slides.

1. Food Taste: Rich Free PowerPoint Template Food Service Portfolio

Free Food PowerPoint Templates: Food Taste

This is a beautiful free presentation of 27 high-quality slides by Indonesian freelancers. It’s a multipurpose presentation, however, it would fit a restaurant portfolio best. Amongst the slides, you will find About Us, Our Service, Our Portfolio, Work Slides, and Mockups. You can download this template from the Behance page that will redirect you to a Google Drive folder containing the PPT files.

2. Mexican Restaurant: Free PPT Template for Company Profile

Free Food PowerPoint Templates: Mexican Restaurant Company Profile

If you own a Mexican restaurant, this PowerPoint template is perfect to boost your presentation. It has a lovely eye-catching design and 25 different slides that include a table of contents, About Us, History with timeline infographic, company philosophy, location, services, and many more. The slides even include a collection of thematic Mexican icons.

3. Luxurious Vineyard: Free PPT Template for Company Profile

Free Food PowerPoint Templates: Vineyard Company Profile

Specially made for vineyards, this free PPT presentation has a very classy thematic design allowing you to share your values, philosophy, the location of your vineyards, and testimonials of loyal clients. The template is rich in infographics and has a very beautiful wine glass stain pattern decorating each slide. It also contains easy-to-edit graphics.

4. Restaurant: Free PowerPoint Template for Restaurant Presentation

Free Food PowerPoint Templates: Restaurant

This free PPT template for restaurants has 9 brochure design slides with image placeholders. The file doesn’t include the stock images from the preview.

5. Bakery Shop: Free Pitch Deck PPT Template

Free Food PowerPoint Templates: Bakery Shop

Bakery Shop is a free template for PowerPoint and Google Slides with a warm-colored design, decorated with soft shapes and flat illustrations. It has a pitch deck structure and humanistic sans serif font.  The presentation includes 30 editable slides and 500+ icons.

  • Slides : 30

6. Pizza Restaurant: Full Free Marketing PPT Template

Free Food PowerPoint Templates: Pizza Restaurant

Big and delicious, this free pizza restaurant PowerPoint template includes tasty images, lots of editable thematic infographics, and 48 different slides that cover everything. The template has a color theme and will automatically apply color when copied and pasted. Includes 135 editable icons.

  • Slides : 48

7. Brown Stylish: Free Elegant Stylish Food PowerPoint Presentation

Free Food PowerPoint Templates: Brown Stylish

Rich and elegant free multipurpose PowerPoint and Google slides template with a calm color palette and delicate typography. It suits presentations about food, cooking, fashion, hotels, travel, cosmetics, and more.

  • Slides : 25

8. Coffee Vibes: Free Coffe Shop PPT Template

Free Food PowerPoint Templates: Coffee Vibes

Beautiful morning vibes that smell like coffee. Here we have a fresh abstract design free PowerPoint template for coffee shops, cafeterias, and breweries. The file includes multiple editable infographics, diagrams, and charts.

  • Slides : 31

9. Coffee: Free Barista PowerPoint Presentation

Free Food PowerPoint Templates: Coffee

Another rich with infographics and themes free presentation template for coffee businesses and coffee lovers. The design sports a lovely coffee color palette and patterned backgrounds that are also included in the file. Includes image placeholders.

Food PowerPoint Presentation Templates

Proceeding with the next main topic, below are 10 diverse free PowerPoint templates dedicated to food presentations, healthy eating, product presentation, the art of coffee, and thematic cuisine.

10. Modern Food: Free Contemporary Cuisine Presentation

Free Food PowerPoint Templates: Modern Food

Clean and modern free template for your food presentation in PowerPoint and Google Slides. The modern theme has a dark pink color accent and delicious food and cooking photos. You’ll find 25 editable slides, free infographics, and 80 icons, all customizable

11. Real Food: Free Healthy Food PowerPoint Presentation

Free Food PowerPoint Templates: Real Food

Creative free template for multiple purposes like sharing recipes, and talk about healthy eating and nutrition. It has 25 PowerPoint slides with watercolor illustrations of food ingredients, free resources for data visualization, and specific slides for marketing and business plans.

12. Chart Palette: Free Food PowerPoint Presentation Template

Free Food PowerPoint Templates: Chart Palette

This is a free chart template for PowerPoint and Google Slides with a lovely photographic design of vegetables, flowers, plants, and color charts.

13. Barista: Free Coffe Art PowerPoint Template

Free Food PowerPoint Templates: Barista

A sophisticated free PPT template for coffee lovers to author any presentation related to the art of coffee. Including standard and widescreen slide options, the template offers 6 slides with text and image placeholders, backgrounds, and a custom built-in color palette.

14. Fresh Food: Free Minimalistic PPT Template

Free Food PowerPoint Templates: Fresh Food

A more simplistic multipurpose free PowerPoint template for widescreen presentations.

  • Slides : 11

15. Special Burger: Free Burger Presentation Presentation

Free Food PowerPoint Templates: Special Burger

If you’re planning to present a new delicious item in your restaurant’s arsenal, this free presentation template was designed with that exact concept in mind. It includes infographics, such as price tables and mockups. Although the template shows a burger, you can easily replace the images and adapt it to your item of choice.

  • Slides : 13

16. Fast Food: Free Multipurpose PowerPoint Template

Free Food PowerPoint Templates: Fast Food

Modern free PPT template for food presentation where you can add the point branch offices, the steps you use to prepare a plate of food, and info about yourself. The template includes images from Freepik that you can easily replace.

17. Pumpkin Design: Free Simple Multipurpose PowerPoint Slides

Free Food PowerPoint Templates: Pumpkin Design

Sometimes, less is more. In case you don’t need a big presentation of 20 slides and wish just to list a few things, here’s a simple classic 4-slides pumpkin design template. It’s especially suitable for Pumpkin Day and Thanksgiving.

18. Free Korean Food PowerPoint Presentation

Free Food PowerPoint Templates: Korean Food

The main concept of this free presentation template is bibimbap, a traditional Korean food. This is good to explain the healthy food culture of Korean food with 48 rich infographic slides with thematic Korean photos and illustrations.

19. Free Local Food PPT Presentation Template

Free Food PowerPoint Templates: Local Food

This free template is great for presentations on food, such as fresh organic ingredients and healthy local food. It includes 48 slides with lots of editable charts, diagrams, and tables, and 135 fully customizable icons. Includes image placeholders.

Get a Professionally Designed Presentation For Your Project

Cooking PowerPoint Templates

Here we have 4 very diverse designs, free presentations for businesses, chefs, recipes, and organic food.

20. Ellen: Free Chef PowerPoint Template

Free Food PowerPoint Templates: Ellen

The master chef free template for any restaurant or chef who is looking to highlight their work. It has 25 customizable PowerPoint slides with food cooking graphics throughout the presentation.

21. Cooking: Free Multipurpose Cooking PowerPoint Template

Free Food PowerPoint Templates: Cooking

A very simplistic multipurpose free food PPT template that you can use for any design related to cooking, sharing recipes, or business ideas.

22. Granny’s Recipe Book: Free Recipe PPT Template

Free Food PowerPoint Templates: Granny's Recipe Book

Nobody cooks better than grandma and you can prove it in a presentation. This vintage vibe, free template offers the hand-drawn elements and recipe scrapbook style you need.

  • Slides : 33

23. Free Organic Food Pitch Deck PPT Template

Free Food PowerPoint Templates: Organic Food Pitch Deck

Pitch deck style free template for healthy eating and organic food presentation, with marketing analysis slides. It’s especially suitable for organic food restaurants and companies.

Diet and Nutrition PowerPoint Presentation

7 Free templates for multipurpose nutrition and diet presentations, healthy eating, fitness, and delicious freshly baked bread.

24. Mediterranean Diet: Free Nutrition PowerPoint Presentation

Free Food PowerPoint Templates: Mediterranean Diet

May is International Mediterranean Diet Month which celebrates the cuisine with is a plant-based food plan full of low in cholesterol and saturated fats, and high in fiber and omega-3 fatty acids delicious food. In this free PowerPoint template, you will find 12 awesome customizable slides with graphics and mockups.

  • Slides : 12

25. Nutrition: Free Healthy Food PPT Presentation

Free Food PowerPoint Templates: Nutrition

To teach how to have a healthy life through eating fruits, vegetables, and proteins, this free template will do the trick. It has a fresh color scheme and customizable slides that you can adapt to any nutritional or food safety content.

26. Free Diet Plan Nutritionist PowerPoint Template

Free Food PowerPoint Templates: Diet Plan Nutritionist

For dieticians and companies, or educators who wish to present their take on weight loss, detox, and healthy eating, this free template with modern design has 48 slides rich with themes, graphs, charts, and other infographics.

27. Free Freshly Baked Bread PowerPoint Template

Free Food PowerPoint Templates: Freshly Baked Bread

If you have a bakery that wants everyone to know about your delicious freshly baked bread and related treats, you have 48 free slides to go wild. It also includes 135 different icons and editable data-driven charts.

28. Venu – Free Nutrition & Health PPT Presentation

Free Food PowerPoint Templates: Venu – Nutrition & Health

By itself, this free PowerPoint template can give you ideas on how to structure your presentation on healthy eating and nutrition. It features infographics, highlighted data, quotes, and other customizable elements. In addition, you will also find awesome flat-style colorful icons of food ingredients.

  • Slides : 21

29. Free Organic Food PowerPoint Presentation

Free Food PowerPoint Templates: Organic Food

A customizable free PPT template with 48 slides for presentations related to healthy food ingredients.

30. Free Fresh Green Broccoli PPT Template

Free Food PowerPoint Templates: Fresh Green Broccoli

This free powerpoint template is a design of a delicious fresh food concept with various shapes related to food.

  • Slides : 60

PowerPoint Templates for Food Campaigns

And last, we gathered 6 free food campaign templates that are ideal for promotion and marketing presentations.

31. Fruits: Free Marketing Campaign PPT Template

Free Food PowerPoint Templates: Fruits Marketing Campaign

Free marketing presentation template with sweet fruity patterns and vector-based illustrations.

32. Food Day Campaign Free PPT Template

Free Food PowerPoint Templates: Food Day Campaign

Food day campaign free marketing .ppt template with watercolor illustrations and infographics.

  • Slides : 27

33. Free World Cocktail Day PPT Presentation

Free Food PowerPoint Templates: World Cocktail Day

Editable free template with 32 slides and infographics dedicated to the art of cocktail making. It’s designed for PPT and Google Slides.

  • Slides : 32

34. Free Festival PowerPoint Presentation

Free Food PowerPoint Templates: Spargel Festival

Spargelzeit is a celebration in Germany during spring that honors asparagus and menus are prepared with them as the main ingredient.

35. International Hummus Day Free PPT Template

Free Food PowerPoint Templates: International Hummus Day

Hummus-inspired presentation design with photos of hummus dishes and tablecloth background.

  • Slides : 34

36. Free Multipurpose Pizza PowerPoint Template

Free Food PowerPoint Templates: Slices of Pizza

And last, something fun: a free PowerPoint template that teaches fractions with pizza slices.

  • Slides : 24

Final Words

Alright, we did it and we feel kinda stuffed with all these delicious free food templates we managed to find. Now you have the ingredients, all it takes is the chef’s kiss of your creativity to deliver an amazing presentation.

In the meantime, if you’re up to some more hunting, why not check other free PowerPoint resources.

  • 120+ Free Food Illustrations for Personal and Commercial Garnishing

100+ Free Food Vector Graphics and Characters for Tasty Projects

  • Modern Restaurant Menu Designs that Boost the Appetite

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10 Symbolic Foods of Lunar New Year

By: Lesley Kennedy

Published: February 9, 2024

Traditional lunar new year food.

Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year or Spring Festival, is a joyous celebration embraced by many Asian cultures, including Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean and others. Established as a national holiday during the Han Dynasty (206 B.C. to A.D. 220), it signals the start of the lunar calendar , welcoming spring, honoring ancestors and uniting families.

Many early Lunar New Year celebrations, rooted in ancient agricultural practices, involved edible offerings to deities and ancestors for a bountiful harvest. Today, as the holiday garners global participation from one-fifth of the world's population, food remains at the heart of the festivities, carrying rich symbolism with certain dishes signifying prosperity, health and abundance. Here's a look at some of the key foods central to Lunar New Year feasts.

1. Noodles: To Live Long and Prosper

Changshou Mian, known as "longevity noodles," symbolizes the wish for a long and healthy life. Noodles have been traced back more than 4,000 years in Chinese diets, but the tradition of consuming these long, uncut strands, sometimes over a foot in length, is thought to have originated during the Han Dynasty.

According to a popular legend, Emperor Wu associated a long face with a long life. And since "noodle" in Chinese sounds like the word "face," by his reasoning, eating long noodles would increase one's lifespan.

While likely more myth than fact, that tale has endured. Chen Yuanpeng, a professor and Chinese culinary specialist, tells CNN the story has woven itself into the fabric of the culture. "It has also become a part of the culture and history of longevity noodles, which has been documented for more than 1,000 years," Chen says.

2. Citrus Fruits: For Luck and Prosperity

In Lunar New Year traditions, revelers believe tangerines, oranges and pomelos bring good fortune. Their Mandarin names echo words with symbolic meanings: "jú" for oranges suggests "good luck" or "fortune," "chéng" for tangerine is akin to "success," and "youzi" for pomelos sounds similar to "have" or "abundance."

Historically, Time reports , parents from the Qing Dynasty would place oranges near their children's pillows to scare off monsters during the Lunar New Year. And beyond their linguistic connections, the citrus fruits' vibrant colors and round shapes represent vitality and wholeness.

Offering the fruits is seen as an act of good fortune for both hosts and guests, especially when delivered in pairs or multiples. Keep the leaves and stems intact, and they're even bigger symbols of longevity and fertility.

In Vietnamese culture, a five-fruit platter, or "mâm ngũ quả," is a centerpiece of the Lunar New Year table. Traditionally, the arrangement includes a combination of tropical fruits, such as oranges, pomelos, kumquats, persimmons and bananas, with each fruit chosen for its color and meaning to embody a prosperous year ahead.

3. Sweet Rice Balls for Unity

Yuanxiao or tangyuan, served in syrup, are sweet glutinous rice balls that hold a special significance during the Lantern Festival, which marks the end of the Lunar New Year celebrations. These round treats, symbolic of family unity, togetherness, and the hope for a sweet and harmonious year, date back more than a thousand years to the Tang Dynasty (A.D. 618-906).

According to the BBC , the name yuanxiao was changed to tangyuan (meaning "round balls in soup") in the early 1900s when China President Yuan Shika i ordered it so because yuanxiao sounded like "remove Yuan." 

"Remarkably, the ruler's thin-skinned request worked—sort of," the BBC reports. "While people in southern China now refer to the rice balls as tangyuan, those in northern and central China … still call them yuanxiao."

4. Golden Spring Rolls for Prosperity

Spring rolls are another popular dish during Lunar New Year celebrations; their golden color and cylindrical shape are reminiscent of gold bars and, thus, wealth. According to the Independent , "Hwung-Jin Wan-Lyang" is a lucky saying for eating the food in China, translating to "a ton of gold." And the ingredients used inside spring rolls, such as carrots, cabbage and mushrooms, represent growth, abundance and wealth, while vermicelli noodles symbolize longevity.

5. Fish: For Abundance

In Chinese culture, "yu," the word for fish, sounds like the word for surplus or abundance, and the presentation of a whole fish is a Lunar New Year staple.   

"You cannot cut (the fish)," Julie Zhu, who works with the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center and was born in China, tells NBC . "Have the whole fish on the table."

But don't eat it all. Leaving some of the dish uneaten represents the hope for abundance to carry over into the new year.

6. Bánh Chưng: Connection Between Heaven and Earth

The traditional Vietnamese rice cake bánh chưng is steeped in legend and culture. Its square shape represents the connection between heaven and Earth, signifying unity and promising good luck and fruitful harvest. 

The invention of bánh chưng dates back to the era of the Hùng kings (2879 to 258 B.C.). The cake's simple ingredients—glutinous rice, mung beans and pork, wrapped in banana leaves—carry deep symbolism.

"As people display the cake on altars and eat it during Tết, a time of hope and rebirth of nature, they remember their ancestors and express gratitude to Mother Nature and her bounty," the CBC writes .

7. Dumplings: Pockets of Prosperity

Jiaozi, the beloved Chinese dumplings , have been a staple of Lunar New Year festivities for centuries, with their origins also rooted in the Han dynasty. The legend goes that the ear-shaped pieces of dough wrapped around various fillings were invented by Zhang Zhongjing, a "Sage of Medicine," to cure the frostbitten ears of villagers. 

Over time, the tradition of making and eating dumplings during the Lunar New Year spread across China and beyond. According to the BBC , jiaozi has a phonetic connection to the phrase "transition from old to new" and that the shape of the dumplings resembles ancient Chinese gold ingots, symbolizing wealth and good prosperity. At the same time, ingredients such as pork, shrimp, and veggies represent abundance.

8. Korean Rice Cake Soup: Adds a Year of Life

Consuming tteokguk, a Korean rice cake soup, during Lunar New Year celebrations is believed to add a year to one's age, symbolizing the passage of time and the promise of longevity. The round rice cakes represent coins and the hope for prosperity. Meanwhile, the dish's clear broth signifies purity and the opportunity for new beginnings. 

Historically, according to "The Customs of Joseon ," tteokguk played a role in ancestral rituals and eating "a white food to begin the new year holds the religious meaning of rebirth for all creatures in the world."

9. Sweet or Savory, Nian Gao: Lasting Prosperity

Nian Gao, or sticky rice cake, is often interpreted as "year high," and its name signifies the hope for growth and rising fortunes in the coming year. The cake's signature stickiness is a metaphor for a family's wish for lasting prosperity.

According to members of the Newham Chinese Association , the term "nian gao" translates to "getting higher, or taller, or better or more promising for the year to come." 

The tradition of making nian gao dates back centuries, with its origins rooted in Chinese mythology as a sacred offering. "At the end of every year, folklore says, the Kitchen God makes his 'yearly report' to the Jade Emperor," according to China Highlights . "To prevent him from badmouthing their house, people offered nian gao, which would stick his mouth shut. Hence, nian gao is prepared for offering before Chinese New Year."

10. Leafy Greens: For Wealth

Spinach, lettuce, bok choy and other leafy greens symbolize prosperity, growth and good fortune–and their presence in Lunar New Year dishes is no coincidence. The Mandarin term for greens, "qing cai," echoes the word for wealth, making these vegetables popular in stir-fries, soups and hot pot meals. 

During Vietnamese Lunar New Year, or Tết, celebrants often include leafy greens in spring rolls and salads. In Korean culture, they commonly use them in dishes such as Korean barbecue and bibimbap to represent a wish for a prosperous year ahead.

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Chinese New Year is here. How to celebrate the Lunar New Year and holiday traditions

what mean food presentation

February is a big month for celebrations — Valentine’s Day, Black History Month, Mardi Gras.  

And in case you didn’t know, it's also Lunar New Year, which starts Saturday, Feb. 10.

If you aren’t familiar with Lunar New Year celebrations, here’s what you need to know.  

What is Chinese New Year? 

Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year or the Spring Festival, is a 15-day festival typically celebrated in China and other Asian countries that recognizes the start of the new year, similar to New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day in the United States, according to Britannica.

Lunar New Year celebrates the arrival of spring and, as the most important holiday in China, it is a time of year for reuniting with loved ones. 

Each year, Lunar New Year marks the transition between the zodiac signs, with each year said to bear the characteristics represented by its zodiac. Each animal represents one of the 12 stations or signs along the path of the sun through the cosmos, according to History.

Along with the zodiacs, the five elements of earth, water, fire, wood and metal are mapped on the traditional lunar calendar. Each element corresponds to an animal.  

Lunar New Year also is a time for admiring the plum blossom, which is a plant that flowers so early in the season that snow is sometimes still on the ground.  

What is the Chinese zodiac in 2024? 

In 2023, the Chinese zodiac was the rabbit, described as quiet, elegant, kind and responsible. 2024 is the Year of the Dragon, said to be confident, intelligent and enthusiastic.  

The Year of the Dragon last occurred in 2012.  

When is Chinese New Year in 2024? 

Lunar New Year is thought to date back to the Shang Dynasty in the 14th century B.C. under Emperor Wu of Han (140 B.C. to 87 B.C.), according to History.  

Lunar New Year begins with the first new moon of the lunar calendar and ends on the first full moon of the lunar calendar, 15 days later. The calendar is based on the cycles of the moon, so the dates of the holiday vary slightly each year, with Lunar New Year usually occurring between Jan. 21 and Feb. 20, according to Western calendars.  

Celebrate Chinese New Year in Delaware: When will Delaware ring in Chinese New Year in 2024? A look at this year's animal & more

Celebrations last up to 16 days, but only the first seven days are considered a public holiday, according to Chinese New Year.

In 2024, Lunar New Year begins on Saturday, Feb. 10, and culminates with the Lantern Festival on Saturday, Feb. 24.  

The 12 Chinese zodiac signs are the Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig.

Little Year preparations for the new year begin the week before the holiday, beginning on Feb. 2 this year and last until New Year’s Eve. Preparations for the Lantern Festival begin on Feb. 21.  

How is Lunar New Year celebrated? 

In the 10 days before Lunar New Year, houses are cleaned to remove any bad luck that might be lingering around, a tradition called “sweeping of the grounds” that opens homes to goodwill and good luck, according to Britannica.  

New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day celebrations traditionally are reserved for family celebrations, including religious celebrations honoring ancestors and lai see, red envelopes family members receive containing small amounts of money. 

Fireworks and dances also are prevalent throughout the holiday.  

There are many legends surrounding Lunar New Year, which is thousands of years old. A well-known legend is that of Nian, the hideous beast believed to eat human flesh on New Year’s Day that is afraid of the color red. Due to his fear of red, Lunar New Year traditions include loud noises, fire, pasting red paper decorations to doors, burning lanterns all night and lighting firecrackers to frighten Nian away, according to Britannica.

Shopping for holiday items in local markets and having a Lunar New Year’s Eve reunion dinner are commonplace during the holiday. The feast features symbolic dishes like a whole fish, which represents abundance and brings good luck and fortune, according to the National Museum of Asian Art .  

There are also taboos associated with Lunar New Year, according to Chinese New Year :

  • The use of negative words is to be avoided to prevent bringing misfortune to loved ones or jinxing yourself.  
  • The breaking of ceramics or glass is to be avoided, as it is said to break your connection to prosperity and fortune. If a bowl or plate is dropped, tradition says it should immediately be wrapped in red paper while saying auspicious phrases asking for peace and security. After the holiday, the wrapped shards should be thrown into a river or lake.  
  • Cleaning or sweeping is forbidden after Lunar New Year begins as is showering on New Year’s Day. Cleaning or throwing out garbage during this time is believed to sweep away good luck. If you must sweep, the recommendation is to start at the outer edge of a room and sweep inward. Garbage should be bagged up and thrown away after the fifth day of celebrations. 
  • The use of knives, scissors or other sharp objects is to be avoided, a practice that dates back to older times when it was used to give women of the house a break from daily duties. Sharp objects also are thought to cut your stream of wealth and success in the new year. This taboo means haircutting is not allowed until all festivities are over.  
  • Women traditionally move in with their husband and in-laws upon marriage. According to tradition, a wife should not return to her parents on New Year’s Day, as this signals marital problems and may bring bad luck to the entire family. According to tradition, the wife’s family can be visited on the second day of the new year, with children and a modest gift in tow.
  • It is believed that debt repayment should not be demanded during the holiday, allowing everyone the chance to celebrate without worry. According to tradition, if you demand a debt to be paid during the holiday, you will bring bad luck to all parties involved. Debt repayment is allowed after the fifth day of the new year. Borrowing money during the holiday also is taboo, as it could result in you having to borrow for the entire year.  
  • Fighting and crying should be avoided and all issues should instead be solved peacefully, ensuring a smooth path into the new year.  
  • Tradition also holds that medicine should be avoided during the Spring Festival to avoid being sick during the entire year. Treating chronic illnesses or serious ailments is OK, but visiting the doctor, undergoing surgery or getting shots during the holiday is thought to bring bad luck, according to ChineseNewYear.net.
  • There is also a taboo against giving New Year blessings to someone who is still in bed, as it is thought they will be bedridden for the entire year. Similarly, telling someone to wake up signals that they will be rushed and bossed around for the entire year.  

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Lunar New Year traditions 

In Chinese cultures, holiday meals feature foods like glutinous rice balls, moon-shaped rice cakes known as New Year’s cake and dumplings, which are sometimes stuffed with a clean coin for good luck, according to History.  

Vietnamese celebrations include decorating homes with kumquat trees and flowers such as chrysanthemums, orchids, peach blossoms and red gladiolas. Five-fruit platters are eaten to honor ancestors, with other ritual foods like bánh chưng, a rice cake made with mung beans, pork and other ingredients wrapped in bamboo leaves, and mứt tết, a snack offered to guests that is a sweet bite of dried fruits or roasted seeds mixed with sugar.  

In North and South Korea , teokguk, a sliced rice cake soup, are a popular holiday food, thought to start the year with a clean mind and body. In these areas, white and patterned envelopes are used for monetary gifts instead of the red envelopes used in China and Vietnam, according to History.  

Held on the last day of Lunar New Year, the Lantern Festival include lighting up houses with colorful lanterns and eating traditional foods such as yuanxiao, sticky rice balls that symbolize family unity; yusheng, raw fish and vegetable salad; and fagao, prosperity cake, according to Britannica.  

Children are also known to carry lanterns around neighborhoods at night to mark the end of the festival. 

A major tradition of Lunar New Year is to buy new clothes and wear them during the holiday as a sign of renewal. While you can buy them for yourself, they are typically gifted by a relative during the holiday, according to Chinese New Year.

Popular clothing choices for Lunar New Year are traditional items in festive colors, such as:  

  • A tang suit, a mix between a riding jacket and a suit that is made from brocade and has straight lapels, an upturned collar, traditional Chinese knots (frog buttons) and embroidery.  
  • Qipao, tight dresses with intricate embroidery, stiff collars and frog buttons.  
  • Cheongsam, a long shirt or dress that is loose-fitting and usually worn by men.  
  • Hanfu, clothing of the Han, that usually include a shirt with crossed lapels and long, wide sleeves paired with a long skirt.  
  • Headdresses, ornate wands for hairstyles and pendants.  

Lunar New Year greetings 

Cultures celebrating Lunar New Year have different greetings for the holiday.  

During Tết in Vietnam, traditional greetings are “Chúc Mừng Năm Mới,” meaning “Happy New Year,” and “Cung Chúc Tân Xuân,” meaning “gracious wishes of the new spring.” 

In Mandarin, “ Xīnnián hǎo ,” meaning “new year goodness” or “good new year,” is used to wish close friends and family a happy new year. “ Xīnnián kuàilè, ” meaning “Happy New Year,” is another greeting that can be used.  

South Koreans commonly say “Saehae bok mani badeuseyo,” meaning “may you receive lots of luck in the new year,” for Seollal. North Koreans say "Saehaereul chuckhahabnida,” meaning “congratulations on the new year.” 

Got a tip or a story idea? Contact Krys'tal Griffin at  [email protected] .    

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Food holds special meaning on the Lunar New Year. Readers share their favorite dishes

Suzanne Nuyen

Suzanne Nuyen

what mean food presentation

NPR readers share the dishes they love most for the Lunar New Year. Jing Gao; Alvina Chu; Amy Fedun; Beth Rogers-Ho; Alice Young; Elsy MektrakarnNguyen; Sarah Low; Anh Therese McCauley hide caption

NPR readers share the dishes they love most for the Lunar New Year.

More than a billion people worldwide will celebrate the Lunar New Year on Saturday as they usher in the Year of the Dragon. It's called Tet in Vietnam , Tsagaan Sar in Mongolia and Seollal in Korea . Whether it's celebrated in Asia or abroad, the annual holiday is a time for many to honor elders, spend time with family, reflect on the past year and wish for a lucky year ahead.

what mean food presentation

Candied coconut, or mut dua, is a common dish seen at Vietnamese New Year celebrations. Suzanne Nuyen hide caption

Candied coconut, or mut dua, is a common dish seen at Vietnamese New Year celebrations.

Like most holidays, a bountiful spread of food is essential to Lunar New Year festivities . In my Vietnamese household, rice cakes called banh chung and candied fruits called mut are as essential to the New Year as turkey and mashed potatoes are to Thanksgiving. Traditional foods vary across Asian cultures. Some have even evolved as Asian diaspora communities invite others to share in their traditions.

I wanted to know what dishes NPR readers couldn't go without on the Lunar New Year. These were some of the dishes that stood out as favorites, plus one special recipe a reader created for her grandchildren.

Lunar New Year traditions evolve in the Asian diaspora

Lunar New Year traditions evolve in the Asian diaspora

Responses have been edited for length and clarity

what mean food presentation

Banh chung and banh tet are quintessential parts of a Vietnamese Lunar New Year meal. Suzanne Nuyen hide caption

Banh chung and banh tet are quintessential parts of a Vietnamese Lunar New Year meal.

what mean food presentation

Making banh chung involves a labor intensive process. Often, the entire family is roped in to help. Suzanne Nuyen hide caption

Making banh chung involves a labor intensive process. Often, the entire family is roped in to help.

Vietnam's quintessential Lunar New Year dish is a labor of love. Banana leaves are meticulously washed, then wrapped around sticky rice filled with pork belly and mung beans. The cakes are boiled for hours before they're ready to eat. It often takes a whole family to make the dish.

For Yolanda Vo, the dish reminds her of her refugee parents, who brought their tradition to the U.S. nearly 50 years ago. Sahra Nguyen watches her mom make the "shockingly laborious" cakes every year. She wrote that she sees her mom's love for her family in her dedication to making the dish. "I feel deeply grateful for the opportunity to enjoy each bite because I know it's one of her biggest displays of love," wrote Nguyen.

what mean food presentation

Alvina Chu loves hot pot for the new year because "the meal gathers us around the pot to commune with each other and enjoy our favorite bites." Alvina Chu hide caption

Alvina Chu loves hot pot for the new year because "the meal gathers us around the pot to commune with each other and enjoy our favorite bites."

Friends, Family and a Feast: A Hot Pot How-To

Kitchen Window

Friends, family and a feast: a hot pot how-to.

what mean food presentation

Amy Fedun's special hot pot includes whole grilled or baked fish and lamb chops. Amy Fedun hide caption

Amy Fedun's special hot pot includes whole grilled or baked fish and lamb chops.

There are endless varieties of Hot pot across Asia. It's also known as Chinese fondue or huoguo in China. In Vietnam, it's called lau. In Japan: shabu-shabu . All the dishes involve cooking meats, noodles and vegetables communally in a pot of broth.

"It gathers the family around a single pot to linger and commune with each other," Alvina Chu wrote. "Everyone gets to pick what they like — and the prep is no-stress for mom!"

Amy Fedun wrote that she loves a steamy pot on cold days. She tops her special hotpot with a whole grilled or baked fish, then stacks grilled lamb chops cut to look like bear paws on top of the fish. "There's a [Mandarin] saying that literally goes, 'you can't have both fish and bear paw,' meaning you have to make a choice between two desirable things," wrote Fedun "Well, here at my new year's table, you get to enjoy both."

Fresh fruit

what mean food presentation

In Vietnam, a display of fresh fruit represents gratitude to your ancestors on the new year. Suzanne Nuyen hide caption

In Vietnam, a display of fresh fruit represents gratitude to your ancestors on the new year.

what mean food presentation

Anh Therese McCauley thinks durian is a "weird fruit," but loves it on the Lunar New Year regardless. Anh Therese McCauley hide caption

Anh Therese McCauley thinks durian is a "weird fruit," but loves it on the Lunar New Year regardless.

The highlight of Anh Therese McCauley's Lunar New Year meals is when her mother brings out the durian fruit. It's an acquired taste. Its smell has been described as similar to a gas leak . But many covet its custardy taste and texture, calling it " crème brûlée on a tree ." "It's such a weird fruit, but we can claim it as ours in the Asian diaspora, and I can't help but love that," McCauley wrote.

Jessica Hoang's Vietnamese fruit of choice is the mang cau, or custard apple. Her grandma always had it in her home during the new year. Her mother would tell her stories of growing up eating the fruit in Vietnam and using the seeds to play a marbles game. "My grandma was an intimidating woman — tough, cold and not afraid to be direct," Hoang wrote. "But her way of showing she cared was giving us food and telling us to eat. In those moments, for a few minutes, a young me was able to be close to my grandma."

Hainanese chicken

what mean food presentation

Elsy MektrakarnNguyen's family always includes Hainan chicken rice as part of their Lunar New Year table. Elsy MektrakarnNguyen hide caption

Elsy MektrakarnNguyen's family always includes Hainan chicken rice as part of their Lunar New Year table.

Elsy MektrakarnNguyen's family has its roots in Hainan, China, just as this chicken and rice dish does. Hainanese migrants took the recipe with them when they migrated across Southeast Asia. The meal of poached chicken and garlic rice cooked in the chicken's broth is now an iconic fixture in Singaporean street food.

MektrakarnNguyen's family moved to Thailand before her mother was born. Though the new year, or Songkran, is celebrated there in April, her family continued to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Hainanese chicken, or khao man gai in Thai, was often part of the table of offerings to their ancestors.

"The garlic rice was precooked with LOTS of garlic and chicken fat," she wrote. "My house would smell of garlic for days after cooking it. The smells of my childhood."

Braised pork belly

what mean food presentation

Thit kho trung, or caramelized pork belly with eggs, is Kimberly Huynh's favorite Lunar New Year dish. She loves how the meat falls apart after hours of braising. Suzanne Nuyen hide caption

Thit kho trung, or caramelized pork belly with eggs, is Kimberly Huynh's favorite Lunar New Year dish. She loves how the meat falls apart after hours of braising.

Like many of the dishes mentioned above, a version of braised pork belly appears on many Lunar New Year tables across Asia. In Vietnam, hard-boiled eggs are added to the dish called thịt kho trứng. " Thịt kho paired with white rice is so comforting," Kimberly Huynh wrote. "It braises for hours and it just falls apart when it's ready to be eaten."

Carrie Huang, from Taipei, Taiwan, enjoys a similar dish from Hangzhou, China called Dongpo pork . She wrote that the layers in the pork belly "represent seasons of the year and the good times and challenging times, similar to the rings inside the trunk of a tree showing the tough years and the good years."

what mean food presentation

Sarah Low isn't the biggest fan of jai, but she makes it because it reminds her of her culture and her late grandparents. Sarah Low hide caption

Sarah Low isn't the biggest fan of jai, but she makes it because it reminds her of her culture and her late grandparents.

Sarah Low wrote that she used to hate jai, also known as Buddha's delight or lo han jai. Still, she makes this vegetarian dish every year to remember her late grandparents and the culture she grew up in. "It's a dish that is so different than what I cook all year long," she wrote. "It's a great way to remember the past and be mindful of the present."

As for whether she still hates it? "I find I appreciate the flavors, but it's never going to be my favorite," Low wrote.

Rice cake soup

what mean food presentation

A view of Tteokguk during the Korean Food Foundation Luncheon at Bann on February 1, 2011 in New York City. Mike Coppola/Getty Images hide caption

A view of Tteokguk during the Korean Food Foundation Luncheon at Bann on February 1, 2011 in New York City.

Celebrating Lunar New Year away from home? Try these quick-fix Korean recipes

Celebrating Lunar New Year away from home? Try these quick-fix Korean recipes

It's not Korean New Year, or seollal, without this rice cake soup called tteokguk . The coin-shaped rice cakes are thought to bring prosperity and riches, and its white color symbolizes a fresh start to the New Year.

Myung Armstrong garnishes her tteokguk with seaweed and julliened egg omelette. She wrote that the warm, savory beef broth and soft, chewy rice cakes bring "very happy memories making it with my mother."

what mean food presentation

Mikayla Sanford's makes Tibetan momos every year for the new year. Sometimes, her family can make hundreds of them. Mikayla Sanford hide caption

Mikayla Sanford's makes Tibetan momos every year for the new year. Sometimes, her family can make hundreds of them.

Dumplings originated in Northern China and spread around the world. They are thought to bring fortune in the new year because they're shaped like ancient Chinese money. Zhong dumplings, one of the most iconic street snacks of Chengdu, China, are a key part of Jing Gao's Lunar New Year table.

Mikayla Sanford's dumpling of choice are momos. They hail from Tibet, where the Lunar New Year is known as Losar. "Tibetan's never had much flour or meat, so momos were always prepared for special occasions," she wrote. "My family has been making them since I was a child. We even get together with huge steaming vats to make hundreds of momos during the new year."

RECIPE: Alice Young's "No Fuss Grandchildren's Chinese Dumplings"

This recipe was provided by Alice Young.

what mean food presentation

Alice Young's "No Fuss Grandchildren's Chinese Dumplings" Alice Young hide caption

Alice Young's "No Fuss Grandchildren's Chinese Dumplings"

Alice Young has a unique dumpling recipe that she calls "No Fuss Grandchildren's Chinese Dumplings." She spent decades as a law partner and wrote that she had to be "creative and quick" with her food. She created this recipe for her "young, blue-eyed and blonde grandchildren." They live in North Carolina, where Chinese communities are scarce. To adapt, Young's recipe uses ingredients that are easy to find and childproof.

what mean food presentation

Alice Young came up with her dumpling recipe using ingredients that are easy to find in North Carolina and steps that her grandchildren can follow along with. Alice Young hide caption

Alice Young came up with her dumpling recipe using ingredients that are easy to find in North Carolina and steps that her grandchildren can follow along with.

Ingredients:

  • rotisserie or any cooked chicken or meat or sausage, or firm tofu, diced
  • chopped green onions or chives or cabbage, or a mix
  • mayonnaise or vegenaise
  • hoisin sauce
  • oyster sauce
  • sesame seed oil
  • wonton wrappers

Directions:

  • In a medium-size bowl mix equal portions of chicken/meat/tofu and chopped greens. 
  • Add mayonnaise, hoisin sauce, and a splash of oyster sauce and sesame oil until the mixture has the consistency of a sticky filling and tastes good to the sampling grandchild.
  • Put a teaspoon of filling in a wonton wrap, lightly wet the edges of the wrap with water on your fingertips, and seal each dumpling in either a triangle or with a crimped edge, depending on the skill and interest of the grandchild.
  • Optional- if the grandchild is forewarned and is not likely to swallow a small toy gold coin, sneak one into one of the dumplings as a lucky dumpling.
  • Boil a pot of water and drop the finished dumplings in and cook for 6 minutes, until the dumpling wraps are cooked
  • For fried dumplings. heat a pan with peanut or almond oil on medium heat, and fry the dumplings for 5 minutes until crispy on the bottom, add a splash of water and cover for 1-2 minutes until the water has evaporated and the dumpling wraps are cooked.
  • Serve with soy sauce mixed with rice vinegar and sugar.

Black History Month: What is it and why is it important?

Black History Month - A visitor at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington.

Black History Month is an opportunity to understand Black histories. Image:  Reuters/Siphiwe Sibeko

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This article was originally published in February 2021 and has been updated .

  • A continued engagement with history is vital as it helps give context for the present.
  • Black History Month is an opportunity to understand Black histories, going beyond stories of racism and slavery to spotlight Black achievement.
  • This year's theme is African Americans and the Arts.

February is Black History Month. This month-long observance in the US and Canada is a chance to celebrate Black achievement and provide a fresh reminder to take stock of where systemic racism persists and give visibility to the people and organizations creating change. Here's what to know about Black History Month and how to celebrate it this year:

Have you read?

Black history month: key events in a decade of black lives matter, here are 4 ways businesses can celebrate black history month, how did black history month begin.

Black History Month's first iteration was Negro History Week, created in February 1926 by Carter G. Woodson, known as the "father of Black history." This historian helped establish the field of African American studies and his organization, the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History , aimed to encourage " people of all ethnic and social backgrounds to discuss the Black experience ".

“Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history.” ― Carter G. Woodson

His organization was later renamed the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) and is currently the oldest historical society established for the promotion of African American history.

Why is Black History Month in February?

February was chosen by Woodson for the week-long observance as it coincides with the birthdates of both former US President Abraham Lincoln and social reformer Frederick Douglass. Both men played a significant role in helping to end slavery. Woodson also understood that members of the Black community already celebrated the births of Douglass and Lincoln and sought to build on existing traditions. "He was asking the public to extend their study of Black history, not to create a new tradition", as the ASALH explained on its website.

How did Black History Month become a national month of celebration?

By the late 1960s, thanks in part to the civil-rights movement and a growing awareness of Black identity, Negro History Week was celebrated by mayors in cities across the country. Eventually, the event evolved into Black History Month on many college campuses. In 1976, President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History month. In his speech, President Ford urged Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history”.

Since his administration, every American president has recognized Black History Month and its mission. But it wasn't until Congress passed "National Black History Month" into law in 1986 that many in the country began to observe it formally. The law aimed to make all Americans "aware of this struggle for freedom and equal opportunity".

Why is Black History Month celebrated?

Initially, Black History Month was a way of teaching students and young people about Black and African-Americans' contributions. Such stories had been largely forgotten and were a neglected part of the national narrative.

Now, it's seen as a celebration of those who've impacted not just the country but the world with their activism and achievements. In the US, the month-long spotlight during February is an opportunity for people to engage with Black histories, go beyond discussions of racism and slavery, and highlight Black leaders and accomplishments.

What is this year's Black History Month theme?

Every year, a theme is chosen by the ASALH, the group originally founded by Woodson. This year's theme, African Americans and the Arts .

"In the fields of visual and performing arts, literature, fashion, folklore, language, film, music, architecture, culinary and other forms of cultural expression, the African American influence has been paramount," the website says.

Is Black History Month celebrated anywhere else?

In Canada, they celebrate it in February. In countries like the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Ireland, they celebrate it in October. In Canada, African-Canadian parliament member Jean Augustine motioned for Black History Month in 1995 to bring awareness to Black Canadians' work.

When the UK started celebrating Black History Month in 1987, it focused on Black American history. Over time there has been more attention on Black British history. Now it is dedicated to honouring African people's contributions to the country. Its UK mission statement is: "Dig deeper, look closer, think bigger".

Why is Black History Month important?

For many modern Black millennials, the month-long celebration for Black History Month offers an opportunity to reimagine what possibilities lie ahead. But for many, the forces that drove Woodson nearly a century ago are more relevant than ever. As Lonnie G. Bunch III, Director of the Smithsonian Institution said at the opening of the Washington D.C.'s National Museum of African American History and Culture in 2016: “There is no more powerful force than a people steeped in their history. And there is no higher cause than honouring our struggle and ancestors by remembering".

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