Narrative

Narrative presentations are typically symbolic, but can also be realistic in their aim. Telling a story with the food, or having a linear or arced presentation that moves you through several tastes, may be a less common way to plate, but it is a fun way to progress through different textures or colors. Consider using a progression of leaf sizes to represent basil’s growth, or making a sun wheel out of corn kernels, or floating a cream in a ramekin on a sea of blood-red borscht. Narrative presentations are opportunities for guest engagement, either intellectually or in a more hands-on way. My favorite expressions of narrative presentations are living garnishes, which guests can remove leaves from and add themselves, and multipart mezzes that guests can explore and combine in myriad ways.