Classic Dishes

Even so-called classic dishes first came into being through a starting point. As Chris Schlesinger points out, “Classic dishes, such as bouillabaisse and Caesar salad, were not individual dishes created out of people’s minds; they were based on things that were already there, that they had to work with. The creativity was in the interpretation of the ingredients, not necessarily in choosing and interpreting them. Often, creating a dish is not a strictly creative process—one beginning with a blank slate—but one where you’ve got these ingredients that you’re moving around, and you’re researching what works together.”