My lack of presentation skills when it comes to the tasty food I make is no secret. For example, I will take these lovely feta/pickled eggplant/black olive crostini…
And serve them like this:
Straight up on the cookie sheet I prepped them on.
To be fair, that was at Oysterfest and presentation is not a concern there. It is not however, an out of the ordinary presentation on my part though.
My friend Jerry is a personal chef who has flawless presentation skills. To get an idea of the sort of meals he puts together, look no further than the lovely New Years Eve dinner he presented in the latest issue of Charlottesville Home magazine. While you’re at it, make yourself those dates stuffed with goat cheese brushed with balsamic. You’ll thank me later.
(Shameless off topic plug for myself – I have an article on bird friendly winter gardens in the same issue.)
Despite my predisposition to not taking the time to properly present my food, Jerry sometimes calls on me to lend him a hand with some of the larger dinner parties he serves. I like working with Jerry – cooking with friends being one of my favorite pastimes – because we cook well together, it’s understood there will be college football on in the background the entire time and if necessary, I can bring Edie girl along, who will get her own task list. Girl can assemble some smoked duck bites with fig preserves like nobody’s business.
I know from all of my food service experience that presentation is important and in this instagram your dinner world, it’s essential. It’s not that I don’t know how to do it, I have the skills, I just don’t always bother, especially when it’s just friends and family. Or this blog as my long term readers will know. But when I work with Jerry, I have to bring my “A” game and pull those skills out. There is no phoning it in.
This past weekend I helped Jerry serve a dinner that included a cheese course at the end of the meal in the French style. I so impressed myself with my presentation skills I grabbed his iPhone and snapped some shots.
Because when I bring my “A” game, I bring it. If that’s not a far cry from those crostini on a cookie sheet, then I don’t know what is.
Chicken Wire & Paper Flowers 
I’m all about presentation, most of the time…I enjoy using nice dishes and making the food works of art. My sister is often on me about not wanting to eat from paper plates and cups (it’s ok if it’s a picnic or huge family gathering but not regular meals!) and and I won’t serve dinner side dishes on plastic ware. Now food on a cookie sheet with a group of friends, that’s ok, unless it’s an inside formal dinner, ha!
Oh, and what you made is food art…great presentation!
Thank you!
I’m hard pressed to use paper or plastic- I’m known to pull out the china for Edie’s birthday parties (because I have way more place settings in that than I do everyday ware!). That said, I do love my plastic go cups.
Your cheese plate looks divine! Also, I loved the article in Charlottesville Home on bird friendly winter gardens. Very cool!
Thank you!
Haha! Quite the divergence. But the food looks great in both presentation extremes.
Had I just put a wee bit of effort into the presentation of those crostini, they would appear to be in the same ball park as the cheese plate. Taste wise, they totally were.
Thing is, I bet both tasted divine, but yes, presentation can sure make things SEEM better.
dude. you served those bad boys next to the wine. as far as I’m concerned, you’ve got presentation SKILLZ!
They were well paired I have to admit.
I’m awful at presentation and it’s inexcusable, because it’s mostly due to laziness. Your cheese plate looks lovely!
I’m way lazy, clearly.