An initial tip — befriend your local farmer, especially if you can find one who grows micro greens and edible flowers. You’re only as good as your ingredients! Here in Washington, DC, we’re lucky to have Little Wild Things Farm, who supply most of my plating topings. If they don’t grow something I’d like to use, I try to grow it myself.
Also, don’t take all this so seriously. It should be fun! Here are two of my most gross mishaps, just so you know that I make plating mistakes too (and often!):
- Took over 100 photos of a fancy dessert with coral tuile before realizing I had one of my hairs in the tuile.
- Plated a gorgeous dish with edible flowers only to find that, when I zoomed in on the flowers, there was an insect just hanging out! The insect got saved (poor guy survived in my fridge for over a day on those flowers?!). Critters are sturdy!
Here’s an interview I recently did that goes over some basic tools that can help you plate your meals in more interesting ways. Thanks to the fabulous cookbook author and TV host, Jonathan Bardzik, for having me on his show!