A focus on the skills and techniques used in creating decorative embellishments for food, including vegetables, fruits, and herbs.
Knife Skills: Learning the correct way to handle a knife, sharpen them and keep them clean, and the different techniques for slicing, dicing, and cutting.
Types of Garnish: Understanding the different types of Garnish - such as cut vegetables, fruits, herbs, sauces, and spices to enhance visual appeal, texture, and flavors.
Plating and Presentation: Learn how to create attractive and visually appealing plates with the right balance of color, texture, and height to showcase various dishes creatively.
Food Safety and Sanitation: Understanding the importance of Food Safety and Hygiene protocols in a professional kitchen, including safe serving temperatures, handling, and storage.
Texture, Shape, and Size: Exploring different techniques for creating unique shapes with fruits and vegetables - such as using molds, carving, and shaping with peeler, among others, and ensuring consistent sizes for a uniform appearance.
Sauces and Dressings: Learning the various types of sauces and dressings used in garnishing and how to make them from scratch.
Plating Techniques: Understanding the different plating techniques used for various dishes, such as stacking, framing or tweezing, among others, and how to execute them with precision and finesse.
Garnishing Specific Dishes: Understanding the garnishing techniques and styles specific to different cuisines, dishes, and occasions, such as wedding cakes, sushi, salads, and cocktails, among others.
Color Theory and Color Wheel: Learning how to use the color wheel effectively, understanding complementary colors, primary and secondary colors to create visually pleasing plates.
Creative artistic attempts: Exploring creativity with food art and sculpture, such as carving ice, fruit and vegetables into unique shapes, using herbs to create unique designs, etc.
Fresh Herbs: Fresh herbs, such as parsley, basil, or cilantro, can be used as a simple garnish to add color and flavor to a dish.
Citrus Fruits: Lemon or lime wedges, orange slices, or grapefruit segments can be used to garnish cocktails, seafood, or salads to add a zesty tang.
Nuts: Crushed or finely chopped nuts, such as almonds or pistachios, can be sprinkled over salads, ice cream, or desserts to add texture and flavor.
Microgreens: Tiny leaves and shoots, such as arugula, pea shoots, or radish sprouts, can be used as a garnish to brighten up a dish and add subtle flavor.
Edible Flowers: Certain flowers, such as lavender, rose petals, or marigold, are edible and can be used as a colorful garnish to add fragrance and a delicate taste.
Powdered Spices: Finely powdered spices, such as paprika or cinnamon, can be used to dust the top of a dish to impart subtle flavor and color.
Vegetable Carvings: Skilled chefs can create intricate vegetable carvings, such as carrot flowers or cucumber ribbons, that serve as stunning garnishes.
Sauces and Dressings: Sauces and dressings can be used as a decorative drizzle or dollop on the plate to add flavor and moisture to the dish.
Pastry: Sweet or savory pastry shells can be used as a base or wrapper for various fillings, adding flavor and texture to the dish.
Chocolate and Sugar Decorations: Chocolate or sugar can be formed into intricate shapes, such as filigrees or ribbons, to add a decorative element to desserts and pastries.