Thanks to the influence of the world’s top chefs, the art of plating and food presentation has never been so important, or popular.Michelin star greats such as René Redzepi, the Adrià brothers and many more, have not only brought their creative and inventive cuisine to thewider public, but have also shown how innovative and beautiful plating forms a major part in the gastronomic experience.In fact when it comes to plating, or the art of plating, it can actually be so powerful that you can lose sight of what is actually being presented to you.
One instagram anomaly that has highlighted this message loud and clear goes by the apt name of Chef Jaques la Merde. For those of you who aren’t familiar, his account offers an array of intricately and beautiful presented dishes that could easily form part of any fine dining establishment’s tasting menu.His hallmark style is akin to current trendy Nordic plating techniques and he clearly knows a thing or two about unique flavour combinations. The only difference between Chef Jaques and his Michelin counterparts is his penchant for junk food and witty parodying of contemporary high-end cuisine.
On closer inspection of the undeniably attractive plates of food, you’ll see that the ingredients on the plate are in fact the furthest thing from high-end.Chef Jaques transforms TV dinners, Kinder eggs, corn dogs, baby food, Pop-Tarts, spam, gummy sweets and other popular junk food items into minimalist masterpieces that could be compareable to any gourmet plate.
His satirising of modern cuisine is light hearted and entertaining. The comical, yet charming, narration of his dishes reminds us that with social media allowing people to curate every aspect of their lives and creations, we must take things with a pinch of salt.His sophisticated plating and humorous captions also suggest that he is no stranger to the industry, and in fact knows the perils and pitfalls of chef life all too well. His reference to questionable sous chefs, incapable interns and restaurant pretention, shows that regardless of the establishment you work in, the stresses and strains of working in a kitchen are always evident and not to be underestimated.
In one caption for a dish named ‘Bugs on a stick’, Chef Jaques explains a bit about where he drew his inspiration:
“SOMETIMES PPL COME AT ME W/ “BRO, HOW DO U KEEP IT SO TIGHT AND SO SOIGNÉ?!!!” AND MY SECRET IS TO JUST ALWAYS COOK FROM THE HEART, BE REAL AND TAKE INSPO FROM NATURE. I CALL THIS DISH “BUGS ON A STICK” B/C THE CRAISINS R THE “BUGS” AND THE CHEEZE WHIZ/CELERY IS THE “STICK.” ALSO CELERY SODA CAVIAR, GRAHAM CRKR SOIL, CANOLA OIL PWDR + KALE SHREDS.”
With a following of nearly 80,000 people, he has won the hearts of both chefs and food aficionados alike. His comic attitude and inspired creations are a true compliment to an industry that never ceases to produce innovative and forward thinking individuals.
Find some of Chef Jaques fantastic creations here |instagram.com