The old “Plating 101” rules were simple:

1. The main ingredients remain the focal point.
2. The way you showcase ingredients should never overwhelm, clash with, or obscure them.
3. For compositional dishes, there should usually be an odd number of items
4. Asymmetrical placement will usually look more intriguing than most two-by-two or grid-like arrangements

But plates have grown up, the rules have changed, and chefs couldn’t be happier.  In fact, when it comes to the art of presentation, chef Graham Elliot Bowles of Graham Elliot in Chicagofeels there are no rules, believing it’s better for chefs “to be spontaneous…to plate their items however they feel at that moment, to open [your] mind to that idea that things are not set in stone.” And Bowles isn’t a lone renegade in this age of modern plating techniques. “There is no right or wrong,” he says. “[It’s] for you to interpret however you see fit.” 

WHICH ONE IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

Want to be challenged? 
Montgatina: A design incorporating the talents of legendary chef Ferran Adrià and expert manufacturers Cerámica Industrial Montgatina (CIM).

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Ola	O! Luna	Linneo	Tabula
Bliss	Magna	Hana	Capsula

And for that, chefs find their inspiration everywhere.  Bowles once found his at first sight of a Toulouse-Lautrec painting of can-can dancers.  Gabriel Bremer of Salts in Cambridge is often inspired by a simple idea: a change in season, a walk through the woods, a trip to the farmer’s market. As Bremer believes, presentation is the chef’s personal expression of his craft and one of his gifts to the diner.  Its purpose is to excite the human senses. He stresses the importance of choosing the right size and shape for a plate, how choosing the right garnish can complete a final dish, and how the dining experience can be a form of entertainment to the guests, forming what he calls “eatable art”. Chefs no longer need to achieve seamless balance in a plate in order for it to be a successful presentation.

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Alma	Lido	Linneo Philotaxia

CONSTRUCTION

Steelite offers more options for presentations than any of the competition, with over 88,000 unique pieces.  From bold designs to sleek, minimalist shapes, with more traditional contouring or geometric innovation (letting your plate provide the asymmetrical element for a change), Steelite tableware lets you achieve endless varieties of visual drama, distinctly suited to each dish.

Steelite International guarantees plates, oval dishes, rimmed dishes, bowls and saucers against edge chipping for a period of five years from initial purchase.

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Aura	Duo	Infini
Argento Paris

PAIR IT WITH…

Many mixologists argue that creating a cocktail pairing is no different than deciding on what wine to serve with a dish—a surprising innovation in food-pairing that has been growing over the years. And Steelite’s got you covered for all your beverage pairing needs, no matter what you choose to pour.

For your wine:
Rona:  Functional and elegant in form, Rona stemware is as tough as nails.  Made of barium crystalline (which offers perfect brilliance and clarity) Rona stemware is also engineered with a special rim treatment and thermo-shock toughening, ensuring your wine glasses will withstand both the demands of FOH and BOH.  What’s better, with a pulled stem technology (making the glass one unified piece), many glasses come with lighter weight bowls (and are completely dishwasher safe, of course).

For your cocktails:
Bormioli Rocco: Constructed of barium oxide and potassium oxide (ensuring absolute purity and brilliance), what’s particularly unique about this line is the tempering process. Like Rona, the glass undergoes thermal shock, but it is also rapidly cooled from 600°C, creating a crystal glass that is two to three times more resistant to breakage than standard cocktail glasses. The result? High resistance and flexibility.  Combine that with laser-cut designs and over 100 versatile shapes and your cocktail program is set.

“Beautiful ingredients, beautiful plateware….you’re going to end up with these really beautiful end results no matter what you do.” Graham Elliot Bowles