Behind the Scenes: Plating up Catalyst
When I was invited to be part of this exciting project for FOH, I was stunned because I have been a fan of all their collections. I think of FOH as a leader in innovation and design in the foodservice industry. I was invited to cook and style some of my favorite dishes in Catalyst's collection.
The Catalyst collection has unique textures that make the most straightforward food look elegant. So, I was tasked to create some recipes to highlight the beautiful details of the plates and bowls. My imagination took me right away to some recipes that I have done for my blog at Spoonabilities.com, and to recreate one recipe from my favorite weekend brunch spot in Wynwood, Beaker and Gray. The main idea was to add a pop of color to create a beautiful contrast with the white plates.
The first recipe was a Shrimp Avocado Toast. I toasted sourdough bread brushed with extra virgin olive oil, chopped some cooked shrimp, and mixed it with an artichoke garlic spread. Then, to present the toast, I smeared some garlic spread on the toast. I added the shrimp mixture and topped it with a beautiful avocado. Next, I garnished the toast with a quick pickled shallot, thinly sliced radishes, dill, and finally, a sprinkle of fleur de sel sea salt and smoked pepper flakes.
Plated on Catalyst™ Pearl.
The second dish was a modern presentation of a traditional Greek Salad. Creamy feta mousse was the base and on top some heirloom tomatoes with thinly sliced red onions and kalamata olives. This Greek salad was then garnished with microgreens, a drizzle of high-quality Greek extra virgin olive oil, and a sprinkle of fleur de sel sea salt.
Plated on Catalyst™ Facet.
The third and last dish was Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper and Green Greek Olives. The sauce is super simple with soy sauce, sugar, salt, black pepper, and Aleppo pepper, along with roasted red pepper cut into strips and whole green Greek olives. The ingredients are unique, and create a delicious pasta.
Plated on Catalyst™ Classic Coupe.
And a sweet side provided by, dbakers Sweet Studio. (https://dbakers.us)
Plated on Catalyst™ Spoke.
I have always done food styling and food photography in my home studio, and stepping into Big Eats' beautiful and spacious kitchen was exciting. The work done that day was a team effort; I love to cook and photograph with the client because you get their feedback in real-time, and the marketing team from FOH, with their great hospitality, made my day super easy and fun. Most of all, I loved this experience because I met beautiful people.
A little about Carlos
Carlos Leo; Aspiring Chef, Blogger, and Photographer
Originally from the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean, which has the most flavorful dishes. My mother, grandmother, sister, and other women in my life, made some delicious meals like sancocho (stew/soup), arroz con leche (sweet rice), and of course a lot of dishes with rice and beans in every possible way that you can imagine. I unfortunately never learned how to cook until I came to the United States. When I first came to the USA, I ate a lot of frozen food. After a while, I got bored of that, not to mention the low nutritional value. I started to watch all the Food Network programs on TV, and began to cook for myself. At this same time, I met Geoffrey and had a very willing “guinea pig” to test all my cooking skills on. I’m told that (almost) all of my creations are delicious…and not only by Geoffrey.