Food Décor

This tray of crudites was prepared by Dooky Chase and decorated with kale and accented with three variegated pink tulips on two sides. The vegetables are so beautiful, you don’t need much decoration.

A sculpture by artist Mojo, this sea and surf platter was the inspiration for the shrimp appetizer.

The Celebration server by Bev Church with Julia Yerkov is the simplest to decorate. It comes with two vases built into the design. All you add are flowers and the appetizer. A cute frog holds the picks.

Strawberries are served at a beachside party. The playful sculpture includes sand with a beachball and painted shells. We even added a playful gecko who is vying for the strawberries, as well as the guests’, attention!

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Make your dishes look more appetizing with a few flourishes
You’ve just planned the ultimate gathering for a few friends. And if you are like me, it has to be easy or you just won’t do it! Usually I prepare one or two courses myself and order the rest. Many take-out dishes come on black or silver throwaway platters or in plastic containers, which you definitely don’t want to use to serve the food. Here are a few easy tips to dress up your food:

1. Buy some kale or decorative lettuce to put around the perimeter of the tray. Also add to the perimeter of the dipping sauce in the center of the tray.

2. Purchase extra flowers to add accents to the tray, platter or bowl. Flowers that last a while out of water are roses, asters, camellias, marigolds, alstromeria and protea.

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3. Incorporate artwork or everyday objects into your presentation. Look around your house and choose items that fit into your theme or the food you are serving. Seafood items might call for a crab or fish sculpture, as well as shells. Glass flowers can be incorporated into your display for a garden party.

4. Fruit and vegetables make perfect accents and the array of color is endless: green, orange, yellow and red peppers; yellow squash; purple eggplant; limes; lemons; tomatoes and more. Use whole and arrange artfully or cut to decorate a dish. Vegetables can also be turned into serving pieces, for example you can hollow out peppers for dipping sauce.

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