Food for thought

There is a saying that has been confusing me up to now. “You are what you eat”. Thinking of it, we eat different food every day, enjoy different cuisines. According to that weird saying, what? Today I might be pepperoni pizza, while tomorrow I am a cup of coffee, the only ‘food’ i have time for sometimes? Weird and odd. Because actually in most cases I feel to be more like champagne, which I hardly ever drink.

But the questions appear when somewhere there is an answer. And this food question of mine concerning how could people literally become what they eat has found its matching answer. In a project, created by two genious people: the gastronomy guru and the photography wizard.

Once upon a time a chef and a photographer have decided to create something together… Well no, let me take you to the very beginning of the story. In Amsterdam (The Netherlands), there is a cool, like very cool advertising agency that now has grown into a marketing communications company J. Walter Thompson Amsterdam. The company is so cool that besides working with Microsoft, BMW, Heineken, Kimberly-Clark, Nestle, Ford Motor, Johnson & Johnson, Air Canada, Unilever and a long list of other world-famous companies, these guys have hired their own chef! Granted full and happy team will work a hundred times more productively, they hire Robbie Postma — a chef with years of experience and the gastronomic school of the world-famous NOMA restaurant, which has earned two Michelin Stars.

Having started working for JWT Robbie has never repeated a single meal for his colleagues, which means over 5 years of culinary creativity for Robbie and of absolute happiness and satisfaction for the employees’ stomachs. In total Postma has created more than 1000 different dishes. But besides feeding the company workers, he also takes a very important part while they negotiate with their future clients, making a great first impression and contact by means of creating special desserts and appetizers and serving them in his special way. For example, for meeting with Microsoft Cloud representatives he has made a pate du fruit with a cloud of lime (also strawberry, kiwi, blue Curacao banana, mango), and for Heineken — cakes made from beer’s main ingredients, hops and barley, alongside some sweet beer foam.

Pure creativeness, isn’t it? But the further the more impressive our story becomes. In such a company as JWT, as in any other company, connected with marketing, advertising, design, art and especially digital art, there couldn’t but appear a person, who would be willing to do something more than just devouring this beautiful delicacies by Postma and to tell the world about his creative co-worker.

Robert Harrison — an art-director and designer in JWT Amsterdam suggests creating their mutual project with a simple name MENU, that will show not just trivial beautiful food-photos, perfect serving or an impeccably fried steak, but will depict all the whole essence and look of pure, raw products: without any extra decoration, entourage or Photoshop. Oh yea, and one more special thing, all the ingredients were going to be put on chef’s face by his own hands. Bean after bean, brain after grain, piece after piece — the project creators could be found spending hours and hours preparing the scene for every picture, making thousands of takes, experimenting with colors, tastes and proportions, just like chef is creating his new chef’s choice. Speaking of terms, both Robbs didn’t want to rush it just for the world to see their works. The project took over a year which makes a perfect example for those who like just to do a lot within a short period of time.

For example, the photo with broken glasses and red wine has become a real challenge for the creators’ patience, since the pieces kept falling from Postma’s face. And we can only guess what the fearless chef was feeling being covered with octopus ink, powdered with pepper, vanilla and coriander at the same time or with charcoal or sharp glass pieces, glued all over his face and head. The only thing that becomes obvious and clear after seeing this project is that we actually are what we eat, since everything that our organism gets from the outside will get reflected on our faces one way or another.

Robert Harrison and Robbie Postma have told a little about the Menu project and were kind enough to make a video, presented on Vimeo.

And i’m sure you would be willing to learn more about Robert Harrison and his other great projects on his official website or follow the great chef Robbie Postma on Facebook.