Culinary theatre is the creation or enhancement of a spectacle during the service of food and beverages. This form of theatrics aims to excite or even entertain the diner, patron or customer, usually without affecting the flavour of the food(s) and/or beverage(s) to be consumed.[1] In its simplest form, this may include candles and/or sparklers placed on a birthday cake, which give a dining room an exciting ambiance.[2]

Culinary theatrics in food service

It is a long established practice in many restaurants and eateries to combine some element of theatrics into the dining experience for their patrons. Crêpes Suzette, when served in medium to high-end restaurants, is traditionally served by being bussed out from the kitchen, and set alight just before being placed on the patron's table.[3][4]

Flair bartending

Main article: Flair bartending

The practice of enhancing the presentation of beverages, and especially cocktails, by use of theatrics became increasingly elaborate over the 20th century. Such enhancement may include highly skilled and very fast-paced throwing, spinning, catching and juggling of liquor bottles (to the point of being a feature of the 1988 film Cocktail).[5][6]

See also

References

  1. ^ Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett (2012). "Making Sens of Food in performance: The Table and the Stage". In Banes, Sally; Lepecki, Andre (eds.). The Senses in Performance. New York and Oxford: Routledge. pp. 77–78. ISBN 978-1-134-46070-0.
  2. ^ Wilson, Dede (2008). The Birthday Cake Book: 75 Recipes for Candle-Worthy Creations. Boston, MA: Harvard Common Press. pp. 18. ISBN 978-1-55832-382-7. birthday candles.
  3. ^ Stradley, Linda (17 May 2015). "Crepes Suzette History and Recipe". What's Cooking America. Archived from the original on 2003-12-26. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  4. ^ Gisslen, Wayne (2009) [2005]. Professional Baking (Fifth ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. p. 253. ISBN 978-0-471-78349-7.
  5. ^ Devantier, Alecia T.; Turkington, Carol A. (2006). Extraordinary Jobs in the Food Industry. New York: Infobase Publishing. pp. 50–53. ISBN 978-1-4381-1173-5.
  6. ^ Miron, Amanda; Brown, Douglas Robert (2006). The Professional Bar & Beverage Manager's Handbook: How to Open and Operate a Financially Successful Bar, Tavern, and Nightclub. Ocala, FL: Atlantic Publishing Company. pp. 218–220. ISBN 978-0-910627-59-7.


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