Food As Art Research

1)
Sam Zanze, the owner and chef of Zanze’s Cheesecake in San Francisco, is a master at his art form. Sam’s patience and precision to the art of cheesecake making is what has ultimately made for his success. He enjoys his job because he gets to interact with his loyal customers on a personal level, and because his customers receive a sense of joy and satisfaction from his unique cheesecake. His cheesecakes are known around the world for their fresh taste and long-lasting flavor.
Sam Zanze has been constantly improving the art of making European-style cheesecake for the last 28 years. According to Elizabeth Telfer, author of the essay Food As Art, Zanze is an artist because he is the original creator of the cheesecake that he assembles. Zanze takes great pride in the creation of his cheesecakes, and wants his customers to acknowledge the hard work and preparation that is takes to produce such a masterpiece. Elizabeth Telfer supports this notion when she said, “A cook who has cooked a work of art is not satisfied if the eaters do not notice what they eat.” Since Zanze only puts out 50 cheesecakes a day, four days a week, his supply is extremely limited. His customers show their appreciation for his craftsmanship by their frequent visits to his shop where they re-up on divine cheesecake. The respect between cheesecake producer and cheesecake consumer make the transaction an enjoyable one. In a way, Zanze is a legendary composer, providing his audience the finest of performances. Telfer would conclude that theory because Zanze creates his own recipe. Zanze has made the heavenly-like cheesecakes because it is his way of giving back to his customers. The loyal customers soon become his “friends”, giving a real sense of community to Zanze’s Cheesecake.

Wach, Bonnie. (2007, April 15). Zanze’s Cheesecake. The San Francisco Chronicle,
pp. PK-23.


2)
This article is a review by Leslie Harlib, a food correspondent for the Marin Independent Journal. She recently reviewed a French/California cuisine restaurant called The Caprice, and had a great meal that resembled an art project. The plates were beautifully decorated with primarily fresh garden vegetables and local wild-caught fish. The chef, Greg Sessler, uses his imagination to give diners a unique food experience. Harlib says the “complexity was in the visuals, not the flavors.” Overall, The Caprice the food was good, not great, but the creativity that went into the dishes was magnificent.
After dining at The Caprice, Harlib characterized the risotto as an art project because it contained intricate sauces that were both savory and soothing. Harlib was able to make these judgments based on her aesthetic eating. In the opinion of Telfer, aesthetic eating is eating with attention and discernment, which Harlib does to precision. Sessler has a special ability to arrange a plate in a creative way. It is this creativity that Telfer claim’s “constitutes a visual work of art.” From reading the food review, one can assume Sessler has intended to make his meals relished. In the words of Telfer, “Many meals are intended by their cooks to be savoured, appraised, thought about, discussed – any many eaters consider them in this way.” A cook can receive great pleasure from knowing his customers enjoyed a fine meal that was created and developed through their art and craft, and this is the feeling that Sessler seeks.

Harlib, Leslie. (2006, April 16). New chef brings grass-roots food to The Caprice.
Marin Independent Journal.