14th March 2010
Chef job candidates: How to impress your employer with Japanese food art

For candidates looking for high end catering and chef jobs, a new book by Japanese chef Hiroshi Nagashima could give you the edge when it comes to impressing potential employers.

The book, The Decorative Art of Japanese Food Carving: Elegant Garnishes for all Occasions, contains detailed instructions on how to carve food and turn it into a work of art, known as 'mukimono' in Japanese - which is the decoration or garnish that gives food that extra appeal.

Chef Nagashima is Managing Director and Head Chef of Shisui Restaurant in Tokyo, in the city's Tsukiji district. He has been awarded the National Culinary Master's Technique for Excellence Award and has also authored several other books on Japanese cuisine.

His latest book guides the reader through 60 different garnishes, ranging from easy twists of cucumber or radish, through to the complicated 'fish net', which requires strips of zucchini to be carefully twisted, weaved and manipulated into a mesh - and then stuffed with salmon mousse. Other impressive decorations include a carrot being made into a rolling dice, holly leaves made from a zucchini, and a butterfly created from a slice of carrot.

Chef Nagashima demonstrates each technique using photographs and detailed instructions, and helps chefs of all levels get to grips with even the most complicated garnishes.

Learning even the simplest techniques could help kitchen and catering staff add a new dimension to their cooking and presentation skills, and even impress future employers.

Find out more and order a copy from Amazon.co.uk.

Original article.