[Design Forum] Food for thought, thoughts on design

The Herald Design Market on Thursday welcomed visitors with an array of snazzy snacks, one-bite sweets and beverages that bring greater aesthetic inspiration.

Peter Callahan, renowned caterer and food stylist, shared his genre of food that brought a whole miniature food boom in the U.S., during a “Food Talk” session.

“We try to make every ingredient a decoration,” Callahan said. “It’s all about the details that make the difference.”

Callahan, who has served food for many famous personalities such as U.S. President Barack Obama, Alexander Wang and Martha Stewart, said creating and enjoying food from an aesthetic perspective is not limited to professionals.

“I have no background in food other than a love for it. My approach is more of design and conceptional,” Callahan, who calls himself a food conceptualist, said. 

“Just have fun with cooking, that’s the easy shortcut (to make food more beautiful and taste as good as it looks). For example, use cookie cutters on a bun to make mini burgers and it’s quite nice-looking.”

The Herald Design Market is part of Seoul Design Week 2014, aimed at promoting healthier lifestyles by connecting the fields of architecture, fashion and food.

Sixty-three up-and-coming artists and food companies have showcased and put their works on sale. They went through a strict screening process based on their products’ safety, eco-friendliness and design capacity, organizers said.

Some of the popular booths are premium organic whole food company Organica, coffee roaster Anthracite, natural honey maker Urban Bees and kaya jam manufacturer Kaya Korea.

Kim So-jung, a 25-year-old college student, said her visit gave her inspiration for eating healthy and some display ideas to try at home.

“When we think of food, we don’t instantly connect it with design,” Kim said. “But like the Korean saying, ‘Food that looks good also tastes good,’ I think food should be aesthetic even at home. I was assured that it brings a positive energy to people.”

Another popular booth at the event was Farmers Love Rain, which sold kitchen tools resembling farming tools, such as a shovel and hoe.

“I’m just amazed how people even come up with such crazy ideas. I feel like you can make your life less boring and dull by having something creative like these shovel spoons,” Kate Jang, 30, another visitor at the venue, said.

The Herald Design Forum and Herald Design Market are one of the biggest design-related events in South Korea, inviting some of the most respected names in the field of design.

This year’s speakers include architecture guru Rem Koolhaas, fashion designer Oliver Theyskens and art toy artist Chris Riggs.

By Suk Gee-hyun (monicasuk@heraldcorp.com)