Master the Art of Visual Storytelling Through Food

Learn practical plating techniques from working chefs who've spent years in Montreal's competitive restaurant scene. Our program focuses on real skills you can apply immediately—whether you're prepping for a career shift or refining your existing craft.

Reserve Your Spot for Fall 2025

What Actually Matters in Our Kitchen

We're not here to teach trends that'll be gone in six months. Everything in our program is built around principles that work across different cuisines and service styles.

Technique Over Decoration

Beautiful plating starts with understanding balance, height, and negative space. Once you know why certain compositions work, you can adapt them to any dish.

Last session, one student transformed their signature risotto by simply adjusting the bowl choice and portion placement—same recipe, completely different impact.

Practical Speed Training

A stunning plate means nothing if it takes fifteen minutes during service. We drill efficiency into every technique so you can maintain quality when things get busy.

Our Thursday evening sessions simulate real dinner rush conditions—you'll plate the same dish thirty times in two hours until it becomes second nature.

Honest Feedback Culture

Nobody improves without constructive criticism. In our kitchen, everyone—including instructors—receives direct feedback on what works and what doesn't.

Group critique sessions happen every Friday. You'll present your week's work, defend your choices, and learn from peers' perspectives.

Adaptability First

Ingredients aren't always perfect. Plates break. Kitchens run out of garnishes. We teach you how to pivot and still deliver presentation quality.

One module specifically covers substitution strategies—how to maintain your visual concept when you're missing key components.

Hands carefully arranging fresh ingredients on white ceramic plate demonstrating professional plating technique

How the Program Actually Unfolds

We run twelve weeks starting September 2025, with sessions three evenings per week. Each phase builds on previous skills while introducing new complexity.

1

Foundation Weeks (1-3)

Color theory, plate selection, portion control, and basic composition rules. Sounds dry, but these fundamentals determine everything that follows.
2

Technique Building (4-7)

Sauce work, garnish preparation, height creation, and textural contrast. This is where most people realize plating is more physics than art.
3

Service Integration (8-10)

Speed drills, station organization, and consistency training. We simulate actual restaurant conditions including the stress and time pressure.
4

Portfolio Development (11-12)

You'll create five signature dishes with complete plating documentation. Many graduates use these directly in job applications or menu development.

Insights From Our Kitchen Experience

These aren't theoretical concepts—they're observations from years of actual service in Montreal restaurants where presentation directly affected customer response.

Chef's hands precisely placing microgreens on elegantly plated seafood dish showing attention to detail

Why Most Garnishes Actually Hurt Your Plate

After photographing over 2,000 dishes for menu development, I've noticed a pattern. The plates that get the strongest customer reaction use fewer elements, not more. Microgreens piled randomly or edible flowers scattered without purpose create visual noise instead of interest.

In our January 2025 workshop, we tested this directly—the same duck breast with strategic minimal garnish outperformed the elaborately decorated version in blind preference tests by a significant margin.

Who's Teaching These Sessions

Both instructors work active restaurant positions alongside teaching. What you learn reflects current industry practice, not outdated textbook techniques.

Damien Forsberg

Contemporary Plating & Composition

Spent eight years as sous chef at three different Montreal establishments before moving into teaching. Still consults on menu development for two local bistros.

His practical approach comes from plating thousands of dishes under real service pressure—he knows what actually works when you're in the weeds.

Elias Vangberg

Classical Technique & Standards

Trained in European kitchens before settling in Montreal in 2018. Currently runs weekend service at a fine dining spot in Old Montreal while teaching weeknight sessions here.

His strength is breaking down complex classical techniques into manageable steps that students can actually replicate without years of experience.