Food Presentation Secrets: Styling Techniques of Professionals

As any chef will tell you, if you want to bore your dinner guests silly then serve them a plate of monochromatic slop devoid of visual acuity. A formless, flaccid tuna casserole comes quickly to mind. What this clever book does (one hopes) is inspire you to elevate ordinary dishes into works of art with simple tips, instructions and recipes for more than 100 sweet, savoury and colourful garnishes. (You could tart up that casserole with some quickly sculpted vegetables, for example.) Five sections show techniques, tools, ingredients and designs used by chefs in hoitytoity restaurants that you can apply at home, with step-by-step photos showing exactly how to do it. With a few basic skills, you too can serve food with flair and impress everyone.--Byron Eade"Ottawa Citizen" (11/25/2010)

Cara Hobday has been a professional food journalist and stylist for 14 years and is the author of a number of cookbooks. Jo Denbury is a freelance journalist, stylist and writer based in London, England.