The creative minds of extraordinary pastry chefs: an integrated theory of aesthetic expressions – a portraiture study

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to demystify the creative experiences of an extraordinary group of pastry chefs – The Malaysian World Pastry Team, champions of the 2019 World Pastry Cup. The authors adopted an expressionist theoretical lens informed by two aesthetic philosophers – John Dewey and Wassily Kandinsky. Design/methodology/approach A two-year portraiture was conducted – a qualitative methodology that draws features from phenomenology and narrative inquiry, rendering artistically and empirically written “portraits” that reflect themes and patterns of participants’ experiences. In-depth interviews, observations and material artifacts were collected amid a journey alongside nine extraordinary Malaysian pastry chefs. Findings Presented in story structures, the authors offer three “portraits” of culinary creativity, each representing a core essence of the creative phenomenon: creative harmony in the form of sensorial and symbolic poetry; imaginative episodes as a hypnotic state of inspiration and incubation; and the creative duality of scientific rationalism and artistic fashion. The authors delineated the intricacies of each theme by presenting them as individual narratives. Research limitations/implications The portraits indicated that culinary creativity reflects an organic and emancipating aesthetic experience that is unbounded by formative structures or sequential processes. This provides a novel theoretical view that moves beyond conventional studies’ capitalistic frameworks, and toward the intimate viewpoints of the chef-creators. Specific contributions are discussed. Originality/value Through a unique qualitative approach and an aesthetic theoretical framework, this study provided a novel perspective on the culinary creative process. The aesthetic view captures culinary creativity through the eyes of the creator, a viewpoint less considered, yet imperative to the culinary profession.

Secretless pastry chefs on Instagram: the disclosure of culinary secrets on social media

“…This study was part of an ongoing two-year qualitative project that investigated the creative lives of nine extraordinary Malaysian world pastry chefs, including the 2019 World Pastry Champions (Lee, 2018, 2020; Lee et al , 2019, 2020). All nine chef-participants from the project heavily referenced Instagram as an essential source of creative dwelling and inspiration, claiming that the platform served as a primary space to “reveal, showcase and share” their creative works, echoing the praxis of open source cooking.…”

“…A chef’s creative capacity has been a popular topic for debate in hospitality and culinary studies recently (Lee et al , 2019, 2020; Stierand, 2020; Stierand et al , 2014, 2019). Creativity to a chef, emulates an aesthetic expression, one that is not an instantaneous emission, but a convoluted and emancipating process that involves numerous considerations (Lee et al , 2020; Stierand et al , 2014).…”

“…A chef’s creative capacity has been a popular topic for debate in hospitality and culinary studies recently (Lee et al , 2019, 2020; Stierand, 2020; Stierand et al , 2014, 2019). Creativity to a chef, emulates an aesthetic expression, one that is not an instantaneous emission, but a convoluted and emancipating process that involves numerous considerations (Lee et al , 2020; Stierand et al , 2014). In cases where creativity is allowed to flourish, it potentially becomes one of the most cited gratifications that keeps chefs contented (Cain et al , 2018; Tongchaiprasit and Ariyabuddhiphongs, 2016).…”

“…In cases where creativity is allowed to flourish, it potentially becomes one of the most cited gratifications that keeps chefs contented (Cain et al , 2018; Tongchaiprasit and Ariyabuddhiphongs, 2016). However, recent studies have noted that there is more to culinary creativity than meets the eye (Lee et al , 2019, 2020; Stierand et al , 2014, 2019). To be creative in the culinary sector requires a set of preliminary skills and rudimentary knowledge, which are viewed traditionally as sacred intellectual property for culinary practitioners (Fauchart and von Hippel, 2008; Stierand, 2014).…”

“…Pâtisserie is often segmented distinctly from other cookery categories due to its unique set of rules, philosophies and work systems (Lee, 2020). A proficient pastry chef requires not only the aesthetic touch of an artist but also the scientific reasoning and physicochemical properties of different pastry ingredients, leaving many to consider pastry as a science, rather than a work of art (Lee et al , 2019, 2020). Interestingly, while the pastry field is built on hard-earned knowledge and experimentations, some of the most prolific pastry chefs tend to openly disclose their creative secrets on social media, especially Instagram.…”