HERE & THERE

A Conceptual Dinner

2019 | School of Illustration, Porto | Project under the guidance and inspiration of artist Inês Neto dos Santos, and baker&writer Lexie Smith (among other brilliant tutors)

 

HERE & THERE is a conceptual dinner that explores the fluid boundaries between native and exotic, weaving a culinary narrative of migration, memory, and identity. Rooted in my personal journey between Romania and Portugal, this experience examines how ingredients, flavors, and cultural influences blend and transform across geographies. Developed during a workshop at the School of Illustration in Porto, under the guidance and inspiration of Inês Neto dos Santos, Lexie Smith, and Orlando Lovell among other brilliant tutors, the project materializes the tension and harmony between what is known and what is foreign—all through the lens of a single color: yellow.

Concept & Inspiration:

The guiding theme of this exploration is color—specifically, yellow, chosen as a common denominator that unites the familiar and the unfamiliar. Two key ingredients embody this duality:

  • Corn (as flour, in the form of polenta patties) – a deeply rooted Romanian staple, representing tradition, sustenance, and personal history.

  • Lemon – A vibrant symbol of Portugal’s sunlit landscapes, evoking brightness, acidity, and transformation, and in relation to myself—exoticism.

By bringing these elements together, HERE & THERE questions how native and exotic identities converge, not only through taste but also through memory, imprint, and discovery.

Process & Experimentation:

  • Culinary Composition & Contrast:

    • Developed a polenta-based snack that physically concealed the unexpected trace of lemon beneath it.

    • Encouraged guests to experience the dish through layers of discovery, unveiling the citrus imprint only after picking up the food.

  • Memory & Imprint on the Table:

    • The dinner was set on a paper-covered table, onto which natural imprints of lemons were pressed and left behind.

    • This created a subtle yet powerful metaphor—a sensory and visual representation of memory, much like the traces we leave behind as we navigate places, cultures, and personal histories.

    • The act of revealing the lemon imprint beneath the polenta patties mirrored the experience of uncovering connections between the familiar and the foreign, the past and the present.

  • Multisensory & Narrative Approach:

    • The experience wasn’t just about taste; it was about storytelling through food, texture, and interaction.

    • The simple act of lifting a snack became a moment of unexpected revelation, inviting reflection on how ingredients, people, and cultures leave imprints on one another.

Outcome & Reflection:

HERE & THERE transcended the notion of a meal—it became a culinary reflection on migration, identity, and transformation. The juxtaposition of corn and lemon, imprint and erasure, native and exotic created an experience that resonated beyond taste, inviting participants to engage in a dialogue between past and present, home and elsewhere.

This project reinforced my passion for using food as a storytelling medium, pushing the boundaries of how we perceive and engage with flavors, memory, and place. It was an exercise in not just cooking, but revealing—the quiet yet profound ways in which food and culture intertwine, leaving behind traces of where we’ve been and where we’re going.

Photos by the School of Illustration & personal archive.