Edible art brought to life

By Kiki Carr

Ruth Gangbar, a food stylist and Christopher Gentile, a commercial photographer, are two artists who captured the visuals of chefprepared meals from local restaurants for Quintelicious 2021, a monthlong celebration of food and dining organized by the Belleville Downtown District. This year, instead of taking photos on-location in restaurants, the project was shot in Gentile’s studio. The goal was to show customers what they could enjoy even in a take-out experience. They wanted to tell the story of the meal by presenting it in a way that reflects the essence of the chef, while showing diners what they can immerse themselves in at home through food.

By working in the studio, they were able to play freely with lighting and placement, deconstructing the food and creating a mood for each individual plate. Gentile says that each plate takes two to three hours to capture and style, to slowly unveil the romance of the food. Gangbar often uses personal props for styling, but the beauty of living in a place surrounded by artists is using local pieces in her projects as well. For Quintelicious, they were able to use Picton-based Cylinder Studio's pottery to display the food.

Sponsored by PAULO’S & DINKEL’S RESTAURANTS