Thomas Keller.  Among all the celebrity chefs, he is known as the ultimate perfectionist: The best ingredients.  Flawless technique.  Perfect finish.  This is probably why he has won numerous James Beard awards and is the only American chef with two top-rated Michelin 3-star restaurants: The French Laundry in Napa Valley, which revolutionized fine dining, and Per Se in New York, which took it to a new level.

The secret of his success, though, is not just great cooking. Keller also knows how to make his culinary creations look like art.  He’s such an expert on presenting food, he even designed his own Limoges porcelain dinnerware.

After some studying, we uncovered some of his secrets for showcasing food as art.  Whether you’re a star chef or rely on uberEats, we hope these techniques will take your meals to new levels of sophistication:

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Were some people really born with a silver spoon in their mouth?  When it came time to dining, and entertaining, royals didn’t just grab a quick bite to go.  Every meal had to be worthy of a king, right down to the choice of the plates.  But the favorite dinnerware of Europe’s royals and aristocrats might surprise you.

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War.  Diplomacy.  Royal backstabbing.  A Russian Empress who loved art and beauty.  All that went into the making of the world’s most expensive dinnerware, Flora Danica by Royal Copenhagen.

Our story begins with Catherine the Great of Russia.  In 1788, she was at the height of her power and prestige, having come to power 26 years earlier by deposing her husband in a coup.  The formerly impoverished German princess was now the absolute ruler of the largest empire in the world, and she followed up one stunning achievement with another:  Expanded Russia into the Black Sea and Crimea.  Made Russia a major European power.  Annexed Alaska.  Reformed the government.  Ushered in the Enlightenment.  Check, check, check.

Catherine the Great of Russia by Fedor Rokotov, Tretyakov Gallery

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In France, life is lived as art, and every moment must be lived beautifully.  Nowhere is this more true than the Michelin starred restaurants, where culinary skill and presentation play equal parts to create unforgettable dining experiences.  But how do they do it?  In this video, you can see how three Michelin starred Parisians chefs, Guillaume Delage, Thierry Marx, and Toshitaka Omiya, show off their amazing creations with our Raynaud Essential dinnerware.  Check it out:

Do you realize that creating a gift registry is probably your first official act as a married couple?

The ring, the dress, and the thousand details of your wedding are all for The Big Day.  With the gift registry, though, you’re telling the world jointly how you plan to live after you get married.   Unfortunately, it could be hard to see that far ahead.

Confused about your wedding gift registry? Read this guide! Image courtesy of mamamia.com.au

Here are some common wedding gift registry mistakes we’ve seen, and how to avoid them: Read more