Showing Off A Little, Because That's Exactly What Chefs Like to Do

All of this work is Garde Manger. The garde manger was originally known as the keeper of foods meant to be eaten. This is the process of preserving foods, such as smoking, curing, and pickling. The garde manger will also deal with cold foods such as salads, cold soups, and veg/fruit platters. While the highly trained garde manger is very valuable person to have on hand, in today's kitchens they are priceless so many kitchens don't employ them. An example of some work a skilled garde manger would do.

A simple yet very well made fruit platter to feed about 50.

Duck Confit Hors D'oeuvre with Chive Cream Cheese on a Fresh Wheat Cracker.

Ice Carvings, yes that is a squirrel. 

A Micro Herb Salad with Green Apple dressed with a Roasted Lemon Honey Vinaigrette on a Goat Cheese Tartlet.

Pickled Red and Golden Beets.

Duck Confit Terrine with Dried Cherries and Foie Gras Tourchon.

All of these things require a vast knowledge and skill. After creating the individual components often times a very skilled garde manger will present these items on a platter. A platter can't just be laid out with random items. The entire experience comes from the flavors of each item blending. 

A skilled garde manger is priceless in any kitchen because the natural flavor of edible substance is increased when it is hot. Don't believe it, take a slice of your favorite produce and season it with a little salt and pepper, eat it cold. Now same thing, but cook it a little. The flavor, the smell, the texture, everything is increased. A garde manger must know how to take these flavors and make them appetizing when they are cold. 

Humans and animals alike eat with first their eyes, then their noses, then their pallets. If this be the case then a salad must look good and taste amazing, because we shouldn't smell a salad, but to be turned on to it we have to love the flavor. To make this happen one must have a vast knowledge of a product and how to bend it to his/her will in order to make a person crave it. 

Humans do not naturally crave cold dishes, we crave our comfort foods, which for everyone holds a memory to something in our pasts that links that dish with happiness. Can you link a cold food dish in your memory to a comfort food? If so, I'd like to hear about it.

Blessings on you, your food, and your kitchen!