Page 27 - South Mississippi Living - May, 2021

In Pascagoula Robert Scranton is the chef at Scranton's Restaurant, a popular dining option since 1983. “This year makes 30 years I've been cooking here. We specialize in chicken, seafood, sandwiches and salads with our she crab soup, the Marguerite's Special and Market Street Chicken being our guests' favorite dishes,” he said.
He's a rm believer that the appearance of food matters. “If the dish doesn't make an impression when it hits the table, you're not doing something right,” he said. “Plating
and presentation are a big part of what I do. You must take pride in how you put the plate together because guests can de nitely tell if you rush through this step. I want them to see their plate and know that it was crafted for them and not just slapped together.
Scranton enjoys making older recipes such as red beans and rice with smoked sausage and loaded potato soup. However, he also enjoys learning and using new techniques and machines such as the sous vide cooking technique.
The way food looks is also important at the restaurants of Island View Casino. Executive Chef David Crabtree said, “It's especially true when you go out to eat. Even fast food outlets have spent a great deal of time and money planning attractive packaging. I believe customers expect attractive food.”
Chef Calvin Lipe, also of Island View, believes it's hard
to get past the appearance of food. “Something as small as the shade of color can matter so much because if it looks unappetizing, you’ve pretty much made up your mind before you even taste it. Design, execution, and presentation are imperative for a successful dish.”
He sees food as a creative outlet for colors, shapes, and di erent techniques. “I like to think of the plate as a canvas
waiting for artistic touches,” he said. He's won numerous awards for his decorative fruit, vegetable and ice carvings and notes that dense foods are more di cult to work with in comparison to watery vegetables such as squash, cucumbers, and watermelons.
Crabtree adds, “The importance changes between types of outlets and dining options. All food should be pleasing to the eye utilizing the natural colors of the food. All chefs can plate food, although only some chefs can plate and present in a way that when it arrives in front of the guests, they say wow.” Both Chef David and Chef Calvin have cuisine pedigrees having worked in some of the Coast's and New Orleans' best restaurants.
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