From the simple family meal to the gargantuan buffet and the candlelit dinner, food becomes a narrative element in its own right in films and series, whether it contributes to the visual world or simply advances the story.
At the heart of this creation, a still little-known profession is emerging on set: culinary designer. Ange Macias and Caroline Le Touzé, founders of the Wallace studio, are among the pioneers of this discipline in France.
One comes from art history and design, the other from pastry and cooking. Ange Macias and Caroline Le Touzé have combined their talents to found the Wallace design firm. Their CVs include films like The Killer by David Fincher or series like Slow horses, The Crown, and of course Emily in ParisMany Anglo-Saxon productions, where the culture of food design is more established, « even though we are working more and more on French projects » “Their work lies at the crossroads of gastronomy, design and staging, and goes far beyond the simple execution of recipes,” emphasizes Ange Macias. « We're dealing with something artistic, gastronomic, but also historical and contextual. » continues the co-founder.
This activity combines several specialties, and Ange Macias emphasizes the importance of having two partners, as it requires both a visual approach, inherited from art history and artistic direction, and a rigorous mastery of textures, firings, and the reactions of the material: « It's really a team effort: one person thinks about the image, the other makes sure it holds up, that it can be reproduced, that it survives eight hours under spotlights. » The prepared dishes respond to the staging intention of the sequence, and while they are aesthetically pleasing, they are not necessarily tasty. « That's rarely the case! » “It’s fun,” says Caroline Le Touzé. Because filming schedules are long, and what’s prepared, like choux pastry or ice cream, must look identical shot after shot, even after several hours under the studio lights. Drawing on her experience, the trained pastry chef has her own techniques, which she prefers to keep secret “to preserve the magic.” We only know that some recipes involve silken soy, a miracle ingredient for creams or mousses that retain their appearance longer. Unlike advertising, where the most enticing products often turn out to be fake (sometimes made of plastic), in film food design, everything must be edible: after all, the point is to see the characters eating.
The duo thus has to deal with various problems, such as when a protagonist supposed to be enjoying a good rare steak is played by a vegetarian actor. « A large mushroom and dyes are used. » confides Caroline Le Touzé; and on screen, the magic works: the dish is a perfect illusion. But Wallace Studios' culinary creations for film don't always have to be appetizing. For example, in an episode of season 5 ofEmily in ParisThe heroine receives a box of chocolates from an old gentleman, the chocolates of which must have looked old-fashioned and unappetizing, because upon biting into one of the treats, Emily is supposed to find it revolting. Ange Maciasse recalls: « The difficulty, The idea was to make chocolates that look like they come from a chocolate factory, but that don't resemble those of any known brand or company – otherwise, imagine the bad publicity! » And Caroline Le Touzé added jokingly:« The paradox is that, in reality, the chocolates we made were very good! » Further proof of Lily Collins' acting talent.
The large flambés and the small cakes
Macias and Le Touzé set up their portable kitchen in film studios (the technical industries of the seventh art are still poorly equipped for culinary design, but Wallace's associates are hopeful that things will change), use a set kitchen when possible or bring a food truck onto the set. "The main talent of a food stylistIt's about being a "Swiss Army knife" » explains Ange Macias. It is indeed necessary to be able to respond to all requests, often urgently, and these can be varied. « Recently, We had to find a solution to achieve the spectacular flambé required by the staging – far removed from culinary reality » explains Caroline Le Touzé, specifying: « Cinema is reality magnified 10,000 times. What we're looking for are intentions, emotions. » The difficulty also lies in knowing how to deal with last-minute requests – the partners prefer to imagine the dish from the pre-production of the film, but are often called when the scene is about to be filmed – and with vague orders. "We were asked, for example, to make a failed chicken breast, without any further instructions." » Ange Macias remembers. And wonders: "But what does 'failed' mean? Overcooked, undercooked?" To save time and simplify exchanges with production, the culinary styling studio developed a color palette applied to gastronomy, the "CoWall" (for "COlors of WALLace").
"It's a bit like a Pantone color chart for food," explains the co-founder. This method allows us to anticipate visual choices, reassure productions and place food within an overall coherence, often absent from scripts, where dishes are described in a purely functional way. « We're like costume designers for food » "That sums it up," summarizes Ange Macias. Indeed, like clothing, food tells a story about a time, a social milieu, an emotional state. And while, like costumes or sets, food is just one element among others in the staging of a film or series, it can sometimes become the star. This is what the founders of Wallace discovered when cakes they had produced for the series Emily in Paris have become a trends on social media, reproduced by thousands of fans. « When we discovered this, we were very proud. » Caroline Le Touzé recalls, adding: "It reinforced our belief that we don't just make food. We have a real place on screen.". »
