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After several large-scale events, such as Uprooted and Pietopia, I decided to take a more personal approach to the meanings behind food and the action of eating. The Favorite is a series of meals I am doing with an individual and a person of their choice. They can choose anyone be it someone they know, don't know, admire, love, hate, is related to, not related to, dead, or alive. I then take the design challenge to create a full sensory (all five senses are activated) experience for the participant and their Favorite who may or may not be present for the experience. The meal itself is determined on who the participants are, anything from breakfast to cocktails to a midnight snack. The aim of these meals is to explore the more intimate portrait of a community. Each designed experience requires heavy research, specific and open communication between myself and the participant, my reinterpretation of who this person may be and what they are like prescribed through the visual aesthetic, where the meal is held, and recipes that I create and/or find.

Lacy chose her grandmother, who was young even in old age. She was a sensual woman who lived life to its fullest, loved vibrant colors, designer clothing, and good wine. One of her pieces of memorabilia she gave me was an old cookbook called Aphrodisiac Cooking. In it were explanations of sensual foods, some reminiscent of certain body parts therefore thought to be stimulating such as apples, carrots, and nuts. I decided to bring this notion of food as sensuality into the cooking itself, lacing the meal with meaning. I made a carrot soup and zucchini stuffed with millet, kalamata olives, capers and tomatoes. The zucchini and carrots were both mentioned in her grandmothers book for their phallic appearance, the olives, capers, onions and garlic all have pungent tastes known to stimulate the blood and circulation. I also made a loaf of fresh spelt bread as a symbol of pure nourishment, as well as being a lovely compliment to the carrot bisque.

All five senses were activated through this meal. The tactile was actualized through a “safety pillow” I made. Created from a vintage velvet coat, rose colored satin, and a piece of animal print silk, the pillow can act as a protective shield and something to hold. I kept the pockets of the jacket in the front for your hands to easily slip into. I chose the velvet, satin, and silk for their extreme touch ability, all evoking a softness and sensuousness that is also comforting. As Lacy found herself holding it, she told me that her grandmother used to own a coat just like this, affirming my choices for the materials used.

The sense of smell (as well as taste) was evoked through the fresh vanilla bean steeping in the bergamot tea, both smells Lacy had told me reminded me of her grandmother. Smell, touch, and sound were also active through the fire in the fireplace, the warmth, crackle, and smell of the burning wood all engaging the senses. Something that I did not know was that her grandmother always had a fire in the fireplace going whenever she had people over so she was happy that I had one going for our lunch. In the background, I had my favorite Ella Fitzgerald album playing, hoping to evoke the calm sophistication that Ella and jazz tends to bring to a room. Lacy mentioned that along with a fire always going, her grandmother was always playing jazz music, Ella being one of her favorite singers.

The visual component, other than the food and ambiance, were through two screen prints I made. The prints were replicas of two of her grandmother’s designer scarves. I also screen printed an image of her grandmother from a photo of her as a young woman, onto the backs of the recipes I used in our lunch and on to the top of a box I filled with the vegan coconut fudge.

The experience was more rich and rewarding than I could have ever imagined. It is one thing to design an experience for someone, but it is another to do it for someone who’s relationship with food has been one of fear and hatred. To hear Lacy talk about her plunge into anorexia, how food and nourishment became the enemy, and the slow demise of her self-worth was as healing as it was painful. I feel honored to have been witness to this very real and very scary step she has taken towards health and absolutely applaud her for it.

I have experienced the healing powers of food, memory, and personal history on a whole new level through this meal. I have learned first hand there truly is no other material a designer can use that gets closer to their audience, than food.