Food and design used to be two separate categories until Marc Bretillot, the inventor of food design, set up the world’s first research workshop on culinary design at the Art & Design University of Reims (ESAD) in France in 1999.

Bretillot started his unique adventure that was quickly lapped by many chefs, designers, architects, and literally anybody else, that quickly started a new occupation — food designer.

This month, the French designer is giving his unique perspective on food at his exhibition Food Design at the 10th Croisements Festival held at the China Industrial Design Museum in Shanghai. Food design is a relatively new concept in China.

“It is a tool and working method for designers to showcase their ideas about food,” Bretillot tells Shanghai Daily.

“It can be related to the food industry like restaurants, and even different kinds of cultural events. We use food as a medium to show the essence of culture and the links in between. Off course, in an artistic way. But in the end, the product is for people to eat.”

Thanks to Bretillot’s continuous and innovative contribution for the past 15 years, courses on food design are now available in many schools in France and other countries.

Bretillot studied business art and design and taught materials at ESAD.

“I love cooking and found that the process of cooking is very similar to that of designing. So I established a workshop to pursue my personal research on culinary design,” Bretillot says. The initiative was an unexpected success. Bretillot then launched a post-graduate degree of culinary design at ESAD.

While Bretillot trains the next generation of food designers, he also brings his most inspiring ideas and concepts to the public through a wide variety of international exhibitions and events he has organized and participated in. As a curator of the exhibition Food Design, Bretillot has worked with another seven groups of food designers, who are all his students from France, to challenge our accustomed attitudes to food.

A projector at the entrance of the exhibition plays a video of Bretillot with four friends making and sharing a meal on a beach in the Northern France, which is titled “TAKEN AT THE F(L)OOD.” With no modern cooking tools, they adopted an ancient method to cook a meal.

Bretillot talks about the idea of the project.

“It’s about how to fit ourselves with nature and dine. Food is different from other products. It is made, consumed, and gone. Every bit of the meal was taken with the waves in the end. Everything went back to nature, disposable, unpolluted, and harmonious.

“In a consuming society like now, many designers are innovative in making products to meet the people’s needs. However, the Earth has to bear the burden of this,” Bretillot explains.

The project questions human beings’ existence in a natural environment and how we should manage natural resources in a more conscious way.

According to Bretillot, it is interesting that food design questions the act of eating in its entirety. Bretillot worked with David Edwards for a project named “Whaf” in 2009. It is a sculptural object, which makes a new cloud texture to be consumed in a glass with a specially made straw.

“David is a scientist at Harvard University and does research in the advanced new drug delivery method-by inhalation. Inspired by his scientific work, we applied the technology to food,” Bretillot says.

His team worked with chef Thierry Marx and elaborated three flavors B52, Tomato Air and Martini Classic that year. They have now developed the third generation of Whaf.

“We now have a coffee flavor for our whaffer (the name of the container in the project). After atomization, you can smell the aroma that you can’t from a liquid coffee.” Bretillot says.

He has collaborated with not only chefs, designers, writers for exhibitions but also many companies around the globe.

“Working with different people has inspired me more than a project itself. It pushes me forward. Every project is the result of collaboration. It is the people I’ve worked with that make me improve and excel,” he says.

As creative as he is, Bretillot enjoys breaking his comfort zone and stereotypes. “I don’t understand why many people only worked in their own industries,” Bretillot says. “I want to cross the border and break the barrier. It’s a great opportunity for me to be involved in so many different sectors. I can see things differently and in many ways. It’s fascinating.”

Equipped with a solid knowledge of business and art as well as passion and interest in food, Bretillot is a star for every client. He has cooperated with many leading companies in their own industries from food, consumer goods and cosmetics to electronics, automobile, and luxury.

Before the exhibition, Bretillot collaborated with French fashion house Hermes on a few projects in Asia, including Thailand, Japan, Singapore and one in Shanghai.

When it comes to the choice of food ingredients for his works, Bretillot insists on focusing on local produce. “Food is marked with its country of origin. I am curious about those ingredients that I have never come across. And of course I’d love to try. But I haven’t tried any Chinese ingredients yet because of the regional constraint,” Bretillot says.

“But it’s interesting that sometimes we think this ingredient is from this country but actually it is from another one. For example, Italian pastas versus Chinese noodles.”

Although fusion food is a popular style of contemporary cuisine around the world, Bretillot is not very fond of it. “To me, the identity of food is very important. We have a wide variety of French cheeses and wines. So I prefer to study more about our local ingredients first.”

For food designers like Bretillot, they have many ways to create a “product,” depending on what the project is for. Bretillot once created a cake for La Grande Epicerie in Paris, with the sugary syrup coating the rest of the piece at the time of cutting.

The Frenchman loves to use his body as a medium to express his concepts.

“It’s all about communication. Food is your body as you are what you eat,” he beams. To him, the process of making food is more inspiring than food itself.

In January 2012, Bretillot partnered with designer Jean-Charles Amey and editor and writer Earlwyn Covington and created a platform, which is accessible to everyone keen to learn and share ideas about food design and relevant fields — thinkingfooddesgin.com.

“We’ve integrated all the resources about food design on this website. The food design field has had a great boost in development this year.”

Bretillot says that they posted a question online: “what is food design?” They received many video responses from around the world, not only chefs, food designers but also engineers and historians. “People uploaded videos and we approved them before posting them online. But we haven’t received any from China yet! We are really looking to hear the voice from China!”

Bretillot has set up an online course for people who are interested in culinary design. Due to its popularity, it is being translated from French into English.

“It will soon be translated into Chinese,” Bretillot says.

Many people say that nothing brings people together quite like food. It unites them regardless of their occupation, origin and even identities. Food is not only for eating but can be a grand adventure led by creative pioneers from all industries. If you have similar thinking like Marc Bretillot, it is your chance to show the world your ideas.

Food Design Exhibition:

Where: 2/F, Building 3, 3000 Yixian Rd, Baoshan District

When: 9am-5pm, June 20-September 2 (Closed on Mondays)

Tel: 6117-0128, 5464-5990

Ticket: 120 yuan (adult), 80 yuan (student)