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Chef Daksha Salam shares his recipe for creating the most fabulous tablescapes
When it comes to the festive season we all have different rituals, but the one thing that remains common is celebrating together. Whether you host boardgame evenings or wine and cheese nights, some of the best memories are made with friends and family at home. “Watching my loved ones appreciate and eat the food that I make, that’s something I love,” says Daksha Salam, a chef from Imphal, Manipur, whose love language is not only limited to hosting, cooking and feeding people but also translates to table styling.
Having grown up in Assam, Daksha is a textile graduate from the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad and has predominantly worked in the field of textile, illustrations and food scaping. His professional experience also includes his role as a textile designer and stylist for Raw Mango where he worked for about five years. He has recently moved to Bangalore to focus on food. He works at Nari & Kage as the resident baker, a fromagerie started by his sister Kathrina and her partner Benjamin. Daksha styles a table for us in this cheese shop and shares his process and pointers on setting up a beautiful table for your loved ones this festive season. Edited excerpts from the interview:
Daksha Salam (DS): Honestly what I like most about the tablescape experience is eating with our eyes first, that’s something that I always prioritise. I let my table be informed by the food that everyone will consume. So, a lot of my tables have more than just flora, it also has a lot of vegetables in it that you ultimately use. My design philosophy is really intuitive.
DS: It goes hand in hand. Tablescape depends on the food that I would be preparing. When I cook my local food, I let the dishes speak for themselves. I don't try to go over the top with arrangements. But let's say for a grazing table, where you can incorporate the grazing part of the food and as well as the tablescape, then I let them overlap in those situations. Also knowing what goes behind in the kitchen helps me translate it onto the table. Like what should go first on the table depends on what can remain fresh. For example, cheese is delicate and can sweat in the humid climate of India, so it’s ideal to bring it afterwards.
DS: A lot of my menu, food and tablescaping is informed by where I am from. It is an ode to my hometown in Manipur. A lot of times I start my tablescaping process at six am. I go to the local mandi, I see what’s available and then start by sourcing fresh produce. I come to the setup location, where it's just me and the table, zone out of everything and start creating. Every time my table setup looks different because it depends on what I find that day in the local market. I don't like to write and plan out what's going to come on the table, because if things don’t go the specific way, it really puts me off. I also work a lot with cheese, where I set a grazing experience on the table. All in all, I love seeing the table coming together from different elements.
DS: One element that you would definitely find in all my table stylings is the use of fruits and vegetables. I think it's important to highlight them, because after you are done with your event, they can be consumed. I can’t say the same about flowers, because though they look pretty, after using them you end up throwing them.
One of the other main elements that I play with is colours. I keep a green base for its lushness with pops of colour onto it. A lot of times, I add a centrepiece around which the table setup is focused. It is important to incorporate a certain language to the table. I also add a few subtle elements like smaller flowers to help mask little spaces and certain elements of drama to provide height and movement.
DS: I would say clean as you work. Most of the time you are so busy that you don’t realise the mess you are making, so have a big bin beside you while cutting your flowers and vegetables. Take a step back and look at what's happening, let your intuition guide you.
Personally, I prefer having a smaller gathering of less than 10, especially when you are cooking and having a sit-down meal. Because when you are sitting down for a meal, you don’t want to keep a tall table scape. It is best to spread it out, allowing everyone to have eye contact while facing each other. For a larger crowd, a grazing table works best. It allows people to flow around, have conversations and enquire about what's placed on the table. When everyone is standing and walking around, I play with height and incorporate drama to keep the table interesting.
DS: I will have to credit Covid the pandemic for the increase in hosting at home, because that’s when we all started looking inwards, became home bodies and realised that we can really have a good time at home. Whenever we have a get-together planned, my first instinct is to do it at home. I will be more than happy to volunteer and host. Home creates an intimate space for conversations with friends especially if meeting after a long time. I like to cook them food that I have grown up eating or make them try new culinary experiences. Watching people appreciate my work and loved ones eating the food I make, is something that makes me really happy. I recommend people to muster up the courage and start hosting. You don’t always have to cook the meals, there’s no shame in ordering food and hosting with that. It’s the idea of being together on a table in your own private space.
All images by Anand Rama Krishnan
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DEC 2023
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17 Oct 23, 03.00PM - 04.00PM