Why we love chef’s signature dishes

The restaurant business is a tough segment to navigate successfully. There is always a high level of competition, which is why many chefs create a dish that they hope stands out from the pack – things such as Dominique Ansel’s Cronut are the result of this pressure, combined with a chef’s own impulse to create. Once diners experience a dish, it can overshadow the rest of the offerings in the restaurant or bakery, even though there may be better items on the menu. Why do we love signature dishes so much? Chief Strategy Officer of the James Beard Foundation, journalist and author Mitchell Davis has a theory.

He writes the introduction to the compilation Signature Dishes That Matter. (The book is published by Phaidon – don’t forget that EYB Members receive 30% off by using the code EYB2.) In his interview with Phaidon, Davis dissects the phenomenon of signature dishes and explains how they fit into global restaurant culture. One reason may be location, he explains, noting that “sometimes the paucity of the local cuisine helps a creative patron chef. Could René Redzepi have emerged with a whole new vision of what Danish food could be, if people had loved Danish food for what it used to be? I don’t think so.” Davis also notes that some chefs end up being chained to their signature dishes and that it can be difficult for them to break away from their superstar creation.

Davis reasons that menu descriptions play a role in the creation of signature dishes. He notes that today’s descriptions are very detailed, but that has not always been the case. Menu writing changes over time in the same way as fashion. David recalls that “when Jean-Georges Vongerichten opened a restaurant in New York 20 years ago called JoJo; the menu just said things like ‘fish’, ‘eggs’ and ‘chicken’…What amazes me is when someone reads the menu and says ‘Oh my god this is all so delicious’. I’m like, how do you know? You haven’t tasted anything; you’ve just heard it described by a gifted writer.”