Made You Look

In October 2020 the exhibition ‘Made You Look’ was launched. It was a visual celebration of talented black chefs at all levels, who work in some of the country’s best restaurants - yet many of them were unknown.

The creative approach was to ensure that each portrait is visually striking, designed to surprise the viewer and stop them in their tracks, with a burst of colour that’s indicative of the black culture. The aim is to prompt a reaction (“Wow, I didn’t know that”), as well as being an invitation to look beyond the frames, to find out more about these chefs, their stories, and what it has taken to get to where they are.

It was well received and exhibited at both Boxpark Shoreditch and Croydon, on Oxford Street and then at the world renowned Carousel restaurant gallery, which also had curated dinners by some of the chefs featured running through the duration of the exhibition.

Made You Look sewed the seed for what has now become The Future Plate. It was the coming together of the chefs to form a support network for each other, share ideas and collaborate. The dinner series at Carousel was the catalyst to continue to shine the light on the chefs but now added to that, was the burning passion to celebrate and showcase African and Caribbean cuisine to the world.

#wemove