Earlier this week I introduced you guys to the Lexus and Microsoft “Fresh Perspectives” project. Just to refresh, the two brands partnered up and selected 6 artists, representing the arts of music, photography, culinary arts, fashion, sculpting, and painting. Each artist was given 24 hours to create a new piece of work, sticking to the themes of “challenge”, “empower”, and “escape”. As I also mentioned, I’ve been selected as a Fresh Perspective Ambassador and have all kinds of goodies to share with you about each artist, and their unique creations before their works are fully unveiled. Last week we saw the preview video of the full project, and today I want to introduce Craig Thornton aka Wolvesmouth, an innovative chef who is always looking to introduce his diners to new reworkings of staple dishes.
Craig explained his style to us saying, “I really go out of my way to expose myself to ingredients and techniques because I am always trying to find something new to bring to people. I learn as much about an ingredient or culture and why it’s used, the way it’s used, then see if there’s a way to make it combine with something different that might spark a new way of looking at an ingredient for someone who may be familiar with it already. My cooking style is constantly changing just based off of what I can find, although L.A. has a lot to offer in terms of ingredients.”
While we have a full interview with Craig coming soon, that style and approach was on full display as Craig created a dish for the Fresh Perspective theme of “empower”. He choose to make a fake blackberry parfait, replacing the blackberries with beets, replacing the yogurt with cheese, and topping it off with a savory granola. So, you may see a blackberry parfait, but really, you’re eating something closer to a beet salad. It all fits the empower theme, as according to Craig, empowerment means going beyond what you see and what you know before making judgment.
Watch the video below to get Craig’s full take, and learn more about Fresh Perspectives here.