INSTAGRAM STAR?

First things first – be a real Chef. We felt it important to state that right off the bat. While of course you want your dishes to look amazing for the Instagram crowd, if they don’t taste good what is the point? Even if you amass tens of thousands of followers that results in more customers or gigs – the day of reckoning will come. So be a real Chef first and make good food, then you can get fancy with your angles and lighting to become a star on Instagram.

Since its inception almost six years ago, Instagram has become one of the most potent forces in the food world: to date there are more than 180 million photos tagged #food and 93 million tagged #foodporn. After reportedly making $595 million in mobile ad revenues worldwide in 2015, with $2.81 billion predicted by 2017, it’s easy to see why Instagram is where companies are going to appeal to the eyes, minds, and stomachs of the masses.

Beautiful feeds in the foodie world are far more than #foodporn; they’re flourishing businesses. With imagery playing an increasing role in the way people consume food; savvy professional chefs are embracing this digital trend in a big way: catering to—and learning from—the “camera cuisine” crowd who zealously photograph every meal they eat. Today, the wildly popular photo-sharing app has become a huge marketing platform for chefs to build brands, tell stories, or gain instant reviews about new dishes and specials, all in a second and all for free.

Instagram Gives A Voice To Chefs And The Food They Serve

When sharing thoughts about Instagram, most chefs begin with its virtues: what’s not to like about a free word-of-mouth marketing tool for the digital era that can help build a chef’s rep and clientele—as long as the photos look good? For the chef struggling to get his restaurant off the ground in an overcrowded market, Instagram can be invaluable when there isn’t money for marketing. With an account boasting 181K followers, head chef Daniel Watkins at the Anchor Riverside Pub & Restaurant in Hullbridge, England believes Instagram is a positive thing for the culinary world.

“Instagram has opened the doors to kitchens and food, giving us all great insight into techniques, produce and plating – it inspires on a daily basis. From street food to fine dining, there are some great accounts out there to follow. If you’re easily inspired it’s a great way to pick up ideas or share your own.”

The Instagram brand promotion business is also booming with companies across the board spending between $1 billion to $1.5 billion per year sponsoring content on the platform, according to Thomas Rankin, CEO of Dash Hudson, a company that sources Instagram influencers for brands. Culinary product companies are getting in on the action too by affiliating themselves with chefs to help promote their wares and reach a wider, younger audience.

Chef Daniel Watkins 

Does Instagram help chefs create a more personal connection to their customers? I think it gives the establishment and chef more of an identity, which gives the customers a great insight into the food.

When it comes to capturing the perfect shot are there dishes that work well and some which don’t work so well? Any secret ingredients you like to use? We are very “gastro” so no fuss and no secret ingredients; just interesting but easy pairings that customers can relate to – even dishes that look complicated are simple.

Who do you follow on Instagram? Food and photography accounts mainly and, of course, Chef’s Roll.

Pork, beer, mustard mayonnaise, Apple & toast 

Presentation Is Everything

Chefs have been making food look good for centuries, but when food shots can potentially build or break a restaurant’s reputation, it seems the old adage; “We eat with our eyes first” has never rung truer. While a beautifully plated dish will inevitably always garner more attention, these days the level of artistic presentation means even a meal that may have cost $15 can look like a plate from a Michelin-starred restaurant.

While importance has always been placed on the visual appeal of food from a culinary perspective, particularly in fine dining, can a shot of a new dish posted to a chef’s account, or a diner’s, actually cause reservations to spike? Chef Daniel Watkins says it’s hard to know for sure. “We are a very busy place but as the old “word of mouth” is now social media then I would say yes.”  

Executive Chef Michael A. Langdon at the Glenmaura National Golf Club in Moosic, Pennsylvania, whose account boasts over 25K followers, also says it’s something that is hard to quantify: 

“I think Instagram could potentially have a profound effect on sales. As I work in a private club I cook for a limited number of guests, but Instagram has opened a tremendous amount of doors outside of my daily job. To gain a massive following puts your work in front of a global audience — thanks to Instagram, chefs are directly connected worldwide, and that’s pretty exciting”.

Chef Michael Langdon 

While more than a few chefs at noted eateries have banned cameras from their dining rooms, many others are well aware, and embrace the power, of social media. Restaurants like TAO in New York being a case in point where, since February Instagram-happy diners can photograph their meals atop specially designed light boxes. Even a recent episode of Top Chef eschewed scoring on taste or technical ability, instead counting the amount of likes each dish garnered on Instagram  to decide the contestant’s fate.

A recent Chef’s Roll Brand Ambassador, Executive Chef Michael A. Langdon says that he thinks Instagram is the way forward for chefs but there can be caveats.

When Instagramming, are there dishes that work well and some which don’t work so well? Any secret ingredients you like to use? For me, personally, it almost seems like I’m tied to a certain style. When you build a page, people follow you for a certain reason… maybe because it’s different than other pages. So when you stray from the original format you seem to get less interaction, which is difficult for me because I’m always changing and pushing myself. Evolving. Redundancy terrifies me and I never want to be known for a certain style. As for secret ingredients: passion and motivation to source the best seasonal ingredients, but do very little except highlight how great they are.

Who do you follow on Instagram? Chef”s Roll for starters and pages like gastroart, theartofplating, soignefood, snowcology, Chef Andy Kelly, Chef Jason Howard, Hipsterfoodofficial, tastefullyartistic, and bachour1234 to name a few.

You recently took part in our Chef Ambassador program – what was the biggest thing you took away from that experience? Being a part of the Chef Ambassador program opened my eyes to many great companies I’d never have had the privilege to work with. It’s helped forge some amazing friendships and has opened a lot of doors. It’s given me the opportunity to serve my guests some of the most amazing food that can be sourced in our country.

recent works by Chef Langdon

While a coveted Michelin star or favorable New York Times review remains the holy grail for putting a restaurant on the map, social media coverage and “Instagrammability”, where likes and comments can be tracked and measured, is now being widely considered as a new measure of success.

Are you interested in becoming a Chef’s Roll Ambassador, click here to learn more about our program.

From heavy hitting big name TV chefs to multiple Michelin Award-winners,
here are ten feeds to follow:

Jamie Oliver (4.6 Million)
René Redzepi (320K)
Antonio Bachour (315k)
Chef’s Roll (262K)
April Bloomfield (138k)
Richard Blais (118k)
Daniel Humm (99k)
Grant Achatz (92K)
Timothy Hollingsworth (30k)
Curtis Duffy (22K)

*numbers as of July 2016