An interdiciplinary a/r/tographic inquiry based on the experiences of gastronomy and culinary arts students with a background in art education

Today, beyond being a basic need, nutrition has undergone a transformation in which visually appealing food presentations are increasingly preferred, driven by the discovery of new methods of presentation. The expanding use of digital technologies and mass communication tools has brought the visual aspect of food into greater prominence. In this context, a study was designed to investigate the creative processes of Gastronomy and Culinary Arts students as they prepared plate presentations, while also incorporating the researcher's own subjective inquiries and learnings. The research includes the Plate Design course offered in the fall semester of the 2021-2022 academic year, the My Dream on a Plate workshop held in the spring semester of the same academic year, student opinions and the researcher's subjective inquiries about the whole process. The study involved 10 student participants. The findings of the research, conducted using the a/r/tographic method, were analyzed through thematic analysis, with emphasis placed on rhizomatic relationships and their contextual interpretations. Through questioning and experiencing the creative processes related to the implementation processes and the relational interpretations of the elements involved in these processes, the results of the themes of "Plate Design Lesson", "My Dream on a Plate Activity" and "Researcher's Interpretations of the A/r/tography Process" were reached.