What environmental factors influence creative culinary studies?

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to explore and analyze the extrinsic environmental factors that influence the development of culinary creativity.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses in‐depth interviews and content analysis. A total of 13 internationally famous and/or award‐winning culinary artists and contest judges from the USA, Singapore, and Taiwan were interviewed to provide the data for the project.

Findings

There is a close relationship between the creativity of culinary artists and the quality of their environment. Therefore it is important to develop and maintain a physical, social, cultural and educational environment that is conducive to culinary creativity.

Practical implications

The findings of this study can serve as a basis and frame of reference for the future planning of culinary education, the purpose of which is to cultivate a more creative mode of culinary thinking in students.

Originality/value

This is the first research project to focus primarily on identifying specific factors in the environment which have a positive impact on individual, creative, culinary artists. Having identified those factors and described the ideal “culinary environment”, some specific suggestions for the culinary industry are made, indicating how to create such a potentially stimulating environment and thereby cultivate more, and more creative, culinary artists.

Citation

Horng, J. and Lee, Y. (2009), "What environmental factors influence creative culinary studies?", International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 21 No. 1, pp. 100-117. https://doi.org/10.1108/09596110910930214