Zenith (noun): the time at which something is most powerful or successful.

So…why exactly is this moment of my life when I am “most powerful”? After two years of Freestyle assignments, deadlines, and learning initiatives, we have finally reached the end. And that is what this project represents, a culmination of the skills we have acquired, the ideas we have fostered, and the individuality we have outlined.

Food Photography

My Zenith project was a combination of food photography and styling, restaurant design, and management. Partnered up with fellow design student Ellie Schwarz, we decided to create a restaurant “mock-up,” consisting of a menu, logo, brand, and a photo collection of the dishes we are “serving.”

The dishes featured in our project are mainly inspired by cultural influences: my Mexican heritage and my partner’s Israeli heritage, as well as Californian cuisine. All of this made for a nice fusion extravaganza.

With this project, I wanted to advocate for cooking as an art form. And whether it consists of our pan-fried shakshuka, buñuelos, or black-sugar matcha boba, I also wanted to showcase the importance of plant-focused eating. A lot of our recipes are vegetarian or plant-based, with the intent of communicating that plant-focused eating can be delicious, accessible, and something people shouldn’t be afraid of.

“The diversity of our recipes represents Freestyle as a whole”

The diversity of our recipes also kind of represents Freestyle and this area as a whole- It’s so diverse in every single way, and we really wanted to embody all of that.

Our final project