[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n NBC’s Hannibal, all eyes are on the food. Hannibal Lecter is many things — a psychiatrist, a gourmet chef, an opera fan… and a cannibalistic serial killer. Spanish chef José Andrés serves as the show’s culinary consultant, but it’s Janice Poon, a Toronto-based artist and author, who is responsible for crafting the immaculate dishes Hannibal feeds his guests. For each episode, Poon not only has to prepare lavish meals that look appetising on screen and can be eaten by the actors, but she has to do so using ingredients that look as if they could once have been the flesh of his human victims. Viewers are both tempted by Hannibal’s mouth-watering masterworks, and disgusted by the gruesome awareness of what they really are. Each dish is interwoven into the storyline of the episode, meaning Poon’s role goes well beyond set dressing. On her blog, Feeding Hannibal, Poon documents the delightful challenges of tracking down fake brains and lung substitutes, and shares recipes for her readers to cook-along with Dr. Lecter and create their own “Hannidinners”. Currently in the middle of shooting season 3, as well as putting together a Hannibal cookbook, Poon speaks to tn2 about fish guts, setting the mood, and presenting the mind of a serial killer on a plate.
Can you tell me a little bit about your background and how you become involved in food styling?
I’m a painter and sculptor and six years ago I started writing novels. I had done a bit of food styling when I was art director of Epicure magazine and was the food stylist for Nero Wolfe, a TV series about a detective who loved gourmet food and orchids.
How did you find yourself working on Hannibal?
The production heard about me and phoned out of the blue to offer me the job. I was struggling with rewrites of my third novel and thought the break would be good for me. Three years later, I‘m still food styling for Hannibal and haven’t touched my novel.
Are you a carnivore? Are you ever shocked or grossed out by what you have to prepare?
I enjoy all kinds of food and there is very little I find gross. I’m fascinated more than repulsed. Gutting dozens of trout for a scene in Episode 8 last year was pretty disgusting though. My entire kitchen table was covered in fish entrails.
Can you talk me through your sketching and preparation process after you’ve read a script?
I skim the script so I understand the tone of the episode then I pull out the food scenes. I often know what meals are coming because of conversations I’ve had with Bryan Fuller (our brilliant head writer) a few days prior. Then I think about what dishes will enhance the scene and the mood of the scene. I sketch it out and email it to Bryan and if he likes it, I go ahead.
Food is almost like another character on Hannibal. Do you try to craft the meals to reflect the victims, or to further the audience’s understanding of Hannibal?
This is exactly what I am trying to do with the food — give the viewer more information about Hannibal’s frame of mind or a silent message he is giving to his guest.
Does Mads Mikkelsen like working with the food?
Mads is marvelous with the food. He has natural cooking skills and handles the kitchen equipment like a pro. And he has a lot of input when we discuss how Hannibal will handle specific people ingredients in the cooking scenes.
Do you think Hannibal has anything to say about eating? Has it changed how you look at eating or cooking?
Hannibal is defined and motivated by what he eats, the way he eats it and how he serves it. He only eats “the rude” but not before refining them through his gourmet cooking. Whenever I’ve had a particularly grizzly ingredient sourcing experience — like going on the kill floor of an abattoir, I think I’ll become a vegetarian. Then I smell a steak grilling or a duck barbecuing and I’m Carnivore Rising again.
In season 3, Hannibal has fled to Italy. Will we see a lot of Italian cuisine this season? Are you working with any overarching symbolism or metaphors this season?
Yes, there will be marvelous Italian dishes — but also French favorites and some Asian delights. […] We are still in the middle of shooting Season 3 but I would say pheasant and escargot are going to be very hot menu items after Hannibal airs [later this] year.
What are your most memorable or challenging dishes? Are there any you can talk about from season 3 that you’re particularly excited about?
The most challenging dish was probably the Kholodets of Episode 11 last year. Anchovies swimming in a mobius strip in the gelatin above a headcheese. Yikes!
There are a lot of diabolically delicious dishes being served up in Season 3 but the one I like best so far (that I can tell you about) is a wing carved from ham that is made by curing an arm in salt and herbs.
Hannibal will return to Sky Atlantic this summer, and the Hannibal Cookbook is scheduled for release in spring 2016. Janice Poon is currently coordinating a Hannibal-themed dinner as part of the “Trending Dinners” program at Canada’s George Brown College that “teaches young chefs to look to trends in other disciplines to inform their own creativity”.
