A new photo series, "From MRE to Michelin," shows the transformation of the staple of any military's diet, the dreaded Meal Ready to Eat, or MRE, into a meal that could be served at a high-end restaurant.
The series was created through a collaborative effort between New York chef Chuck George, videographer, Jimmy Pham, and food photographer Henry Hargreaves.
"With this project we wanted to re-imagine the meals and plate in a manner of a Michelin-starred meal," Hargreaves told Military Times. "In essence, taking the worst food, provided to the bravest people and visually elevate it as if it were being served in one of the world’s most revered restaurants."
The photographs show the bland vacuum-packed packages next to the gourmet-style result — delicate, beautifully plated meals that would not be visually out-of-place in a 5-star restaurant.
"Military meals are not something that ends up in the public eye. We wanted to reveal some of this, and compare how various armies feed their troops," Hargreaves told the Daily Mail. "You can tell a lot about how valued someone is by the food they are given."
Rachel Rakoff contributed to this story.
Rachael Kalinyak is an editorial intern with Network Solutions.
