Eating With Our Eyes: The Media’s Recipe for Modern Food Culture

In a conversation with Patricia Fernández, director of MasterChef Spain, we explore how food culture is evolving in a world increasingly dominated by media and visual storytelling. As society places greater emphasis on aesthetics, what transformations might gastronomy and hospitality undergo in the years ahead?

Today, food exists just as much – if not more – for the eyes as it does for the palate. As perfectly presented dishes are increasingly photographed and shared on social media, meals have become a spectacle. More and more, dishes have become characterised by visual elements that influence cultural hierarchies through perceptions of authenticity and desirability. In this landscape of media-driven gastronomy, food has moved beyond its primary role of nourishment to become a cultural commodity, mirroring broader societal shifts and shaping cultural identity. However, food taking over our screens is not a 21st century novelty, nor is it limited to social media platforms.

Before content creators on social media started thriving by posting restaurant reviews and trying viral recipes, and even before the very first food bloggers took the internet by storm in the late 90s, there was MasterChef. Today, as foodie influencers have established themselves as a key element of our (social) media landscape, MasterChef still stands strong. Originally produced by the BBC, the talent show premiered on 2 July 1990, ran for 11 years, and was then reprised in 2005. Slowly but surely, with more than 60 countries having their own adaptations, it has grown into the worldwide phenomenon it is today.

Particularly interesting is the case of MasterChef Spain, which has consistently been one of the country’s most successful TV shows since its first edition aired in 2013. Its popularity is hardly surprising, given that gastronomy plays a central role in shaping Spain’s cultural identity, making the culinary talent show a perfect blend of contemporary storytelling and representation of cultural heritage. A total of 38 seasons have been produced, and a new one is currently in the works and set to be released in 2026, featuring notable changes from previous editions. Long-term judge Samantha Vallejo-Nájera has left the show, and her role will be assumed by content creator DeliciousMartha, who has been tasked with bridging the worlds of television and social media to attract a younger audience.

Against this backdrop of continuity and transition, I spoke with Patricia Fernández, director of MasterChef Spain. Having overseen the show for a decade, she knows a thing or two about shifts in viewer expectations and the evolution of food culture in this age of appearances: “When we started the show, social media was not as popular as it is now, so contestants simply wanted to cook. Today, it’s very different because they are all looking to build a personal brand they can exploit after they leave the show and start working in the field”. According to Patricia, approximately 80% of contestants ultimately work in hospitality, whether as chefs, restaurant owners, or food critics. In light of this highly competitive and crowded environment, social media has become an unparalleled tool for self-promotion in the pursuit of success within the industry.

Although most participants recognise the importance of cultivating a strong social media presence to ensure success in their future careers, some focus solely on becoming social media sensations, which is far from the show’s intended purpose. Patricia explains that, in one of the junior editions, a young participant fell to the floor and, even before getting up, immediately asked the Editing Team to create memes and edits of her because she wanted to become famous online. “It made us all laugh, but it’s when something like that happens that you can truly see how much the world has changed in the past 13 years and how far MasterChef’s influence on pop culture has reached”, she says, “and it goes beyond our contestants; chefs have also grown to become celebrities through collaborating with us”. She’s not wrong. Figures such as Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay, and Dabiz Muñoz, once confined to kitchens and cookbooks, have become celebrities who appear on social media feeds just as often as actors or musicians. This emerging cult of personality has shifted the restaurant industry’s focus from the establishments themselves to the chefs. While in the past restaurants were recognised and admired as independent entities, nowadays chefs’ names are closely linked to their businesses, and the responsibility for advertising rests with them.

When asked whether this constant exposure to cameras could eventually influence how cooks prepare their meals, Patricia was inclined to disagree. She argued that if chefs focus solely on the visual aspect of a dish, they’ll create works of art that are bland and inedible, and, as such, are unlikely to be taken seriously. However, she recognises the importance of aesthetics in chefs’ creative process as a whole: “making a dish pleasing to look at is crucial because, even though food is meant to be eaten, before it reaches our mouths, we’ve already eaten it with our eyes”. She also highlights the extent to which trends shape gastronomy and how these trends often go hand-in-hand with the overall state of society. “Today it’s all about tradition and going back to classic flavours and dishes”, she notes, “making use of liquid nitrogen and spherification techniques is no longer in fashion”. These shifts toward nostalgia, sustainability, and conservatism are evident not only in the dishes being made but also in audience expectations, reflecting how broader social values can shape contemporary food culture. In this sense, gastronomy functions not merely as a form of entertainment and sustenance, but as a mirror of collective anxieties, aspirations, and cultural background.

The impact of social media and trends on hospitality and gastronomy is undeniable, as recipes become overnight sensations through viral TikTok videos (baked feta pasta, spicy salmon rice bowls, Dubai chocolate…) and Instagram-famous restaurants prioritise visibility at the expense of affordability. However, despite these changes, Patricia remains firm in her belief that certain values should guide industry developments: “what really matters is democratising gastronomy, because food is not a luxury item and should never be one”. Her statement raises important questions about who gets to participate in contemporary food culture and who is left behind. In an era in which culinary experiences are increasingly curated for online environments and exclusivity often serves as a marker of prestige, her stance serves as a reminder that food’s primary purpose lies not in status or spectacle, but in accessibility, nourishment, and shared cultural meaning.