Think of ancient cave paintings of horses, deer and bison in places like Lascaux, France. Now think of any number of restaurants, bars and eateries in and around Wilmington chock-full of art. For Café Chinois owner Solange Thompson and others like her, the connection is clear.

“Art dates back to prehistoric times,” said Thompson, who also owns Indochine restaurant and Indochine Express and goes by Niki to her customers. “So I’m pretty sure people have always had some kind of art surrounding them when eating. We’re just a continuation of that connection.”

Indeed, it would seem that connection, or intersection, between food and art has been studied and discussed since time immemorial. Some scholars believe, for example, cave dwellers coupled the two as part of a much larger concept known as “sympathetic magic” – the belief that the hunt could be influenced by drawing the hunted on cave walls.

But in times when saber-toothed tigers no longer lurk and pounce, the intersection of food and art seems less about magic and more about creating visually stimulating environments and cooking dishes that give patrons comfort, happiness, inspiration and the chance for a breather.
  

CAFÉ CHINOIS: ‘FUN AND HAPPY’

Of French-Vietnamese heritage, Thompson, who grew up in Thailand, credits her Southeast Asian background – with its wide variety of colors and textures – for influencing her cultural and artistic sensibilities. She also credits her father.

“My father was an archaeologist who worked in the Sahara Desert,” said Thompson, 73. “I would visit him and learn about all these different cultures.”

Those cultures, with their many, and often exotic, layers – from physical traits to dietary habits – would indelibly impact the future cook and restaurateur.

Blue, green and mauve walls on which hang abundant artwork greet guests at Café Chinois. From big and small portraits and landscapes to wall sconces with antique Japanese dolls and Oriental decorative platters, the Asian-Fusion restaurant visually stimulates from every direction. Lotus flower-themed ceiling lights hang over the bar, while bejeweled chandeliers illuminate main dining areas. Joy, contemplation and contentment emanate from this space near the intersection of South 17th Street extension and South College Road.

For Thompson, an avid art collector, the intersection of food and art is a green light for fun and happiness.

“When people come to my restaurant to eat, they feel artsy and fun and happy that they’re surrounded with all this art,” she said. “All of my stores have the twist of food with art.”

Like its decor and ambiance, Café Chinois cooks up food that’s also fun and happy, said Thompson. To that end, she has assembled a diverse menu of fanciful dishes – whether seafood, poultry or vegetarian – all punctuated with a veritable rainbow of colors. 

“When I serve food, I do it with passion and sincerity,” she said. “And I think the art helps show that.”
  

COCO PIPA: SCENE SETTING

Life partners Elizabeth Fowler and Isaac Bol, co-owners of recently opened Coco Pipa on Castle Street, also cite travel as the inspiration behind their restaurant and finding their own blend of food and art.

“I think the concept really was generated from our travels around the world,” said Bol, 29. “Those travels allowed us to take on the mindset that not everything needs to be urgent and pressing.”

This ethos is best personified inside the “smoothijuice” restaurant with a vibrant, multi-colored mural (by local artist Nugget) spanning the length of an entire wall featuring a lush tropical rainforest, complete with a sloth. Other aesthetic features include a hand-built bamboo bar and Mexican tiles.

“Our mascot is a sloth,” said Fowler, 26, “and this is very intentional. When we would observe them in Costa Rica, they moved at their own pace. With our fast-paced culture of needing to be here and there, we can become machines and forget what we’re putting in our bodies and forget taking time out for ourselves.”

The mural, said Bol, was the “No. 1 investment in the space."

“It doesn’t matter if you’re 85 or 8 years old,” Bol said, “it’s inviting for everyone. And that’s the environment that we want to create. Someone coming in for a quick meal will say, ‘Hey, you know what, I’m gonna stay here because of how beautiful the space is.’”

In addition to coconut-infused “smoothijuices,” Coco Pipa serves various salads and other fruit-and veggie-based dishes.

“This is not fast food; this is slow food,” Fowler said. “We make everything to order … so when customers wait for their food, they realize, ‘Oh, I did have 10 minutes, I did have 15 minutes just to take a breather.’”

Which, for Fowler and Bol, boils down to how food and art come together. 

“I think when you think about food and art,” Fowler said, “you’re really thinking about the way food makes you feel and how what you’re seeing adds to that experience. You’re truly able to savor the moment.”
  

BOTTEGA ART & WINE: INSPIRATION AND PATIOS

Art, poetry, music and more all have a home at Bottega Art & Wine on North Fourth Street, where the wine and art connection begins with people gathering. 

“This is a space for community,” said Addie Wuensch, owner of Bottega. “We’re inclusive of all people, a place that welcomes everyone.”

Wuensch, a native New Yorker, said that her “eclectic, bohemian” establishment has “a few hundred paintings of all different kinds of mediums.” Other art forms at Bottega include jewelry, clothing, sculpture, ceramics and even dream catchers. All of this is against the backdrop of a fully stocked wine bar wrapped in decorative bamboo.

But it’s mostly nature’s artwork – lush plants, blooming flowers and bustling gardens – that may well be one of the wine bar’s biggest draws, Wuensch said. They’re found in Bottega’s large outdoor patio, which boasts comfy seating, a Zen Garden, various sculptures and plenty of buddhas. 

“When people come into Bottega, they like to get their drink and go sit on the backyard patio because it’s full of different flowers, plants and art,” Wuensch said. “I want this space to be serene and give customers a break from the outside world, where they can relax and have a glass of wine.”

Wuensch also wants to “inspire people to ask themselves, ‘What do I like to do creatively?’ Sometimes, as adults, we forget how to be creative.”

For Wuensch, wine and art meet on a back porch.

“I think that’s what ties this whole thing together.”

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