For Erik Wåhlström, flowers are no different than food. In his photo series of Hotel Conservatorium chef Schilo van Coevordenthe's flower-paired dishes, the Swedish photographer captures the Amsterdam-based gastronome’s craftsmanship, revealing the inextricable relationship between food and nature, and our own intrepid palates and appetites. “The deconstructed approach comes from brutal curiosity and a cold mind,” says Wåhlström. “The flowers exist in a suspended animation. Not living, and not yet dead. As soon as you pick them out of the fridge, they start to crumble, dry and tear right before your eyes.” Schilo van Coevorden sources his produce based on season and locale, inspired by his father’s heritage as a fruit and vegetable dealer and Holland’s synonymity with the global flower trade. Currently using the summer’s crop of yellow and purple-hued flowers, in the winter he creates dishes that are pure white, reflecting the resourceful nature of northern Europe’s gastro-cognoscenti. “My favorite flower would be the rose; it’s a different experience to eat something that is usually known for its perfume,” says Van Coevorden, who also revealed his love of nasturtium, the flower prominent in Monet’s botanical renderings, as well as the fleur de cornichon, which has only recently started to be used in a culinary environment. “To have this little flowering cucumber is amazing,” he says. “It has always existed but is rarely used.”—Molly Hannon

Molly Hannon has written for The New York Times, Paris Review and NPR among others.