Is a Chef an Artist?

Creating the perfect dish is similar to painting a masterpiece. For the painting, the colors of paint would be mixed together until the artist creates the right shade. Similar in food, a chef would blend the spices together to create the perfect taste. In the end both creating a painting and a dish of food would be an experience for those who are to view or consume it, the only difference is that the food can only be experienced in such a way once. The chef's art cannot be preserved in same way that the painter's is, however both are capable of leaving a lasting impression on the mind of the one experiencing it. The placement of the food on the plate for some chefs can take on an artistic arrangement; where each food item or sauce is placed intentionally to create a dish that is not only pleasing to the taste buds, but also to the eye. I would say chefs that take the time to get everything visually and tastefully perfect are indeed artists.