I love a pipe dream! I would venture to say more than most, because eight times out of ten I will actually go through with whatever extraordinary lengths that need to be met to bring it to fruition: becoming a puppeteer, hiking a glacier in Alaska, seeing Mars through my telescope (which is so much harder than it sounds, it required six hands). On my not-so-short list of things I’d like to accomplish in my lifetime, tracked since 2018, I have “become a food illustrator.”
Or perhaps, it’s not even on the list because that’s how far out of an idea that is. It’s on par with hiking the PCT (Pacific Coast Trail) with my bestie; if only someone wanted to pay for my life for a few months so I can take extraordinary photos, drink rain water and reconnect with the land, one blister at a time. So far, my life circumstances have not listed that as an option, and up until last week, I would say the same thing for illustrating food. That’s far above my pay grade, one that used to stop at wirey hot dog comics and concept art. It’s because my adoration and respect for small-batch food made in America runs deep. I have a long-standing passion of buying locally made food - jams, cheeses, hot sauces and my ultimate favorite, the queen of our kitchen, honey. For so many environmentally ethical reasons, it’s imperative we all try and eat food that’s grown and made as close to your home as possible - first and foremost.
So it made it extra hard when Kat Kinsman’s article she wrote for Food & Wine magazine popped up in my Twitter feed recently, and made my mouth water in a way it hasn’t in a painfully long time. My husband and I haven’t returned to indoor dining since the holiday COVID spike and blizzards descended upon Chicago, so our dessert options have been stifled to grocery story finds and my boba tea obsession, which I’m very thankful for - don’t get it twisted, however, my life does not include nine-ish layers of ultimate flavor bliss harnessed in a mini mason jar.
Auzerais Bellamy, Founder of Blondery, has created a delectable monster that haunts me daily. I love what is said about the bakery, “Blondery reflects her passion for making the perfect blondie and making her profession a better place for women and people of color.” What pairs better with chocolate than equity and social justice? Nothing I can think of! I find myself day dreaming about the compiled textures and how the smell of the room changes when the freshly popped lid is removed. Naturally, my fixation drove me to draw a comic and explain this tiny wonder in greater detail:
There’s a special wave of pride that washes over me when I look at this comic, which is something I’m not at all familiar with (but am actively working on!). I really surprised myself by nailing this lil’ jar of cakey heaven, it’s such a special treat that it pushed me to include more layers of color and fine detail than I’ve ever done before. Turns out, I CAN illustrate food, and hope to be doing a lot more of that this year! Let the manifestación begin!!
I was tickled when I read Chef Bellamy’s bio and learned she staged (a chef’s version of interning) at the French Laundry, Per Se and Bouchon Bakery under Thomas Keller, who holds seven Michelin stars total, more than any other chef in America. Another graduate of his mentorship is my favorite Chicago chef, Grant Achatz at Alinea, where these gems were taken:
I took my mom for her retirement dinner and it was truly a trip through wonderland [gifs by Diana Maio]
What is it about working along side Chef Keller that brings out the ingenuity in these chefs who turn American classics into fantastical, absurdly delectable food fantasies? How does someone challenge another’s creativity to reach far beyond thinking “outside the box” and reinvent the way we approach familiar flavors? It seems there’s something in the water at The French Laundry, which, btw, is on my list of life accomplishments and I cannot wait to scratch it off the list.
Be well,
Allyson