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Art and craft enthusiast Clare Crespo was crocheting mittens when it dawned on her that Los Angeles didn’t see much cold weather. “In a fit of weirdness, I crocheted a sushi roll,” she says. From here, a bold new medium for food design was born. “Sometimes I feel like some crazy old lady is channeling her weird crochet skills through me,” says Crespo. “I can’t crochet a sweater, but I can crochet a freeform full-sized ham.” Her explanation is logical. “For me, art comes from everyday life,” she says. “I am obsessed with food, so to me, crocheted food is obvious. I like the craftiness of yarn coupled with the concept of a hamburger and fries.” Her crochet creations (which have enjoyed their own gallery exhibitions) include plates of sushi, grilled cheese, and good old apple pie. “The food I choose to crochet tends to be simple, really recognizable, and symbolic,” she says. “I don’t do any casseroles or foie gras.” Crespo’s creativity extends beyond the crochet needle. In her past life, she produced music videos and commercials and ran a couple of production companies, but left it all a year ago to start what she calls a “cupcake nation.” This notion includes the crocheted food, a cookbook of fun desserts, and yummyfun.com, a Flash-animated introduction to some of her recipes. But there’s always room for growth, “I am seriously thinking about turning my house into one big kitchen—that’s what it is anyway,” says Crespo. “A nice kitchen with a nice chair to crochet in while the cakes are baking.” |