Food, Fun, and Faces

You’ve never seen food like this! In the new book Food Faces: 150 Feasts for the Eyes, Holland America Line’s Master Chef and self-proclaimed culinary pop artist, Rudi Sodamin, uses nothing but food to craft more than 150 funny faces that he’s sure will inspire a smile.

“When my children were small, I used to make them little plates of Food Faces to make them smile,” said Sodamin. “I started to see that Food Faces inspired everyone who saw them. They always resulted in a smile. Honestly, they made me smile, too.” Each face is a work of art: vibrant in color, rich in texture, and constructed in an incredibly imaginative way.

“I spent a lot of time thinking about which ingredients would be best to use, bought them, and created Food Faces within minutes,” said Sodamin. “Whether it’s a simple humorous face or an original inspired face — my intention has always been to create truly original art pieces.” Sodamin added that he plans to exhibit his work in galleries in Miami and Europe, is working on another book titled About Face, and has no shortage of creativity and vision.

“Food Faces have been around since the mid 1500s, when the famous Italian painter Giuseppe Arcimboldo created Food Faces through his paintings,” noted Sodamin. “I was always intrigued seeing his artwork.”

Holland America passengers have a chance to see Sodamin’s artwork at Rudi’s Sel de Mer, where part of the restaurant table setting carries his Food Faces artwork of seafood. Or you can find Food Faces, as well as Sodamin’s other culinary books, on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, and other booksellers, as well as aboard Holland America ships in the future.