Artists in the Kitchen: Outrageous Food Art

Artist: Jason Mecier

You won't find a paintbrush in Jason Mecier's studio. The mosaic portrait artist's representations of famous faces — including Rosie O'Donnell (at left), Rachael Ray, and Jerry Seinfeld — are made out of candy, potato chips, cookies, and other edible goodies.

Artist: Bob Kling and Industry of the Ordinary

During the 2012 election season, Industry of the Ordinary, an organization consisting of artists Adam Brooks and Mathew Wilson, hired artist Bob Kling to carve this bust of President Obama out of unsalted butter. The sculpture was displayed in the President's hometown, Chicago, IL.

Artist: Cosimo Cavallaro

Montreal-based artist and film director Cosimo Cavallaro works in many mediums. He's created artistic forms and installations with everything from cheese to ham to candy, but some of his most classical looking pieces are made from chocolate. This sculpture, a piece from his "Sweet Saints" collection, depicts an angel-like figure of incredible detail; it's sculpted entirely out of pure chocolate.

Artist: Dan Cretu

A piece that creates meaning through whimsical self-reference, this sculpture of an avid movie-goer is made mainly of a beloved movie theater snack — popcorn.

Artist: Shelley Miller

From a distance, you'd never guess that this incredibly detailed mural is made entirely out of frosting and sugar decorations. But artist Shelley Miller, based in Montreal, travels around the globe creating installations like the edible one pictured here. Many of her pieces are commissioned to enliven public spaces — this particular work was created in March of 2011 on a wall in downtown Victoria, BC.

Artist: Amelia Fais Harnas

Most of us think of stains as something that ruin a good tablecloth or favorite dress. But Amelia Fais Harnas turns that preconceived notion on its head, and creates truly amazing art by staining fabrics with red wine. This self-portrait, in which the artist depicts herself drinking a delightful glass of vino, is particularly intimate and detailed. Harnas used a Damiani Vino Rosso, as well as bronze powder and acrylic, to create this image on a piece of cotton fabric.

Artist: Kevin Van Aelst

Kevin Van Aelst constructs unique and provocative pieces out of a wide variety of ordinary, everyday materials, but his works in food are some of his most stunning. This globe, carved out of a common Red Delicious apple, is extraordinarly intricate. It's his ability to take commonplace objects and materials and turn them into something spectacular that makes Kevin Van Aelst's work so appealing.

Artist: Jason Mecier

San Francisco-based artist Jason Mecier — who also made the amazing mosaic portrait of Rosie O'Donnell featured in this collection — is continually coming up with clever new ways to depict our favorite figures in American pop culture. This image of Kevin Bacon is made entirely out of — you guessed it — bacon.

Artist: Bompas & Parr

It took more than 250 molds to create this Jell-O geography project in August 2009. To make their showstopping map, designers Bompas & Parr borrowed architectural techniques used to design skyscrapers and tapped into their prior masterpieces: glow-in-the-dark creations and wedding jelly molds.

Artist: Carl Warner

To create his incredible landscapes, Carl Warner's medium of choice is fruits and vegetables. Fruit Balloons and Cart was inspired by the English countryside and created for a UK supermarket.

Artist: Francesco Scravaglieri

This self-taught food sculptor could win a gold medal for patience. Just one squash in his Tempo di Zucche took more than five hours to carve using one carving tool: a stiletto Thai knife.

Artist: Jim Victor

For 30-year veteran food sculptor Jim Victor, creating the Peanut Brittle House was a piece of, well, almost anything but cake. The sculpted house has peanut brittle walls, fruit roll-up roofing applied with chocolate "cement," licorice candy chimneys, cast sugar windows, taffy mullions, licorice candy steps, fondant doors and shutters, and gumdrop, Gummi bear, and rock candy bushes.

Artist: Jimmy Zhang

Jimmy Zhang, a graduate of the Culinary Arts Institute in China, has always been fascinated by the ancient art of fruit and vegetable carving. He got the idea for this masterfully carved melon from a photo of a lonely boat with a cormorant standing on the bow. Want to learn Jimmy's skill? Check out his classes at Art Chef Inc. in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Artist: Prudence Staite

Prudence Staite's art and sculptures have featured sugar, cheese, pudding, bacon, and pizza. Sounds like a good dinner! Her famous sofa is made out of more than 440 pounds of solid chocolate. Its cushion is solid milk chocolate covered with a dark chocolate "fabric" to mirror the look of leather.

Artist: Lert Seeboonruang

Tropical Desires is an award-winning piece of food art. In February 2008, the sculpted melons took second place on the Food Network Challenge Fruit Sculpture Rematch. Want a centerpiece of your own? Check out veggyart.com. Custom carvings start at $500 and go up to $7,000!

Artist: Boudin Bakery's Fernando Padilla

San Francisco-based Boudin Bakery's master baker pays homage to the West Coast's Dungeness crab by crafting it in sourdough bread. The bakery sells a one-pound loaf for $24.95 in the store and online. Serve it at your next crab dinner.