Culinary Art, Indian-Origin Artists Explain How Food Has Inspired Their Work

Art. It’s a pretty simple word at face value, but with just a little bit of exploration, it transforms into one of the most complex concepts available to human comprehension. The canvas knows no bounds and inspiration can strike from the most unexpected sources. Among these sources, one of the most vivid and sensuous is undoubtedly food. From succulent strawberries glistening in the sunlight to the rich, aromatic complexities of a well-seasoned curry, food possesses a unique power to ignite our senses, trigger memories, and spark creativity. It becomes clear that any artistic creation for the purpose of beauty can be interpreted as art. Perhaps that’s why food has also become an art form itself, and the study of cooking is deemed the ‘culinary arts’.

Also Read: The Visual Feast: Food In Art And Photography

Slurrp caught up with 3 artists who specialise in bringing the world of food to life in their art to find out what inspired their journey and how their memories of food have shaped their creations.

Ana Patankar | Satara/Pune, Currently Residing In Chile, South America | Freelance Illustrator Specialising In Character Design For Children's Books, Comics, Games, And More.

How did you first discover a love for art and what shaped the journey to your current style?

I grew up in a family environment of Art, Architecture, Pottery, Music, Drama, Dance, and of course, food, so more than discovering art, an artistic point of view was a norm in our house. Although I primarily work as an illustrator, I am also a trained Bharatnatyam dancer, and pottery/ceramic artist and have experimented in theatre for a bit. As an illustrator, I have explored various styles over the last 10+ years and professionally changed & modified styles as per the project requirements. Speaking specifically about my Instagram post style, it evolved due to time constraints, more than a specific artistic visualisation. I can only keep 2 hours or so to conceptualise, sketch, and finish up a typical post for Instagram. Thus, the idea is to get the pun across using a rapid sketch style.

Image Credits: Ana Patankar

When did you first explore using food as an inspiration and what prompted you to do that first piece?

During one of my India visits, a Chilean friend asked me to get ‘Kanda-Lasoon Masala’. With her Spanish accent, it came out quite funny and she had to repeat it quite a few times for me to understand. But it got stuck in my mind and as with almost everything I see around, I started to visualise it as characters. In my mind, I saw Kanda (Onion) as a typical Marathi mother, dragging her reluctant Lasoon (Garlic) son to school. This was back in November 2021. Around the same time, Harnaaz Sandhu was crowned Miss Universe 2021 and that visual led to an illustration/post called ‘Dosa Universe’ where various dosas like masala, sada, and paper dosa are competing for the Dosa Universe crown. This was quite well received with more than 1.75 lakh likes and almost 900 comments. This post started increasing my followers by leaps and bounds. After some time, I started combining Bollywood songs/dialogues and various social situations to support my food puns, like ‘Yeh Momo ke Dhage’ based on the popular song ‘Yeh, moh-moh ke dhage’ or ‘Tal Jaau ya khalu jaara’ addressing the current increase in tomato rates and ‘Chal Utare Chandrayaan’ relating to India’s recent Moon landing achievement. As of today, I have posted approximately 500 illustrated posts combining food, Bollywood songs, and social and relevant situations that have continued to be well received, steadily increasing my follower engagement and reach.

Image Credits: Ana Patankar

Are there any memories of food that you cherish and that make you feel like it’s a space you’re connected to?

Hard question! There are so many memories. I am a hardcore foodie and traveller, so my memories are all over the place. I love all types of cuisine… Continental, Chinese, South American, and Indian, of course, which itself has infinite varieties. One of my favourite childhood memories was when I had fresh fish on the Kochi coast, caught in the Chinese fishing nets, and cooked right before you. This was at least 20+ years back so I guess the experience is probably not the same any longer. More memories like Mutton Dum Biryani by my Mom, Puri Misal in Satara, Chicken roll at Lucky’s café, Panchgani, Woodfired pizza in Pondicherry, Kachori in Jaisalmer, Parota and chicken curry in Calicut, all and everything at Madras Café, Mumbai, Tunde ke kabab in Lucknow, Parathas at the roadside dhabas in Punjab, Daal Dhokli in Jodhpur, Kheema pav at Kyani, Mumbai, Naan and mutton curry in Old Delhi, authentic mutton Momos (No Mayo) at Tibetan dhabas in Manali local market, Nalli Nihari in Dubai, Lamb peka at Dalmatian Coast, Croatia, Egg Royale with smoked Salmon at The Wolseley, London, Churros in Puerto Varas, Chile and many many more. 

Have you found this to be a challenging field as an artist, and what has surprised you most about this journey?

Not really. Fortunately, my journey as an artist has been quite stable and smooth. This itself has been surprising. I don’t subscribe to the popular myth of an artist’s need to experience suffering and challenges to produce ‘real’ art. At least for me, that’s not true.  I am happy, have a great life, and have simple requirements, i.e. good food and my artwork reflects that.

Image Credits: Ana Patankar

What are your thoughts on the intersection of traditional art and the culinary arts as fields and what scope do you see for your future?

I think both culinary as well as traditional arts are interwoven elements that can be used to express our emotional states like comfort, happiness, sadness, anger, etc. Food art especially has the advantage of being visual and also something you can taste, and feel comfortable. A traditional Indian thali is a good example. A well-laid-out thali can please the eye with its varied colours, and a mix of mouth-watering smells inviting you to dive in and partake in this treasure of edible colours. I like to think that I am able to bring this feeling of taste and comfort via my illustrated artworks. One of my earlier IG artworks, called ‘Vada-Pav the comfort food’ is a good example of what I am trying to say. For most Mumbai and Punekars, Vada-pav is a comfort food and I tried to showcase this via illustrated artwork. The ‘Vada’ character is in his vintage style stripped under-shorts, lounging on the ‘Pav’ couch, the ‘Chili’ character is the cat curled up next to him and the newspapers strewn on the floor below the pav couch is the carpet. As far as my future is concerned, I will continue to travel for food and experiment with various food fusions. Good and interesting food makes me happy, which gives a boost to my creativity and visual surges.

Sanchari Bhattacharya | Kolkata, Currently Living In Bengaluru | Freelance Writer And Illustrator 

How did you first discover a love for art and what shaped the journey to your current style?

When I was working full-time as a writer and content manager for a startup, a young writer, Karen, joined my team, fresh out of college. She was extremely creative and an avid sketchbooker and would often show me her art. The best part? Her sketchbook art always had a fun, quirky, joyful storytelling element to it. It inspired me deeply and made me want to try sketching again after childhood. That was honestly the beginning. But I didn’t start to publicly share my art on social media before the middle of 2020. 

According to me, I don’t have a very distinct style yet. I’ve been asked to niche up by friends in marketing, but it has been a struggle. I love to experiment with multiple styles instead of sticking to a very strict format. But while experimenting I have certainly noticed a few patterns that recur involuntarily. Like my affinity for bright colours, especially yellows and reds and warm greens. Or my love for bold, expressive ink lines, no matter what I’m painting. These, in a way, have become a part of my style. But I’m totally open to adapting to something else if it looks interesting and fun. For me, art started as something creative and colourful. I don’t want to forget that by obsessing over building a signature style.

Image Credits: Sanchari Bhattacharya

When did you first explore using food as an inspiration and what prompted you to do that first piece?

I’ve ALWAYS found myself through food. I come from a long line of food-obsessed Bengalis, especially from my mother’s side. So, food and how we eat it, have been an overall inspiration in my life from childhood. As a writer, I’ve written extensively about food as well, be it on social media, on my many blogs (that I started and abandoned), in my own journal etc. So, I was not at all surprised to see I feel drawn to painting food, once I got relatively comfortable as an artist. Inspiration works across mediums, right? I have painted and illustrated so much food that I honestly don’t remember what my first piece was. Sorry. But my overall inspiration for food sketches has always been to simply record what I ate… be it something made by my mother or my husband, or some food from a very different culture that I was newly discovering through their palate, spices and stories. This is why my food illustrations are usually simple and relatable, they’re often very Bengali. Food has been my constant, my root, in this crazy tumultuous tornado of a life which forces us to change and adapt, every moment. So, all my food related sketches are often deeply personal. They are not just about me playing with visual interest. They are about me capturing moments of flavour and joy, they are about remembering how a certain dish made me feel. They are both about home, to where I belong, and about the world, with which I love connecting through food.

Are there any memories of food that you cherish and that make you feel like it’s a space you’re connected to?

As a child, I’d often watch my mother cook, leaving behind my homework, to see what she was doing and how. Eventually, she understood that I’m hard to shake off, and started utilising me in her kitchen, in the smallest, safest of ways. I was her dedicated employee when it came to peeling and cleaning banana blossoms or mocha (in Bengali). She taught me how to apply copious amounts of mustard oil to my amateur hands to protect myself from the sticky sap of the blossom, and then get inside each floret of the banana blossoms and pluck out the delicate calyx and pistil, to get the florets ready for chopping. It often took a looong time, but it was a LOT of fun, kind of like a lab experiment. It always made me feel important like I’m a part of something bigger. It also made me understand early on, that the kitchen is a space of experiment, creativity and colour, where every ingredient was alive and unique in nature. This insight was precious, and I hope parts of it show up in my own recipe illustrations.

There are also some of my mother’s recipes which I feel incredibly connected to. One, is a simple no-frills egg curry that is my go-to comfort food during rough days. The other is mocha ghonto, which is a relatively complicated Bengali recipe. 

Image Credits: Sanchari Bhattacharya

Have you found this to be a challenging field as an artist, and what has surprised you most about this journey?

Yes, of course. A lot of the food illustrations I make are done in real-time. So, there’s always the rush of finishing at least the initial layout of ink and colours, before the food gets too cold. You see, I am an avid foodie, and love to eat my food and paint it too! Doing both at the same time isn’t always easy.

Another challenge I often face as a food illustrator who paints traditionally, rather than digitally, is to capture the colours and textures of every item, regardless of whether I’m painting from life or from a reference photograph I took. For example, in desi food, especially, there’s of course an abundance of turmeric as well as chilli powder. So, the colours can end up looking very similar and flat on the page, when painted. That’s why, I often need to observe my subject very, very keenly, and lean into what colours my eyes are seeing, rather than depending on what colour I know the ingredients are. Sometimes, I see a shade of purple amidst the yellow. Sometimes, there’s this muddy green colour in red gravy. It requires keen and patient observation and letting eyes, rather than mind, take the lead. In this case, prior knowledge of ingredients and their expected colour can actually be a hindrance to representing what I’m seeing.

And of course, I’ve been thoroughly surprised every now and then while moving along this journey. I’ve learned a lot of interesting facts about many recipes while looking into them beyond the surface level, in my quest to find context and inspiration for my sketches.  I’ve also been surprised by the love and warmth I’ve received through my food illustrations. In fact, when I first started the hashtag #FoodPostSunday on Instagram in 2021, to share snippets of food sketches from my many illustrated journals, people started coming forward with some of their own memories and stories which was so unexpected and heartwarming. I was also taken aback during December last year because the food-themed calendar I painted and produced for 2023, got sold out in just a few days and I had to send more copies for reprint. I didn’t see this coming at all and was overcome with joy and gratitude.

Image Credits: Sanchari Bhattacharya

What are your thoughts on the intersection of traditional art and the culinary arts as fields and what scope do you see for your future?

Well, the intersection of traditional art and the culinary arts is a fantastic fusion of both creativity and culture. It offers a platform to celebrate one’s own history and heritage and to know about other cultures through a very sensory experience. Because, this convergence engages multiple senses of course, of those who experience it. Traditional art primarily entertains our visual senses, whereas the culinary arts captivate us through sight, texture as well as aroma. This unique intersection can also be used for powerful storytelling by presenting a wide array of narratives, memories and emotions. I can’t speak for everyone, but for me, personally, the food I cook for myself and others, AND my art about food that I create for myself and share with others, are both just me trying to remember where I come from and to carry and share stories about that in my quest for connection.

In the future, I would love to collaborate with restaurants, chefs and food writers to work on menu designs, restaurant décor, food events and cookbooks. Someday, I’d also consider bringing out an illustrated recipe book of my own along with stories and memories from across various stages of my life where the joy found on my plate had been the only constant. The goal is not just to paint more food that looks delicious. It is to also be able to connect at a human level to a diverse audience who share a similar passion for what they eat and allow it to consume them in return… in order to let it simmer within, in order to let it become a part of who they are.

Image Credits: Yasra Khoker

Yasra Khoker | United Arab Emirates And Jaipur | Artist/ Food Illustrator

How did you first discover a love for art and what shaped the journey to your current style?

My childhood was saturated with activities like colouring, drawing and crafts. My siblings and I would spend hours gathered around, drawing, reading stories and recreating illustrations from story books. Each of us had a peculiar style even then, for example, a unique way of drawing eyes or noses. We used to make art and send them to a children’s magazine called ‘Young Times’. One day, feeling extra artistic, I wrote a note alongside my artwork “Dear editor, Can you please title my drawing ‘Artistic Talent’? Thank you”. They followed the instructions and I was elated! I guess my interest in art came from just following what everyone around me was doing. Being the youngest, I observed and followed. What made it exciting was a weekly art competition my father used to have on Fridays where all of us would draw and win small cash prizes (I used to buy chocolate with the prize money).   

Much later, in college and after, I was still watching cartoons, enjoying them just as much (probably more). Because I come from design school, I always drew and we were encouraged to carry a sketchbook. The habit of keeping sketchbooks allowed me to discover the many ways of observing and creating vignettes of daily life. I drew in hospital waiting areas, restaurants and anywhere where I had a few minutes of waiting to do. 

I’ve always liked watching cartoons and collecting storybooks, stickers and greeting cards. I probably never thought much about collecting them then, but I guess the artwork and illustrations always caught my fancy which is perhaps why I continue to collect stickers, storybooks etc except I might have added a few more items to the list (art supplies, sketchbooks…). Also, I love watching movies / TV shows centred around food.  

Image Credits: Yasra Khoker

When did you first explore using food as an inspiration and what prompted you to do that first piece?

I watch a lot of animated movies, and cartoons and recently, began watching anime and reading manga, heavily influenced by my nephew. They have some gorgeous food-centric shots which have a fanbase of their own! In fact, many years ago, I began illustrating food after watching my tiny niece and nephew recreate restaurant and cafeteria pamphlets with printer paper, colour pencils and markers. I loved the idea and after returning home to Jaipur, set a task for myself and for a whole month, ate out and painted everything I ate. 

Children brim with creativity and they have a unique perspective on things. I worked with my niece and nephew, giving them drawing exercises and other fun little exercises to do. During the COVID years, I offered online creativity classes for children and worked with them to write stories, paint pictures and generally make sense of what was happening and to escape it. Art is immensely therapeutic!

Food illustration was unheard of then (early 2000s) and in many places in Jaipur, I was greeted by stares and general curiosity. Through this month-long experiment, I learned two things: I thoroughly enjoy illustrating food and it also helps me to be in the moment, clear my mind and focus entirely on what is before me. In a way, it is meditative. The second thing I learned was that my love for sandwiches was directly proportional to my propensity for weight gain! I carried on and sketched during my trips to Mumbai, Goa, Hyderabad, Dubai and London. 

Image Credits: Yasra Khoker

Are there any memories of food that you cherish and that make you feel like it’s a space you’re connected to?

I have tons of food memories! Growing up, my ultimate comfort food was bhindi- roti, daal vada and aalu-beans. The first time I ate Malabar porotta with omelet (anda porotta), I couldn’t believe how delicious it was- so rich and soft! One day, my sister brought home the recipe of French toast from her friend and my eldest sister decided to try them out. She made French toast out of an ENTIRE large packet of bread and I ate them all. True story, no exaggerations- I actually ate them ALL and we still have a good laugh over this story whenever there’s mention of French toast (and the time I casually sat with guests, listened to them talk and laugh while completely focused on eating the delicious nihari before me with fresh, fragrant tandoori roti. I had eaten a terrible lot that night).   

Have you found this to be a challenging field as an artist, and what has surprised you most about this journey?

I think the most challenging thing is having to deal with people who are close-minded and unappreciative or ignorant of the way a skill is developed. It takes a lot of time, and a lot of hours of work to finally be able to paint the way someone does or sing/ dance etc. Unfortunately, some people don’t get that and want to price a piece way below scale, disrespecting the artist and the craft. Also, people still haven’t come to terms with the fact that making art is a profession, you earn money and run your household through it, like any other profession. I guess with the popularity of social media and influencer culture, a lot has changed and people are more accepting of newer/ alternate ways of making a living. The same people who haggle with artists/ illustrators, post pictures of holidaying in Italy on social media.

What are your thoughts on the intersection of traditional art and the culinary arts as fields and what scope do you see for your future?

I think the overlap between traditional art and the culinary arts is great. Just as it’s immensely satisfying watching a video of someone cooking a dish from scratch and throwing in that final garnish, similarly, it’s as pleasing watching a blank page transform into a carnival of colour with meaning. They’re both a performance and when done well, are a delight to the senses. The sizzle of onions and the scratching of a nib against cold pressed paper- equally enjoyable sounds and if done together, (chef’s kiss)!   

As humans, we love to express - the study of Art history begins with cave paintings for a reason. We feel a need to tell our stories, to talk about our experiences, to share our viewpoints. A creative expression of oneself is always great and I feel it enriches whatever already exists. A picture can convey powerful ideas and force people to think. Any form of overlap of the arts holds the potential to widen our horizon as a society and make us better people. To some, traditional art is pleasing, to others, it is life-changing. Both reactions are valuable because it makes us see how art works as a catalyst in society.  

Personally speaking, I am an artist who specialises in food illustration but I am also a trained botanical artist and I paint a variety of things generally. While I’m not limited to illustrating food, most of my work involves privately commissioned food art, live food sketching for events and working with children to hone their creativity. I feel there’s a promising space in the food community to work with food illustrators and churn out some great collaborations. As long as we keep making something new, allowing people to engage with food in different ways to heighten their experience, creating a small seed of ‘what if we do this…’ ‘how about we try that…’, I think we’re on the right track!