Chickenless Cook of the Week: Jim Victor

Feature returning after a two-week hiatus... I know, my previous one was also a male food artist whose first name is one syllable and whose last name is two syllables ending in an "er" sound. But if you can think of any other reason why Jim Victor of Jim Victor Food Sculpture doesn't deserve the rave review he's about to get, then you are a sick, sick individual.

Above, the artist is pictured with his chocolate Harley-Davidson, created for Nestle USA ChocolateFest 2003 in Burlington, Wisconsin. Here are some more breathtaking creations in that medium: a chocolate dinosaur presented at Liberty Place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; an entire chocolate-covered Jeep for an event called Sweetest Day the Jeep Way in Cleveland, Ohio in 2007; and a combination chocolate-and-butter sculpture of Milton Hershey and cows for the Pennsylvania State Farm Show in 2004.

But chocolate is only one of the various foods that Jim and his team can rock. Below are models of the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria sculpted for a Columbus Day parade in NYC. To quote Jim's website: "Ships made of Parmesan cheese, pizza dough for sails, roasted red peppers for the crosses, spaghetti for the rigging, and spinach lasagna for the sea." Playing back stories of Columbus's voyage in my mind, I can only imagine how his half-starved crews might have reacted to that description.

And if cheddar cheese is what floats your boat (har har), check out "Kids and Calves," presented at the Nebraska State Fair in 2008:

These are just a few of the pictures I'm using with permission from Jim's professional site. He will be updating within the next few weeks, so be sure to go check it out! For now, I salute you adieu along with this soldier from the butter sculpture "A Soldier's Family":

Have a great weekend, all!

Beat the eggs. Whip the cream. Show no mercy.