Inside NYC food artist’s mission to make hyper-realistic art you can eat: ‘I’ve got a lot on my plate’
This New Yorker has perfected the art of playing with his food.
Harley Langberg’s eyes are bigger than his stomach — he’s become an expert at transforming enoki mushrooms into collie’s fur, or onions to look like bubbles floating through water.
The self-proclaimed “food artist” wakes up at 5 a.m. every day to craft his masterpieces, which have ranged from a bacon-maned Mufasa to Edvard Munch’s “The Scream” made out of pasta — using anything and everything you can find in the kitchen.
“I have my plate and then just go right to work,” Langberg, of Midtown, told The Post.
An investor by day, Langberg has sculpted thousands of hyper-realistic artworks over the last 11 years, a feat that has even landed him in last year’s Ripley’s Believe It or Not issue and a cult Instagram following.
But the Manhattanite’s creations are nothing like the “is it cake” phenomenon that swept the nation — Langberg favors the savory and unique, which often means sourcing foods like sea urchin, anchovies and even an entire octopus.
The Post watched on as Langberg meticulously sliced the green skin off cucumbers and baby carrots into razor-thin shavings, using the vegetables to create a jolly leprechaun in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day.
His journey started in 2014 when he stumbled upon the art form at an exhibit in the Chelsea Market. The pieces were rudimentary and simple, Langberg recalled, saying the gallery was likely meant for children, but something about an owl made entirely out of apples and bread fired him up.
Since he was already in the market, Langberg picked up eggplant, rosemary and peppers before rushing home and trying his own hand at the medium, crafting an edible version of Banksy’s iconic “Flower Thrower” graffiti.
“I look back now and it was so bad! At the time, I thought it was good, now I look back and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I made that,” Langberg laughed.
“But it just shows you that you start somewhere and then you just evolve and hopefully you get better and better, which I did with practice.”
From that moment, Langberg was on a roll. He’s since sculpted thousands of pieces, a process he said is as simple as choosing a reference photograph and heading to the grocery store.
The key to making hyper-realistic edible artworks is zeroing in on the right texture, which usually means finding unusual and exotic ingredients.
Langberg has used some outlandish components in his pieces — though almost all utilize mashed potatoes as a base.
“I love to find ingredients that have really cool texture, really cool color that will add a lot of volume and dimension to the piece. My favorite type of art, even when I was little, was always mixed media because I felt it was very cool and very different and you can use all different types of ingredients,” Langberg explained.
Ironically, though, Langberg didn’t catch the artist bug until he was introduced to food art.
“I can make realistic animals with mashed potatoes, but I can’t use a pen or pencil and draw something. It’s very strange,” Langberg said. “I think my 4-year-old daughter’s better.”
Langberg’s artwork is a feast for the eyes as well as the belly — the artist repurposes every ingredient, whether it be for another art project or for his family’s dinner.
Not only is it sustainable or cost-saving, but it’s imperative for time-saving. Despite the widespread success of his edible artistry, Langberg continues to work a full-time job as an investor and as a dad raising his young daughter.
“I’ve got a lot on my plate,” Langberg said without an ounce of irony.
