50 Pies, 50 States
Cookbook Illustrations
Stacey Mei Yan Fong's cookbook is a nostalgic journey through Americana, inspired by her childhood dreams of a coast-to-coast road trip and her love for pie. Organized like the quintessential American adventure, it welcomes bakers of all levels to explore the world of pies while sharing her heartfelt story of belonging.
My task was adding an unexpected illustrative flair to the cookbook. I brought to life over 50 portraits, each capturing the essence person who received each pie. Additionally, I crafted an ingredient-based illustrated map of the United States, evoking the allure of a classic road trip as a charming backdrop for Stacey's culinary journey. Alongside these, I provided step-by-step crimp technique illustrations, guiding readers through pie-making with clarity. To enchant further, I designed a charming pie slice endpaper pattern, inviting readers to indulge in the delectable world of pies with excitement.
Services
Illustration, & Surface Pattern
Author
Stacey Mei Yan Fong
Purchase
Amazon . Barnes & Noble . Indiebound . Bookshop . Target
End Paper Pattern
One of my personal highlights of this project was creating illustrations of these delectable pie slices for the endpaper pattern because, let's face it, any book about pie should begin and end with it. This pattern sets the tone for the book's playful vibe, signaling that this isn't your mother’s pie cookbook.
Kind Words
“Look at this! This is beautiful because of you. You brought my vision to life & my loved ones to the page. I am beyond grateful for you. Your talent knows no bounds.” - Stacey
The Map
The cookbook's recipes are structured like the quintessential all-American road trip. Crafting a custom ingredient-based map was pivotal to the theme, showcasing iconic ingredients from across the nation – from Washington cherries to Nebraskan corn and Florida citrus. While the map displayed below lacks page numbers, the printed version houses page numbers, doubling as a charming table of contents.
The Crimp Technique
I illustrated Stacey's unique step-by-step crimp technique, ensuring that readers can navigate the overwhelming art of pie-crust with confidence and precision. Each illustration captures the finesse and nuance required for a perfect pie crimp, empowering aspiring bakers to master this essential skill with ease.
The Portraits
At the heart of the cookbook lies the people across the country who received pies from Stacey. Illustrating the portraits of the 56 lucky recipients was both a challenging and fulfilling aspect of this project for me. I had to Macgyver a cohesive collection of illustrated portraits from a wide array of photos, ranging from formal wedding photos to more casual MySpace-style snaps. By using a deliberately limited color palette and pattern, I brought everything together seamlessly.
