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 to add an unexpected illustrative touch to the cookbook. I created over 50 portraits, each capturing the essence of the person receiving their pie. I also designed an ingredient-based illustrated map of the United States, evoking the charm of a classic road trip as a backdrop for Stacey's culinary journey. To guide readers, I crafted step-by-step crimp technique illustrations, making pie-making feel effortless. And for a final touch of whimsy, I illustrated a pie slice endpaper pattern to bookend the experience.
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 illustrating 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 Illustrated Map
The cookbook’s recipes are structured like the quintessential all-American road trip. Illustrating an ingredient-based map was key to the book’s theme, highlighting iconic ingredients from Stacey’s recipes—from Washington cherries to Nebraska corn and Florida citrus. While the map below lacks page numbers, the printed version includes them, doubling as a charming table of contents.
Technique Illustrations
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.
Portrait Illustrations
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 cohesion to the portraits.
