The Food Art of Naomi Nissley

Today as I worked on the task of Casserole Perfection, I pulled out my copy of the legendary Mennonite culinary source - The Mennonite Community Cookbook. Turning to the "Cheese, Egg, and Casserole Dish" chapter, I immediately noticed the small, detailed drawing framing the title at the top of the page - a cheese cloth hanging from a tree branch, dripping every so slightly onto the Dishes. 

How sweet! It was beautiful and shined of a skilled artisan... How had I not noticed this before? The cover of the book obviously has some great work, but the interior had never caught me. So I flipped through the whole book and marveled at the drawings! Now I'm no art critic, but this artist is clearly wonderful... I just had to share a few!

A teapot in the "Bread" chapter. The intricate details are amazing. 

The Mennonite artist is Naomi Nissley and a quick google search told me this cookbook was Naomi's most popular published work. (Though this piece she wrote certainly sounds interesting.) According to the online Mennonite encyclopedia, she is from Pennsylvania and is, in fact, a serious, well-trained, accomplished printmaker-painter. Her work has appeared at Harvard, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the University of Pennsylvania. You must buy this book and have the collection!

Modern cookbooks are filled with vivid photography, portraits of stunning dishes taken to stimulate your palate and make you want to cook that exact dish. My own photography of food seeks to do the same, but also to tell the story of its making.

But rarely do we see cookbooks today that feature printmakers or other kinds of artists to show a particular culture's art and foodways. It's yet another reason The Mennonite Community Cookbook is a cultural icon.

The drawing above struck me especially as it seemed to tell a lovely little story like... 

"YES! My love is home!" 

Or maybe, "Oh great! The Millers have arrived for dinner!" 

Or maybe, "Holy Crap! The Millers have arrived for dinner early! Quick... hide the television!" 

Nissley grasps the work of flora and fauna with such authority and precision. The drawing below which is in the "Pastry, Pies, and Tarts" chapter (clearly) includes the most adorable of poultry figurines, which I thought rounded it out perfectly. Plus I love poultry figurines.

I bet some Mennonite somewhere has this for a tattoo. Rightly so! 

I want those dishes!

I included the one above because I'm hoping someone can fill me in on what in the world that thing is the woman is holding. I'm baffled and intrigued!

Now back to my casserole...