Pastry chef Caitlin Williams Freeman has been getting a lot of well-deserved attention lately for the fun and arty desserts that she's been serving up at the Blue Bottom Coffee Bar, part of San Francisco's Museum of Modern Art. Freeman, a former co-owner of the lovely Miette in SF, brings artwork to the kitchen by creating sweet treats that are inspired by the work of famous artists. On the Blue Bottom menu, you'll find intriguing items like the Katharina Fritsch Ice Cream Sandwich and the Mondrian cake. I really love Freeman's creative way of looking at art and food and her ability to tie together the cafeteria with the museum in a totally unique way. That said, I'm really excited about the fact that artist Wayne Thiebaud's yummy cake paintings have finally been brought to life!
Wayne Thiebaud is a California artist best know for his paintings of everyday objects and is particularly famous for his mouth-watering pictures of cakes, pies, and other sweets! I think Michael Kimmelman summed it up best when he wrote in the New York Times in 2001 that "If the world were a perfect place, the Wayne Thiebaud retrospective that has just opened at the Whitney Museum would be nailed to the walls for good and we would be free to stop by whenever we needed to remind ourselves what happiness feels like." I hope Freeman utilizes more of Thiebaud's work in the future. How could she not? There's just so much deliciousness to work with!
For more about Freeman's desserts, click here. You can also check out Megan's version of Freeman's Mondrian cake over at Feasting on Art, right here.[photo from the Blue Bottom Cafe by KQED SPARK.]