In an exclusive interview, André talks to MEGA Man about serving up complex illustrations and portraits that look as good as they taste
An ordinary plate takes a fun and playful spin into culinary wonderland under the deft handiwork of artist André Manguba. Forming a mix of ordinary ingredients, pantry staples, and colorful rinds of fruits and vegetables, André creates portraits that are quirky, creative, and maybe too unique to eat. His food art is not only memorable for the end product, but also for the process of how he embraces ordinary kitchen ingredients and transforms them. In an exclusive interview, André talks to MEGA Man about serving up complex portraits that look as good as they taste—how does he create these plates of art?
RELATED: MEGA Ball 2024 Unites Fashion and Food in a Spectacular Celebration
Dressing plates with edible art requires an expert hand and a designer’s intuition, two characteristics that André has acquired over the years of honing his artistic skill. But before the food became clay, sauces became paint, and plates became canvases, André began the usual way: with colored pencils and crayons. “In school, I would be the representative for poster-making contests; then I joined local and international competitions after that,” he tells MEGA Man. “And then I refined my artistic ability—I studied abroad for illustration and painting, then took up multimedia arts in college. From traditional, I also transitioned into digital media.”
Now armed with expertise and skill for color, shapes, elements, techniques, and design, this BLANK-year-old artist took contentment as a hindrance of progress and ventured into unfamiliar territory: the art of edible arrangement.
Art in the Eats
On André’s feed, expect to see famous figures in pop culture sprinkled throughout his feed in the form of portraits. They’re not just any portraits though; sometimes, the image is crafted from food. Think syrup, honeycomb candies, chocolates, fries, chips, burgers, chicken, gravy—anything you could imagine finding in a supermarket, a restaurant, or your refrigerator.
But when asked how he considered dipping his toes into this unconventional media, he shares, “It started as a school project for our OJT. I was working for this pasta company, and my team and I were brainstorming on how to make our advertising different. I suggested making something creative and out of the box, and then it snowballed into food art. The portrait was of KathNiel, and then it went viral.”
After several trials and errors, his food-centric arrangements eventually became one of his signature styles: “Even though it’s a different attack on art, I saw an opportunity to let my creative freedom roam free with food as material.”
Now turning an ordinary ingredient into something extraordinary takes practice, precision, and creative vision. With his culinary canvases, André is propelling food art toward a deliciously golden standard of artistry.
The Creative Impetus
In edible art, you take the idea of playing with your food to an entirely different level—André transforms what you eat into pictures of celebrities and characters. With the help of some sauce or noodles, it seems like this artist can craft anything into sublime shapes and faces.
But he only arrives at the end product with a certain method: “I have a reference photo, then meticulously draw on the plate because it’s very crucial I get it visually correct—it has to register to the audience that this is the figure I’m drawing.”
After his sketch, André shares that he would then map out the facial features, then begin putting the ingredients to work. “Then I would start with the sauce, which I liken to paint, then usually use pasta for hair. But no matter the ingredient, I enjoy the process of incorporating them onto the plate, because that’s when I get to really relax. That’s when the fun starts.”
It isn’t just about achieving the right balance of colors and textures to produce the picture. For the food-minded artist, it’s about the overall experience that drives his creative soul. “I show my dedication to the things I love by drawing them. I’m a pop culture enthusiast, so what I create will represent that,” André says. “This is how I view the world; my art is my lens. It’s so easy now to draw what’s trending and just stick to the trends, but I want to stay true to my identity and continue making art for the things I enjoy.”
Culinary Canvases
Whether that’s Pokemon, Steph Curry, Squid Game, André’s handiwork is elaborate, tasteful, and distinguishable. After eight years of practice, he hones in on particular figures and characters and molds them into a feast for the eyes. When asked what his favorite piece is, he answers, “I was a fan of Taylor Swift, and when I saw the You Need to Calm Down music video, I was so excited and I knew I had to act fast. I saw the burger and fries in the video and applied that—it was really fun, it wasn’t scary. Usually when I start an artwork, I get anxious because I want to make it perfect. But this one, I really enjoyed making.”
The 25-year-old artist also created the food art for the MEGA Ball 2024, which harked on the theme “Fashion + Food.” In creating for MEGA’s event, André describes the experience as unfamiliar: “It was the first time I did something non-portrait—just letters. It was tricky because it had to be precise, and the angles and lines had to be read perfectly. But it was interesting because I worked with new ingredients as well.”
His newest work is food art of the nation’s girl group, BINI. In reference to their latest hit single Cherry on Top, the plated canvases are made from cherries as well. Portraits of each of the members Jhoanna, Stacey, Gwen, Sheena, Mikha, Aiah, Maloi, and Colet are crafted so precisely, you can immediately recognize who’s who.
For those who want to try exploring culinary canvases, André has a nugget of wisdom to share: “Don’t overanalyze it. I planned way too much before, but I learned to enjoy the materials that I have. Don’t limit yourself to pasta and sauce, there are so many to explore and play with. Go for it—take inspiration from my art and do better.”
His Instagram can be found here.
