Chef and artist Yujia Hu is pushing the boundaries of edible art with his sushi crafting.
The culinary creative, who works as a sushi chef at his restaurant in Milan, is becoming well-known on Instagram for the sushi he shapes into the form of popular, cult-favorite sneakers, slides, and even celebrities. (He also sells prints of photographs of the edible art, for about $25 a pop.) The proof is in the, well, sushi: anything can really be transformed into art, even some simple sashimi, rice, strategically-placed strips of seaweed, and perhaps a touch of avocado.
From perfect miniature recreations of everything from Kanye’s Yeezy Boosts to Pharrell’s Adidas, the level of detail Hu applies to his “shoe-shi” is eye-popping. It apparently can take him hours to put together one of his signature sneakers.
We know we were taught not to play with our food, but in Hu’s case, breaking that rule has only paid off. He’s not the only culinary-minded creative who has found a following online, as beautiful food continues to trend worldwide.
He also does some figurative portrait work — including of his fellow viral chef, Nusret “Salt Bae”Gökçe.
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Write to Raisa Bruner at raisa.bruner@time.com