When Mike Geno started painting food more than a decade ago, there is probably no chance that he expected to find himself in the New York Times for his appetizing artwork. What began with his representation of a Porter House steak (one that he couldn’t afford to waste as a starving artist so he painted it quickly) soon became an ongoing hobby of cheese painting.
His fate all turned around on his birthday, thanks to a gift certificate from a friend to use at Di Bruno Bros., an award-winning cheese supplier of Philadelphia. He chose an item he would not typically opt to spend money on and was instantly hooked.
Too beautiful to eat, Geno painted the Gorwydd Caerphilly that he purchased, and sent a picture to a well-known Philly cheese blogger, Tenaya Darlington, or Madame Fromage. Sparks flew instantly as Madame Fromage fell in love with the painting and all his subsequent artwork.
Now, the two cheese mongrels spend their free time taking curd-driven tours of Philadelphia shops; Tenaya hoping to sniff out a new sample and Geno, looking for his next lacto-model. They plan on continuing their cheesy friendship and perhaps this recent recognition will motivate them to host another private show like their one in May 2011. Keep your stinky, cheese loving fingers crossed until then and if words don’t do it for you, view more of Mike’s work HERE or place an order for your own tasty piece of work.
Photo credited to Madame Fromage.
