An artist who creates fake food has been left "stunned" by the response she's had since her work featured in the hit Barbie film last year. Kerry Samantha Boyes saw her "raspberry ripple ice creams" take a staring role in the opening beach scenes of the Hollywood hit. She makes high-quality and realistic sculptures of food for a range of uses from historic houses and museums to films and TV shows. Since launching her Fake Food Workshop business six years-ago as a kitchen table start-up, it has grown rapidly.
The mother-of-three now has her own fake food store and studio set-up in south-west Scotland with an ever-growing list of illustrious clients all around the world.Ms Boyes describes her work as "a blend of art, culinary innovation, and sculptural finesse" with the aim of "making a mouthwatering impression". The unique creations stem from a lifelong passion for creative arts and craft since being inspired by her father. She said: "I've always been experimenting with different materials and how to create different works of art, as that's what it ultimately is.
"My inspiration comes from my dad. Growing up in the North Pennines I would spend a lot of time with him while he was working. He was a joiner, but was quite creative. "I have always experimented with my work. The end result you see is after a number of trials."Ms Boyes has a background as a stonemason and a taxidermist, with replication being her forte. She bought a copy of Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management and was fascinated by the lithographs, which led to her recreate those foods in a different way.
Based in Kirkcudbrightshire, the business begun as a hobby with the creations being sold at makers markets or online through Etsy. The recipe and process for the artist’s fake food is a closely guarded secret but she did reveal painted resins are one of the many ingredients used.She said: "When I began I only had the time to make fake food one day a week, as I had four jobs at the time. "But Covid changed that, I had a lot more time on my hands and I needed to make some money. It's just developed from there."
From working on the kitchen table, or in a spare room, she has recently set up in an idyllic spot overlooking the River Dee, near the Solway coast. Ms Boyes has "tried to create a vintage store, with a whimsical mix of Willy Wonka's magic and Mrs Beeton's vintage charm".
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