For someone who doesn’t cook, Lisa Orgler has quite a unique food blog — she would rather paint food and make dishes through illustration than slave in the kitchen. Poor Taste spoke with the creator of The Lunch Box Project to see what inspires her. She has more than 2,000 followers on Twitter and 5,000 friends on Foodbuzz but just hours after our chat, she was eliminated from the site’s Project Food Blog contest after making it through seven of the 10 challenges. But don’t worry, she will continue to feed your appetite through her cute and happy food illustrations.
Why did you decide to start a blog?
I wanted to draw more on a regular basis, and a few years ago I started a project where I kept a journal on playing cards and I actually made a collage every day of the way I was either feeling or what I did that day. I didn’t do it the whole year, and decided I needed to do this more publicly so I stick with it. The reason I decided to do it on playing cards is because they’re small, they’re easy, I didn’t have to cut a piece of paper every day, and they were easily accessible. I decided to draw food every day because I needed a subject that was easily obtainable. It was something I knew I was going to have around, and all these fun things have happened since then.
You say on your blog that you can’t cook, why is that?
It’s not that I don’t cook; I’m just not very good at it. I think for me, a lot of it is time. I don’t have a lot of time left after I do all of my other projects to devote to cooking and baking. The good news is that I’ve got all of these fabulous neighbors that can cook, and we’re lucky because they bring all these things over all the time. I wish I did have more time. What I’ve loved over the last couple of years is learning how to cook more because I draw a lot of other people’s food, and I get all these great recipes and I have learned a lot, and I’ve done more cooking because of it. I can make some things, I’m just not as good as other people.
What’s been the most disastrous thing you’ve ever tried to cook?
It seems like everything I try to make is a disaster…a simple thing like macaroni and cheese…It’s so simple, but because I’m trying to juggle three dishes and the kids and get everything done, sometimes I overcook the noodles. That’s probably a big disaster, not being able to cook macaroni and cheese…Actually, one thing I would love to do some day is go on a food tour where you can just go from one great restaurant [to] another and try all these great, fabulous recipes and learn all their secrets, because I love eating.
And then you could draw all the recipes.
Yes, and I do! When I was younger my parents didn’t have a lot of money, and I realized pretty young that were not going to have that fancy house or that neat toy that I want[ed]. I realized I could just paint or draw whatever I wanted and make my imaginary world through art. And I guess in a sense I still do that. I love beautiful things, and I love beautiful food and dishes and textiles and all those wonderful things, and I know I can draw or paint them — which is nice. I can buy a Twinkie and make it look beautiful…I’ve always been able to create whatever I want through art.
What is your least favorite food to eat or cook or draw?
Maybe it’s growing up in Iowa where there’s more pork or beef, but I’m not a seafood person. That’s one thing I just steer clear from, but I’m willing to try just about anything…
How did you get selected for Project Food Blog?
You had to submit your blog to Foodbuzz, and I guess they decide if the quality is good enough for their featured publisher program. When I first entered the contest, I did it for fun. I didn’t think I’d make it past the first or second round because I know my blog is not a traditional food blog at all. You had to write who you are and why you think you should be the next food-blog star, and I was shocked when I made it past the first round. For the second round, we had to make an ethnic dish outside of our comfort zone, and of course for me, anything’s outside my comfort zone. I made a Norwegian dessert again, thinking I wasn’t going to make it past that round, and once again, I was shocked. I’ve been shocked every time to get to where I am, and I’m thankful for every round I go through, and whenever its time for me to get kicked out I perfectly understand…
What do you think gives you the upper hand in the blogging world?
As everybody knows, it’s not because of my cooking skills. The only thing that I can think of that might make me more unique is that I communicate food in a different way. I communicate the idea of food, and the fun of food, and the whole realm of food in a different way. I could say it’s about my drawings or my illustrations, but I’d like to think we’re all here to communicate about why we love food and how we want other people to get other excited about food.
A little later that day, we find out the The Lunch Box Project has been eliminated from the contest.
Alas, the bad news is that I just found out a couple of hours ago that I did not move to the next round. This has been such a fun adventure and I was thrilled to be a part of it. It will be fun to watch the final 24 compete to the end. There are such talented bloggers left.
Do you think you’ll ever run out of ideas for food?
I don’t think I’ll ever run out of ideas. I have this fun formula I follow with themes…by picking themes each month I always have a new way of looking at the same thing. All foods are fresh and new when you look at them from a new perspective. Actually, in January, I hope to demonstrate that by using a pear as my food, then having my readers pick different themes all month to see how I can twist and turn that pear into a new illustration. Next month, I’m focusing on cupcakes. Readers will submit their cupcake recipes, I’ll pick 16 to draw, then at the end make a cupcake poster.
