ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – At the U.P. State Fair, an artist is creating a unique piece of work made entirely of cheese.
Although Nancy Baker is now an acclaimed professional food artist, she says she got into her line of work by accident.
“You never plan anything like this in life,” she laughed. “I started with extreme pumpkin carving, and then one day somebody waved a block of cheese in front of my face and I said, ‘Okay!'”
Baker started fair week in the Miracle of Life Pavilion dairy cooler with a 640-pound block of cheese. She has been carving away to transform it into a replica of the image below, which depicts the United Dairy Industry of Michigan’s “Milk Means More” mascot Mootilda and the dairy farmers who love her.
To preserve the cheese’s consistency, Baker keeps the cooler at a chilly 42 degrees. She says it’s worth the hours spent in the cold to achieve the final product.
“It’s taking a food favorite and turning it into something that people don’t realize you can do with that food favorite—in this case, it’s cheese,” said Baker. “It’s a great education piece because lots of dairy industry people are here. They’re here to educate about the superfood that dairy is.”
Baker plans to complete the sculpture by the end of the day on Thursday, August 15. The cheese carving will remain on display in the cooler through Sunday.
Fans can follow Baker on Instagram to see more of her work. To learn about the dairy cooler’s new cow-themed look, click here.
WZMQ 19 is a proud Reserve Champion Sponsor of the 2024 U.P. State Fair. Stay tuned for live reports from the fairgrounds throughout the week.
