Inside NYC food artists mission to make hyper-realistic art you can eat: Ive got a lot on my plate

This New Yorker has perfected the art of playing with his food.Harley Langberg’s eyes are bigger than his stomach — he’s become an expert at transforming enoki mushrooms into collie’s fur, or onions to look like bubbles floating through water.The self-proclaimed “food artist” wakes up at 5 a.m.every day to craft his masterpieces, which have ranged from a bacon-maned Mufasa to Edvard Munch’s “The Scream” made out of pasta — using anything and everything you can find in the kitchen.“I have my plate and then just go right to work,” Langberg, of Midtown, told The Post.An investor by day, Langberg has sculpted thousands of hyper-realistic artworks over the last 11 years, a feat that has even landed him in last year’s Ripley’s Believe It or Not issue and a cult Instagram following.But the Manhattanite’s creations are nothing like the “is it cake” phenomenon that swept the nation — Langberg favors the savory and unique, which often means sourcing foods like sea urchin, anchovies and even an entire octopus.The Post watched on as Langberg meticulously sliced the green skin off cucumbers and baby carrots into razor-thin shavings, using the vegetables to create a jolly leprechaun in celebration of St.
Patrick’s Day.His journey started in 2014 when he stumbled upon the art form at an exhibit in the Chelsea Market.The pieces were rudimentary and simple, Langberg recalled, saying the gallery was likely meant for children, but something about an owl made entirely out of apples and bread fired him up.Since he was already in the market, Langberg picked up eggplant, rosemary and peppers before rushing home and trying his own hand at the medium, crafting an edible version of Banksy’s iconic “Flower Thrower” graffiti.
“I look back now and it was so bad! At the time, I thought it was good, now I look back and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I made that,” Langberg laughed.“But it just shows you that you start somewhere and then you just evolv...