Out & About | Arts & Culture
Beauty and Taste Locally crafted and totally edible fruit, vegetable, and herb bouquets By: Caroline R. Freeman Photos: Olesya Redina
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Texan by way of Russia, Julia Prokhorova is creating art from the ground up. Her ever-growing business, Wild Veggie Bouquets, specializes in using fresh produce to create works of art. Two-and-a-half years ago, Prokhorova moved from Saint Petersburg, Russia to the US. An avid traveler, she is inspired by her visits to other countries. She explains, “In my travels, I always keep an eye on various ideas I may improve upon. So when a couple years ago I saw a bouquet made of vegetables, I fell in love with the concept.” In her native Russia, due to trading restrictions and very few farmers, it was a challenge to find fresh supplies for her bouquets. When Prokhorova moved to Corpus Christi and saw the rich variety of fruits and vegetables at local grocery stores and organic markets, she gave new life to her idea of vegetable bouquets. Prokhorova holds a Masters Degree in Biology and worked several years for a molecular biology laboratory doing her PhD research. Her education and background in biology and nutrition was the
“The support of my family is very important. We are always afraid to fail at the very beginning, but if we don’t try, we won’t know the result.”
base for developing Wild Veggie Bouquets. Though Prokhorova has never seen herself as an artist, she has always been inspired by 17th century still-life paintings by artists such as Jan Davidsz. de Heem. She remembers, “My grandparents had a paper print of one of his still-lifes on the wall in their village house. I spent a lot of time admiring it.” Prokhorova began participating in local farmers markets. She’d bring a table, a few vases, fruit, vegetables, and herbs. “By the end of market, I would have a few bouquets made. It’s not just a sale thing but a process people liked to watch,” Prokhorova says. She realized the combination of possibilities was infinite. “My goal was to create a work of art that was completely edible,” says Prokhorova. Wild Veggie Bouquets are customizable and feature vegetables, fruits, flowers, herbs, and even macarons. The local community is very supportive, and Wild
HER PROCESS 1. Ensure there is no damage: any indentation or bruise. If there are any, it means it's a start of the end for this fruit. Tomorrow it will get worse! And Prokhorova wants to be sure her clients can enjoy the beauty of an arrangement longer. 2. Usually she doesn't need super-sized samples, as vegetable bouquets are heavier than flowers, but she can use bigger units for her athletes and fitness clients. 3. Now once she’s certain the fruit is fresh, Prokhorova checks if its esthetic features are valuable. She looks for fruits with more than one color - she likes pinky apples with green sides or yellow-green, black plums with a pink bottom, white and pink peaches and so on. Of course, for some fruits, it's impossible. Granny Smith apples will be green no matter what, but when it is possible, she'll choose a colorful one.
Veggie Bouquets have become popular birthday gifts and wedding decorations. They’re even opening a franchise in Atlanta, Georgia. “I am always open for new challenges and never say ‘no’ to my customers. I want to try new things. It inspires me,” adds Prokhorova. Instead of oil paints, Julia Prokhorova uses the often overlooked beauty of fruits and vegetables at your local market to create exquisite art, truly reminiscent of the masters. facebook.com/WildVeggieBouquet wildveggiebouquet@gmail.com
68 The Bend
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