The Hague artist Anat Ratzabi has begun running workshops teaching participants how to create edible sculptures using melted chocolate. She turned to the material years ago as an alternative to bronze, which is expensive to work with.
Ratzabi is known locally for creating the Jewish monument on Rabbijn Maarsenplein and specialises in portraiture. She has also appeared on television programmes including Huis en Tuin and Doorbakken.
Casting Dutch icons in chocolate
Participants cast chocolate into moulds made from Ratzabi’s original clay sculptures. Available designs include Vincent van Gogh, the Girl with a Pearl Earring, King Willem-Alexander, and Queen Maxima.
During the session, attendees paint melted chocolate into the moulds, fill them, and tap out air bubbles before chilling them in a refrigerator. Once set, the figures are finished with edible bronze powder to create the look of a metal bust.
Alternative styles and pricing
Another version of the workshop uses white chocolate, which participants finish using edible blue paint. Finished works are packed into boxes for attendees to take home.
Workshops run at various locations across The Hague and cost 68 euros per person, which covers materials along with lunch or dinner and drinks. Custom chocolate portraits made from photographs are also available directly from the artist.
