National Food Faces Day 2023: Date, History, Facts, Activities

National Food Faces Day is celebrated annually on April 6. The day was created to honour Chef Rudi Sodamin’s work as a food-face artist, as well as his birthday, which occurs on the same date. Chef Sodamin, the Master Chef of the Holland America cruise line, came up with the idea of creating food faces as a way to entertain his team. A number of years later, he published his coffee table book entitled “Food Faces,” in which he compiled the photographs he had taken of them. It featured over 150 illustrations of his edible characters, each of which was constructed from foods such as vegetables, fruit, meats, fish, grains, and sweets.

The background of National Food Faces Day

The Holland America Line was founded in 1873. It was founded in the Netherlands and operated as a Dutch shipping line from 1873 to 1989, transporting passengers, cargo, and cruise passengers between the Netherlands and North America. In 1895, Holland America Line offered its first vacation cruise, and in 1910, it offered its second vacation cruise, from New York to Palestine.

Holland America Line ceased transatlantic service in the late 1970s, following the expansion of transatlantic jet aviation travel, and was acquired by Carnival Corporation & plc in 1989, becoming an American-owned cruise line. Today, they have a fleet of ships that visit over 470 ports in 98 different countries.

Chef Sodamin has 35 years of experience in the culinary industry and is the Master Chef for Holland America Line. He began creating culinary faces for the Holland America Line in 2005 and has done so for several years. His artwork has been published and has received numerous social media ovations. In 2018, his book “Food Faces” was published.

Rudi’s Sel de Mer, the restaurant of Chef Sodamin, is located on two Holland America Line ships. At dinner onboard the cruise ships, guests can meet the food-faces characters and savour the chef’s whimsical creations served on special plate chargers. For a colourful evening, each one features a distinct character from the book.

NATIONAL FOOD FACES DAY ACTIVITIES

Create expressions on your food

Create original characters. Utilize imagination in the kitchen!

Read “Food Portraits”

Read “Food Faces” or one of Chef Sodamin’s other volumes. It will be a wonderful source of inspiration.

Organize a Food Faces Dinner Party.

Gather your companions for a Food Faces dinner party. Create your own food expressions for each and every meal.

5 FACTS REGARDING THE CULINARY ARTS

France was the birthplace of fine dining, which eventually expanded to England and the United States.

In 1879, the first American culinary school opened in Boston.

Amelia Simmons’ “American Cookery” was the first documented American cookbook.

The earliest cookbook was inscribed on clay tablets and dates back to 1700 B.C.

Chopsticks were originally used for cooking, not dining.

NATIONAL FOOD FACES DAY DATES

Year	Date	Day
2023	April 6	Thursday
2024	April 6	Saturday
2025	April 6	Sunday
2026	April 6	Monday
2027	April 6	Tuesday