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She’s been dubbed the food selfie queen by her followers and it’s not hard to see why!
Christy Strever from Randburg in Johannesburg has gone viral after posting her breathtaking food selfies on social media.
The self-taught photographer uses ingredients from her pantry and garden to create colourful masterpieces on her face. Everything from tomatoes and strawberries to milk and naartjies get roped in and her hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed.
Christy (37) has been recognised and followed by British chef Gordon Ramsey after tagging him in her images.
“I was totally shocked, I couldn’t believe it,” an excited Christy tells YOU. “I’m a qualified chef and Gordon has always been one of my inspirations. I was blown away when he started following me.”
The chef’s selfie journey began in 2016 after she struggled to find a job and was left flat broke. In that same year, Christy called off her engagement and one of her closest friends passed away.
“I was going through a little bit of a dip in life,” she admits.
In a bid to cheer herself up and find inspiration, Christy scrolled through Pinterest and discovered a photo of a woman posing with a pineapple on her head at the beach.
“It was just such a happy picture and I wanted a happy picture of myself to lift my spirits,” Christy recalls.
Christy, who’s now a freelance photographer, went to her local supermarket to buy a pineapple, set up her camera on her tripod and took the selfie.
“The picture just looked fantastic. I mean, it was simple, but it did exactly what I wanted it to do.
“Then I started raiding my fridge for cucumbers and whatever food I could find. I also used fruit and vegetables from my garden.”
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Inspired to create more looks, Christy, who had no experience with makeup, also bought watercolour paint to enhance the looks but this proved to be a challenge.
“When you put watercolour on your skin it disappears and cracks – it just doesn’t look great.”
So she bought some makeup, watched tutorials to improve her skills and then posted her pics. “My food selfies started taking [on] a life of their own. I started getting more comfortable and creative and I didn’t try to follow any other people’s ideas anymore.”
Christy has many favourite images, which take between 45 minutes to three hours to create, but her most memorable is the tomato selfie.
“I won an award for this picture in a creative category at the Admired in Africa Awards,” she says proudly.
She now hopes to get involved with celebrity projects to help raise money for various charities.
“I’m hoping to work with Springbok rugby captain Siya Kolisi for my Cupcakes of Hope calendar, which supports kids with cancer.”
Sounds like a delicious idea!
