If you’ve ever thought that your food was too beautiful to eat, you’ll appreciate the edible art pieces handcrafted by Claudia Crisan of Crisan Bakery in Albany. Crisan grew up helping her mother bake traditional cakes in her native country of Romania at a time when pre-mixes were starting to pop up. “She was adamant that we stick to the original way things were done.”
Crisan’s experience working with sugar with her mom was combined with a new passion for jewelry-making when she came to the United States to study at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Today, Crisan makes custom earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and brooches from spun sugar and sugar glass for special events such as weddings and fashion shows. Another one of her favorite mediums to work with is cotton candy, from which she’s fashioned tutus and “fur” collars.
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“My art is meant to start a conversation,” says Crisan. “Our lives are so busy we don’t tend to pay attention to the little things in life that are passing us by. It’s great if I can show them something interesting and cool that makes a positive impact on their day and gets them to think about something different.”
