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APRIL 2021 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 9 W HEN BONNIE STEPHENS was a kid she used to get in trouble for playing with her food. These days she's turned her food fetish into works of art using various items found in her kitchen. One of her most recent works of culinary art is a replica of Jim Craig celebrating the 1980 Olympic victory as part of the 41st anniversary of the "Miracle on Ice." "My son, Luke, played hockey and my hus- band and I were talking about how great that Olympic win was, how those young kids sur- prised the world," she recalled. "My husband vividly remembers watching it on TV with his Boston "Uncle Jack" and his cousins, screaming like mad. Since I am always think- ing of food shots, this was an easy choice." It took her nearly a full day to finish the Craig sculpture, which features assorted fruits, nuts and vegetables. Since time is of the essence when working with fresh vege- tables, Stephens cuts the ingredients either right before or during the setup in her home studios in Fairfax County, Va., and Wilmington, N.C. "The veggies get brown quickly, get flimsy and I end up eating half of it just to keep my studio clean," she said. Other challenges included pinning the Bok Choy jersey to a cardboard cutout and getting the legs made out of Roma tomatoes to stay on toothpicks. She also went through a lot of onion slivers to get one the right size for his iconic mask. Stephens came up with the idea of working with food two winters ago when her photography business took a bit of a hiatus. She was looking to satisfy her creative urges and since her two daughters were into yoga and she was always pushing them to eat healthy foods, it provided her with some food for thought. Her collaboration with author Joy Bauer turned into a big hit as their "Yummy Yoga" book became a best-seller in some of the children's categories. While Jim Craig is her first foray into the hockey arena, Stephens has done several celebrity sculptures, i n c l u d i n g E l v i s, B a t m a n , Dolly Parton, Simone Biles (doing the banana "splits") and Cinderella. Recently, Stephens sent a photo of her "Miracle" sculpture to her subject and received a gracious note in return. "The greatest thing about our team's vic- tory is how it has positively affected so many people in so many different walks of life. Here is a perfect example," Craig wrote. "Thank you, Bonnie, for creating this work of art." P PHOTO BY Bonnie Stephens O F F THE D R AW Virginia Artist Doesn't Have To Look Beyond Her Kitchen Pantry To Create A Tribute To "Miracle" Moment FOOD 3 U S A H O C K E Y N E W S , P E O P L E & P R O G R A M S The veggies get brown quickly, get flimsy and I end up eating half of it just to keep my studio clean." ARMS: Grapes LEGS: Roma Tomatoes JERSEY: Bok Choy LEG PADS: Blue Potato MASK: Onion GLOVES: Pecans BLOCKER: Potato STICK: Cucumber A Fresh Look at History