They Draw & Cook Puts the Art in Food Recipes

It all started with figs. In 2010, siblings Nate Padavick and Salli S. Swindell launched the website They Draw & Cook (TDAC). The duo came up with the idea during a family vacation. Padavick had been trying to replicate a fettuccine recipe with figs while Swindell was using her watercolors to paint the fruit in its crate. This led them both to realize how fun it was to illustrate food. Today artists from around the world submit their work to TDAC, making it the largest online collection of illustrated recipes.

TDAC has generously shared several recipes with Girls That Create. Take time to create these delicious dishes with your family (click on recipe images for larger view).

Jungle Critter Pancakes

by Sue Mattero (website, Instagram)

Harvest Apple Kale Salad

by Lisa Lane (website, Instagram)

Butternut Mac & Cheese

by Lisl Christie

Grandma Susie’s Ranger Cookies

by K. We

Recipe books can be purchased on the TDAC site. Swindell and Padavick are also behind the website They Draw and Travel, which is a collection of illustrated travel maps created by artists from around the world. More recently they launched Illustrators for Hire, an online global directory of creatives. Across all three sites the founding principle of TDAC is as true today as it was 10 years ago: to promote the careers of freelance illustrators.