Chris Yuille doesn’t do half-measures. The Melbourne-based chef and food stylist has made a career out of pushing the boundaries of edible art, crafting show-stopping visuals for brands like Flamingo Estate and Dinosaur Designs. His foray into food began as a teenager, obsessive in his pursuit of perfecting a homemade McDonald’s bun. But that singular devotion set the tone for a career that has since leapt from restaurant kitchens to photo studios, and his recent obsession with gelatine that has captured imaginations.

Equal parts nostalgic and unconventional, Yuille’s work reflects a deep reverence for the past – vintage cookbooks, Women’s Weekly magazines, and century-old bakeries are his creative muses. From capturing candy-coloured Jell-O spreads mid-wobble, to suspending an entire fruit salad in a watermelon wedge, his jelly experiments are equal parts playful and boundary-breaking.

Here, Yuille speaks to RUSSH about his offbeat gastronomic roots, his dream dinner party guests (and what he’d serve them), and his aspiration to continue taking the culinary roads less travelled.

Tell me a little about how you got into food. Did you grow up cooking, or was it a passion you found later in life?

As a late teen, I became obsessed with trying to replicate a McDonald’s burger bun entirely at home. I was kneading the most absurdly wet doughs by hand, experimenting with obscure emulsifiers and catalysts. One time I made burger patties entirely out of oxtail mince (objectively insane). I never really succeeded, but I realised I had an abnormal devotion to the craft, so I pursued it professionally.

How did being a chef eventually bridge into food styling and what you now do for brands like Flamingo Estate and Dinosaur Designs?

After years as a chef, one day a friend asked me to prepare some food for a ceramics photoshoot. I found it interesting working around different creatives, beyond just chefs. I started assisting stylists and slowly made connections. I didn’t market myself at all until very recently; every gig I ever got was through industry word of mouth. I have my peers to thank for many of my most interesting jobs.

“I spend an unhealthy amount of time fantasising about the past. Old cookbooks, old TV chefs, old restaurants. Those fantasies drive most of my ideas.”

Where do you find inspiration for your work? Are there any chefs, restaurants, regions or references that you find yourself coming back to time and again?

I spend an unhealthy amount of time fantasising about the past. Old cookbooks, old TV chefs, old restaurants. Those fantasies drive most of my ideas. Monarch Cakes (est. 1934) has a bookcase crammed with these incredible vintage magazines which seemingly no one else has noticed for decades. Flicking through Vogue Italia circa 1979 with a cappuccino and a kugelhopf – that’s my kind of inspiration. I may live to regret sharing this.

How do you think your approach to cooking and food styling has changed over time?

Food was very cool and serious when I started cooking. Like, to serve a slice of cake at a restaurant was totally passé. These days, we want simplicity and, above all, fun. Give us that slice of cake, and yes, we want whipped cream and a cherry on top. Once upon a time I’d sooner die than be known as ‘Chris Yuille, Jelly Chef’. Now, I know there are ten thousand chefs better than me. I just want to have fun.

You’ve been working a lot with gelatine lately – from green bean casseroles to traditional Jell-O style cakes. What has made you gravitate toward the medium, and what excites you about it?

It feels like the flavours, shapes, sizes and colours are limitless. The simple fact is that stuff sitting in jelly looks cool. Particularly for this generation of overgrown children. And honestly? It’s a really easy medium to play with. No one seems to realise. Jelly is putting my kids through college!

Is there anything you’re eager to try and suspend in jelly that you haven’t already?

Perfume. Pickles. Cocktails jellified in the glass. Maybe a 90s NBA Starting Lineup figurine. Or a bunch of old happy meal toys, all in a row.

How closely do you work with photographers as a food stylist? What is it like co-creating that shared vision?

I’ve never created anything of much value on my own. I don’t enjoy it either. I love it when a photographer, art director, or a stylist has a vision and all I need to do is execute the dish. Other times I’ll have a dish in mind, but have absolutely no idea of how to approach the surface, props, angles etc. Hence, co-creating is a necessity for me. I’m looking at you Stephanie Stamatis, Phillip Huynh, Hugh Davison.

“I would also like to make ice the new jelly. I just need to work out how to fit a walk-in freezer in my apartment…”

Is there a particular dish or image that you’re particularly proud of, or one that you feel most sentimental about?

I made a lot of birthday cakes for friends during COVID lockdown. I’d photograph them on the back seat of my 1982 Ford Laser on the way to dropping them off. I’ve since sold my beloved Laser, and no longer have much time for birthday cakes, so I’m pretty sentimental about that series – and those gold velour seats.

Who are your dream dinner party guests (dead or alive) and what would you serve them?

I’d host David Bowie, Jack Nicholson and Fuchsia Dunlop for dinner. Dress code: black tie. I’d serve Beggar’s Chicken cooked in clay, which Jack would smash at the table with a mallet. Something slippery and wobbly for dessert, followed by After Eight dinner mints washed down with Manhattans.

What’s a piece of advice that’s stuck with you?

Don’t try to squeeze every penny out of every job. Repeat work at a good rate beats one-off work at a great rate.

Where would you like to go next with your work?

Fortune cookies, bain-marie cuisine, Giza Necropolis but cracked pepper, re-creating the The Australian Women's Weekly Children's Birthday Cake Book. I would also like to make ice the new jelly. I just need to work out how to fit a walk-in freezer in my apartment…

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