Starting today, September 26, the USPS is offering its Celebrity Chefs Forever stamp collection. Five chefs who contributed immensely to American food and culture are honored: James Beard, Julia Child, Joyce Chen, Edna Lewis, and Felipe Rojas-Lombardi.
Art direction and design was done by Greg Breeding, who has designed many of the most recent USPS postage stamp releases since 2011. The digital illustrations of the chefs as depicted on these stamps were created by world-renowned illustrator Jason Seiler.
These five stamps come together in a single pane of 20, and according to Linns Stamp News, the selvage area features “a photograph of a large plate set on a white linen tablecloth.”
The USPS isn’t the only postal service worldwide to celebrate the food that makes it special in recent time. Earlier this year, Australia Post honored five Australian cooks as their 2014 Australia Post Australian Legends—which includes putting their images on postage stamps.
Australia Post managing director and CEO Ahmed Fahour said these cooks had “each played a distinct role in the emergence of a sophisticated Australian food culture.” Aussie cooks honored included: Margaret Fulton, Maggie Beer, Stephanie Alexander, Neil Perry, and Kylie Kwong.
Photo: Australia Post
Great chefs are one thing, but what about iconic foods of each culture? A few postal services around the world have honored their iconic dishes in postage stamp form with some beautiful artwork. It’s almost enough to make you want to send snail mail—or at least contemplate buying a few just to enjoy for yourself.
Take France’s La Poste’s 2011 series featuring “the tastes of our regions,” La France Comme J’Aime.
Photos: David Lebovitz
These stamps from the 2011 Made in Italy series featured four of Italy’s most iconic cheeses: Parmiggiano Reggiano, Mozzarella di Bufala Campana, Gorgonzola, and Ragusano.
Photos: Anita’s Italy
Chungwha Post, Taiwan’s postal service, honored four iconic examples of Taiwanese home cooking with stamps in 2013: Gong Bao Chicken, Mud Crab with Glutinous Rice Cake, Three-Cups Chicken, and Hakka Stir-Fry.
Photos: Taiwanvore
Beautiful stamps like these make the idea of hitting up the post office during our lunch break—and actually sending things via snail mail—seem a lot more appealing.
[via the Daily Meal, Linns Stamp News]