Culinary Artists Club president Caleb Landis, a December Hospitality Management graduate and current UA education major, carves at last year’s Ice Fest. He will compete Tuesday.
This time of year it’s hard to see any beauty in the ice and snow around campus, but attendees at The University of Akron Ice Fest may find the cure for their winter blues in the icy masterpieces constructed by talented UA students and alumni.
The UA Ice Fest, which gives current students and alumni the opportunity to show off carving skills, is an annual event sponsored by the UA Culinary Artists Club. This year’s festival takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 20, outside the Student Union at Buchtel Common and inside the Union near Starbucks.
Alumna Gabrielle Hatch carving a vegetable sculpture at an earlier UA Ice Fest.
Kicking off the event, Aaron Costic ’91, a National Ice Carvers Association (NICA)-certified master carver and 2006 Olympic ice sculpting gold medalist, will display a statue of Zippy and a 10-block sculpture that pays tribute to the newly named College of Applied Science and Technology. Costic also will present the popular ice throne atop which students and visitors can climb for pictures of themselves.
At 11:45 a.m. begins a two-round speed-carving competition where alumni Ken Diederich, Shawn Eckhart and Andy Zamagias will battle for the chance to go head to head with Costic.
Ready to hit the ice
Throughout the festival, students and alumni including John Dreslinski, Ali Hall, Dan Johnson, Caleb Landis, George Niemoeller, Alyson Smith, Lisa Thompson and Disrea Wright will sculpt the makings of an outdoor ice museum. They will compete for first- through third-place honors, judged and selected by UA alumni carvers. Also, a Toot’s Choice Award will be presented by UA alumna and friend Marlene Toot.
Chef Richard Alford, associate professor emeritus, will moderate the speed-carving competition. Meanwhile, vegetable carvers Juanita Bagley, Brandon Hartel, Mackenzie Jones, Nicole Maughan, Claudia Mercado, Sarah Spicer and Dan Wallace will sculpt eggplants, melons, radishes and other fruits and vegetables into works of art. Alford will present a salt dough modeling demonstration and give attendees a chance to craft their own salt dough sculptures.
For many UA students and graduates, carving ice and vegetables is more than just a fun hobby. In many cases, the ability to sculpt a masterpiece from a block of ice is enough to give them the upper hand in the hospitality management field. According to Dr. Jamal Feerasta, professor and lead faculty in the Hospitality Management Program, activities such as the Culinary Artists Club offer students practical experience that is sought after in the field.
“The industry is anxiously awaiting our graduates,” says Feerasta.
Story by Jennifer Dixon
Media contact: Denise Henry, 330-972-6477 or henryd@uakron.edu.