Breaking the Ice

Students in Edison learned an unusual but unique skill this week for the world of culinary and catering: how to turn giant blocks of ice into works of art.

Students in the culinary program at Middlesex County College must take a class called "Garde Manger," which is a requirement for second-year students to complete to graduate.

The course is the "study and art of cold food," said instructor Walter Leffler.

Ice carving is included in the course, as ice sculptures can often be found on buffets or at parties as a centerpiece at weddings and in hotels or restaurants.

On Monday, students took turns wielding chainsaws to carve the blocks into basket shapes, using chisels to precisely carve and detail the designs. The spring warmth and sun necessitated moving the 300-pound blocks of ice into the shade behind the college center to keep them from melting too quickly.

It takes about 1.5-2 hours to do a carving, and then they last for a few hours as they melt, Leffler said.

Ice is an unusual subject to carve in that it is "alive" and always changing as it melts, Leffler said.

"It's something completely different," he said.

As it was the first time the class was carving ice, they were not being graded too stringently, Leffler said. Some of the fundamentals of what they learned will be on their exam, he said.

"As long as they have fun doing it," he said.