Cornerstone C A MP U S
Carving Out Some Fun // FOOD & BEVERAGE U P DAT E Around this time every year, the Culinary Support Center would usually become a pumpkin carving production zone thanks to Mary Johnson. Mary is the Executive Chef at CSC and has provided her carving expertise over the years to produce one-of-a-kind, intricate pumpkins for Food & Beverage Halloween events. Although the seasonal events have been canceled this year, Mary has been gracious enough to share her carving wisdom and a few tips and tricks of the trade: When carving pumpkins, I think about what I want to accomplish. I do like to create vignettes or have an overall theme. Maybe witches, or traditional pumpkin faces, or several vignettes like the Wizard of Oz, Cinderella’s coach, or haunted ships. After I have decided on what I am doing, I sketch out facial expressions of the emotions I am trying to convey, so that there is an immediate connection or understanding between the creation and the observer. Anger, disgust, fear, joy, sadness, and surprise are all emotions that are needed to deliver a message. The shape of the mouth, gritted teeth, positioning and shape of the eyebrows, and eyes all contribute to the effect. When the sketches are completed, I go in search of the perfect pumpkins and items needed to accomplish what I want. Actually, this is the most fun. I spend hours picking and choosing until I am satisfied. Things to consider when choosing my pumpkins are green thick stems, which indicates thick walls and a heavy pumpkin, perfect for carving. I also avoid pumpkins with blemishes, soft spots or bugs. The shape of the pumpkin, the size, the color, and the shape of the stem for the perfect nose, all contribute to the decision to choose that particular pumpkin. I like to use as many edible items as possible, but while radishes can be used to make mice and kiwi to make rats, using non-edible embellishments like spiders, skeletons, and gauze are a must to get the effects needed. The biggest challenge is keeping the pumpkins fresh and looking good. Mold and dehydration are the two main reasons a pumpkin will rot. You can use petroleum jelly to prevent both or spray daily with a solution of water and bleach.
My last tip is to be safe and have fun!
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