Courtesy Butler County Visitors and Convention Bureau
THE HIGHLIGHT OF February’s Winterfest in Perrysburg will be the U.S. National Ice Carving Championship, but Chad Hartson, who owns one of the nation’s largest ice-sculpting companies — Ice Creations in Napoleon — and is himself a former world champion, won’t be a contender. “The National Ice Carving Association (NICA) sanctions the event,” explains Hartson. “Since I’m president of its board and helping organize the championship, I can’t be competing too.” A veteran of more than 100 ice-sculpting contests, Hartson led a team that carved seven fullsized cars — ranging from a 1957 Chevy to a 2017 Lamborghini — out of ice for Detroit’s 2016 International Auto Show. At Winterfest, not only will he be demonstrating his talents, but his company also is supplying the blocks of ice for the U.S. Nationals. “It’s the qualifying event for the cultural side of the Winter Olympics and will bring top ice sculptors to Perrysburg,” says Hartson. 24
Like many professional ice sculptors, Hartson was introduced to carving in culinary school. As a teenager, he worked in a restaurant in his hometown of Wauseon and later enrolled in the University of Akron’s culinary arts program with the goal of becoming a chef. The curriculum included learning to carve fruits and vegetables into decorative shapes, but Hartson further honed his skills by studying sculpture at the university. “I was able to take sculpture classes at the same time as I was getting culinary training,” he says. “Those classes led me into other art forms like ice, sand, and salt, and they helped me to refine what I do.” After culinary school, Hartson shifted from chef to sculptor and started Ice Creations in 1998. Today, he appears in the Food Network’s food art competitions, and his company produces everything from bagged ice cubes to drink luges to elegant ice centerpieces with state-of the-art computerized equipment.
opposite: W.C. Johnston/Getty Images
Damaine Vonada (2)
The ice sculptures (above) are always a big draw at the Hamilton IceFest, coming January 20–21. Fans and festival-goers are treated to a nearly endless variety of subjects.
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