From whimsy to grand elegance — Ice Fest 2015 participants created a wide variety of sculptures with their carving tools.
This time of year it’s hard to see any beauty in the ice and snow around campus, but attendees at the Jan. 20 University of Akron Ice Fest found the cure for their winter blues in the icy masterpieces constructed by talented UA students and alumni.
President Scott Scarborough, left, with UA alumna and friend Marlene Toot, and Culinary Artists Club president Caleb Landis, who won the Ice Fest 2015 first place and Toot’s Choice Award for his peacock sculpture, “Royalty.”
The UA Ice Fest, which gives current students and alumni the opportunity to showcase their carving skills, is an annual event sponsored by the UA Culinary Artists Club. This year’s festival began with pre-event coverage by Fox 8-TV personality Kenny Crumpton.
Kicking off the event, Aaron Costic ’91, a National Ice Carvers Association-certified master carver and 2006 Olympic ice sculpting gold medalist, displayed a 10-block sculpture that paid tribute to the newly named College of Applied Science and Technology. Costic also crafted a silo-shaped ice throne atop which students and visitors posed for pictures throughout the festival.
VIDEO: What students say about mastering the craft
Students and alumni carved ice and vegetable sculptures through the event. Top winners of the ice-carving competition included: Caleb Landis, UA hospitality management alumnus and current education major, who received a first-place award of $300 in carving tools for his peacock sculpture named “Royalty.” Landis’ “Royalty” also received the “Toot’s Choice Award,” presented by UA alumna and friend Marlene Toot. Alumnus Dan Johnson earned second place and $200 in carving tools for his serpent sculpture. Third place and $100 in carving tools went to alumnus George Niemoeller for his seal sculpture.
Fox 8 TV personality Kenny Crumpton joins UA Hospitality Management students and alumni for pre-event coverage of Ice Fest 2015.
Chef Richard Alford, associate professor emeritus of hospitality management, moderated the speed-carving competition in which UA alumnus and culinary arts faculty member Ken Diederich won the first 20-minute round of the ice-carving competition with his angelfish sculpture. Diederich competed with Costic in the second speed-carving match, which Costic won with his “Jack Frost” sculpture.
“This year's Ice Fest took the chill out of the air with the excitement of competition and the warmth of camaraderie,” Alford says.
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,” Feerasta says.
Story by Jennifer Dixon
Media contact: Denise Henry, 330-972-6477 or henryd@uakron.edu.