Vegetable and Fruit Platter Arrangement by Richard Testani

Many of my readers have expressed an interest in getting into business with Vegetable and Fruit Carving arrangements. After receiving “oooohs” and “aaaahhs” from their edible displays, friends and families have encouraged them to try turning their passion for making beautiful vegetable and fruit carving arrangements into profit.

Today, I want to introduce you to one of my readers/customer, Richard Testani, who is a professional in vegetable and fruit carving. You may have come across Richard’s name if you’ve read my blog post Radish Flowers | An Easy Vegetable Carving for Beginners. I think you will really enjoy his vegetable and fruit carving work and I hope his story will inspire you! continue reading…

Ruben Olano - professional fruit carver for Disneyland Resorts

Fruit carvings are a wonderful addition to a meal for any special event. Themed fruit carvings can serve as a decorative table display or centerpiece, or can be used to dress up a fruit or hors d’oeuvres platter. 

Today, I want to share with you some photos from a reader, Ruben Olano, who used to work as a professional fruit decorator for Disneyland Resorts and Hotels. His fruit carvings were often displayed at special event buffets at the Disneyland hotels. I’m sure Ruben’s fruit carvings got many “oooohs” and “aahhhs” from the patrons dining the hotels. Take a look at some of Ruben’s fruit carvings – they may spark some ideas for your own centerpiece for a special event. 

If you’re new to fruit and vegetable carving, don’t worry, read on to find out how I can help you get started on making your own fruit carvings and edible arrangements for your next special event. continue reading…

Today, I want to give you an early look at some of the food art competitions and events coming up later this year. Food carving competitions are a great way to showcase the beautiful art of vegetable and fruit carving, and are an opportunity for like minded culinary enthusiasts to share and learn from each other.

Besides fruit carving, food art competitions and events can include cooking, ice carving, cake decorating and chocolate carving. Oh, and let’s not forget about a watermelon eating contest and watermelon face painting. Find out more about these fun and wacky fruit activities and how they are actually supporting a great cause! continue reading…

Thai fruit carvings were a part of the Songkran Festival that I attended

Earlier this month, I attended a Songkran Festival celebration held here in California. Also known as the Water Festival, the Songkran Festival celebrates Thailand’s New Year and is usually a time for self reflection and spiritual homage. The Songkran Festival takes place in Thailand every year between April 13th and 15th, but the fun festivities, which include friendly street water fights, can last for several weeks!

Although I haven’t had the chance to go to continue reading…

Ice bunny carving by David Utley

Today, I’d like to share with you some photos of cute melon bunny and ice bunny carvings sent it to me recently by professional and amateur fruit carvers and ice carvers.

Melon bunny and ice bunny carvings can be seen at large buffets in famous resorts like Disneyland at any time of the year. Check out these melon bunny and ice bunny carvings by professional artists.

Melon Bunny and Ice Bunny Carvings by Professional Fruit and Ice Carvers

Here are some professional melon bunny and ice bunny carvings that readers have shared with me. I think you will really enjoy them! continue reading…

Aneta Lekas carving fruit at the Riu Mambo in the Dominican Republic

How does a medical office assistant end up with a vegetable and fruit carving business, get a chance to showcase her skills at a famous Riu hotel in the Dominican Republic and possibly on a television show? 

This inspiring story is about one of my vegetable and fruit carving students/customers, Aneta Lekas. If you follow my blog, you may recall that I featured Aneta’s vegetable and fruit arrangements  in a previous post. I recently received more beautiful photos of her latest vegetable and fruit carvings, plus some exciting news that I wanted to share with you. I think you will find her story truly uplifting. continue reading…

Thailand flag made with red chili, shredded coconut and blue swimmer crab

I came across an original and clever food art idea that was showcased at the Sydney International Food Festival in Australia. To celebrate and promote the city of Sydney as a global dining destination, an advertising agency in Australia called WHYBIN\TBWA came up with the eye catching food art concept of arranging the traditional foods of different countries into national flags.

Feast your eyes on these clever food art flags from the Sydney Food Festival – a feast for the eyes, the taste continue reading…

Food Art is becoming an increasingly popular because of popular television cooking shows and because food naturally appeals to both our eyes and our taste buds! Well, today I want to share with you a lovely ocean food art creation by a student, Gianna Goldy. Gianna’s “under the sea” theme, with all of its fresh vegetables, makes me think of an underwater garden.

I was delighted to receive her wonderful photos and the following message in my e-mail:

Gianna Goldy's Underwater Garden Food Art made from carved vegetables

Nita, here are some pictures of an “Under The Sea” food carving I did for a project in my Culinary Arts class. This is the first time I ever attempted food carving. My inspiration came from what I saw while diving at the Virgin Islands. I was quite pleased at my attempt at food carving which led me to research food carving on the internet, which lead me to your website. I have ordered 14 of you’re DVD’s and several knife and carving utensils. Thank you for your teachings! I am learning a lot. Gianna Goldy”  continue reading…

Competitions Push You to Challenge Yourself  

Nita's First Place Entry for the People's Choice Award at the Carve III Competition

I know for some people just hearing the word “competitions” can be intimidating, especially if you’re a beginner in your vegetable and fruit carving journey. You may think, “I’m just doing this for fun!” But don’t worry, competitions are meant to be fun and they can be a valuable learning experience. You’ll meet people who will inspire you and seeing their work will encourage you to further your skills even more. And who knows, you may be surprised with how well you do!

Radish flowers bouquet taught in Nita’s free video lesson

Making carved radish flowers is a great way to “get your feet wet” with vegetable and fruit carving. Radishes are easy to work with and are usually accessible in your grocery store all year round. Their bright red skin and white interior makes for a beautiful color contrast that is perfect for making vegetable flowers.

My free radish bouquet is easy enough for beginners and pretty enough for professional fruit carving displays. In this article you will see examples of radish bouquets make by students and pros.

Readers of my blog who have signed up for my free lesson always have great photos to share from their first attempts at carving radish flowers. I recently featured some of these photos in a previous post: Radish Flowers Carved by Students of Free Lesson. I also wrote a blog post about how students made their own variations on the radish flowers idea: Delicious Fruit Edible Arrangements.                                                     

Since writing those posts, I’ve received more photos and comments from readers who have tried making radish flowers. I’d like to share them with you as it might give you ideas for making your own edible arrangements. continue reading…

Water Festival activities in Thailand to welcome the New year

The streets of Thailand will be splashing with fun, music and excitement for the Water Festival (also known as the Songkran Festival) between April 13^th to 15^th.

The Thai people are well known for their intricate and beautiful fruit carving. During the Songkran Festival  fruit carvings are prepared to display and share as you will see further down in this article. But first, let me show you why the Songkran festival is also called the Water Festival.

Anyone who is outside in Thailand during this time is a fair target for drive-by water shootings, water balloons and garden hoses. But not to worry, the Water Festival activities are all in good fun to welcome the Thai New Year. In fact, the Water Festival is a welcome relief from the hot weather in Thailand during April.

Many other countries in Asia also celebrate a New Year in April and regard this time as a period of transition to welcome positive changes, while clearing out negative elements from the past. Many of us may associate this idea with Spring season, such as spring cleaning, which doesn’t sound as fun as a massive street water fight! So I’d like to invite you on another armchair adventure to mystical Thailand for the Water Festival. continue reading…

Hindu New Year Festivities in India

New Year wishes in April? No, I’m not four months late ringing in 2012! Although here in the West, we welcomed the New Year on January 1st, there are many cultures, religions and countries around the world that celebrate a New Year in April.

In this sense, the New Year may not mark the beginning of a new calendar year that many of us are familiar with; instead, the New Year may symbolize the start of a new beginning in one’s life and a letting go of the past. I thought that this would be a fitting topic to share with you since it coincides with the arrival of Spring and the new life that comes with this Season! continue reading…

Recently, I stumbled upon an amazing food art that has been practiced in China for centuries. It’s a form of fruit carving you could say, but it involves carving the pit of fruits. I’ve never heard of it before but was amazed at how beautiful and intricate it is.

China’s Incredible Miniature Food Art

This miniature folk food art is called “Heidao” in Chinese and refers to both fruit pit and walnut carving. Remember as you look at these that the photos that most of them are larger than life size. These are small fruit pits!

continue reading…

Cantaloupe bunny by Jean Geraldo Silva

In a recent post, I wrote about Melon Bunny carvings. Since then I have received several more photos of creative carved melon bunnies made my students and blog readers. So, here they are, just in time for Easter.

Maybe their photos will give you some new ideas for your own melon bunny carvings.

Creative and Whimsical Melon Bunny Carvings

I love how some readers have taken the melon bunny idea and ran with it! The melon bunny carving that I teach in my video lesson is great for serving fruit, but you can also use the melon bunny theme as a centerpiece for decorating purposes. (You can see the continue reading…

Edible arrangements are fun, fresh, pretty to look at and are always a welcome addition at any special event. You may have even given or received edible arrangements as a thank you gift. There are even large companies selling their own edible arrangements; but have you ever thought that you can make these yourself at home?

With the fresh fruit and vegetables available in Spring, what better way to celebrate the season than by making your own edible arrangements for a potluck, dinner party or just for fun with your kids or grandkids? If you celebrate Easter, homemade edible arrangements with colorful fruits and vegetables will really brighten up your table! continue reading…

Photographer Carl Kleiner makes Fun Food Art using artichoke, garlic and tomato

Happy April Fools Day.  Here is some silly and fun food art that might put a smile on your face! I was inspired to do this when I received an e-mail from Bob Moroch, which gave me a chuckle.

By the way, if you are not familiar with April Fools Day, it is celebrated on the 1^st of every April in Canada, New Zealand, the UK and Australia, and a few other countries. It is a day when people play all kinds of jokes and pranks on each other – all in good fun, of course! Since I can’t play a prank on you, I thought I’d make you laugh with fun food art photos instead!

Anyway, Bob Moroch’s e-mail made me think of April Fools Day. Here is Bob’s message telling me how he liked my free lesson on how to make a radish bouquet: continue reading…

Announcing an upcoming fruit and vegetable carving competition in Plain City, Ohio. Whether you’re a competitor or a spectator, attending a fruit and vegetable carving competition is a great way to meet like-minded people and get inspired!

2012 will be Plain City’s third annual Heritage Days Festival, which celebrates the history of the city with local food and craftsmanship. The fruit and vegetable carving competition, sponsored by the World Food Sculptor’s Association, is a big part of the Heritage Days Festival.

This Year’s Heritage Days Fruit and Vegetable Carving Competition will take place on Saturday, May 19, 2012 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in Plain City, Ohio at Der Dutchman Restaurant continue reading…

When my son was growing up, it was a challenge to get him to eat more fruits and vegetables. I found that if I presented the food in a fun and attractive way, he would sometimes eat even more than I hoped he would! If you’re a parent or grandparent with a little one who’s a bit of a fussy eater, I’m sure you can relate and I bet you have your own ideas for fun ways of arranging fruits and vegetables for kids. I hope I can show you some new ideas in this post and share some photos with you that your children in your life will enjoy too!

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Carrot Worm with Onion Flower by Nita

The other day I published an article about whimsical fruit and vegetable carvings. Well, here are some more.

These photos with fun fruit and vegetable carvings might bring out the inner kid in you.

Several of my readers and students have sent some fun photos to me. These cute fruit and vegetable carvings make me smile so, I thought you might enjoy them, too.

These Fruit and Vegetable Carvings Will Make You Smile

Here is a really charming carved watermelon baby carriage complete with the baby that one of my students, Silas Souza made. Sweet isn’t it?

Silas did a great job with this one. You might want to swipe this idea to use if continue reading…