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…

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…

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!

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…

Are you considering making some kind of Easter fruit display but want to keep it simple?

Some fruit carving ideas can be easy and still make quite a pretty presentation. Take a look at these photos one of my blog readers, Ken Hildebrand sent to me of an attractive fruit display that he created. Something like this would be nice for an Easter fruit display. continue reading…

How long can your melon carvings last?

Melon carvings can often look good for about a week.  They look best the first day. When stored properly they can still look pretty darn good after 1 week. How good your melon carvings will look after a week depends on a few factors. continue reading…

I’m working on my video of the month carving lessons. I’ll be starting with some easy beginner lessons and moving into more intermediate. As intricate as these carved melons look, they are not difficult to do if you are shown how….which is exactly what I’ll be doing in my upcoming lessons.

Which of these melon carving patterns would you be most interested in learning how to do? Please indicate with your vote below each of the photos that you would most like to learn. You can vote for as many as you like.

continue reading…