If you strolled onto St. Clair College's Main Windsor Campus this week, you likely saw three ice sculptures adorning the front of the water fountain near the main entrance.
It may appear random, even mysterious, but for those in the know, it is a time-honoured annual tradition, steeped in the culture of culinary education.
In fact, it's baked into the curriculum of the advanced culinary class for students in the Culinary Management program, where students learn advanced cooking methods like sous vide, gourmet cooking, molecular gastronomy, advanced culinary recipes as well as the accompanying techniques and procedures – and yes, ice carving.
As instructor and Chef Kris Pieczonka explains, this is a way to test their skills on something outside the box.
"This is their big Hurrah to showcase their creativity, artistry and something that can be seen," Pieczonka said. "This is a way to incorporate culinary arts as an art, as opposed to just cooking."
Students have been creating these unique ice carvings for 15 years, an activity they genuinely enjoy – even if it's a bit intimidating.
"It feels amazing. It feels very professional, but it's also scary and exciting, because it's a new technique," said Suri Garza, a second-year student in the Culinary Management program. "It's a cool experience, holding a chainsaw."
That's right – a chainsaw is the main tool students use to create the icy sculptures, along with diamond drills, orbital sanders and chisels.
After a safety session and two-hour tutorial, the students put on their safety glasses and start carefully hacking away at a 300 lb. block of sheer tempered ice.
The students use patterns and take turns sawing and shaping the rectangular blocks of ice, with this year's class picking designs to create a seahorse, stacked cups, and penguins.
Three hours later, the deafening buzz of chainsaws fades, and blank slates are transformed into masterpieces worthy of a winter landscape.
"We're trying to revive that art of ice sculpting, which is not necessarily part of culinary in the sense of cooking, but it's part of the experience of dining out and just having the great experience of eating and feeling the ambience of a restaurant," Garza said.
Because temperatures have been much chillier than in years past, the sculptures are expected to last quite a bit longer outdoors, giving students an extended period to display their work – and for onlookers to admire the crystalline figures.
"It's a great learning experience, especially for team building," said Garza. "We need to communicate. We try to visualize everything as a team, so we can communicate better, and it's just a great overall experience."
As Chef Pieczonka puts it: "It's kind of a fun way to finish off the semester."
