Anthony Destratis, Executive Chef at Lake George Club in Diamond Point, N.Y., showed off his ice-carving skills to an admiring audience on Thursday during the American Culinary Federation’s second annual Culinary Conference & Competition at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., according to a report by the Saratoga Springs-based Saratogian.
To view a video of Destratis’ work, click here.
“It’s amazing,” said Robin Hozley, Skidmore’s dining hall baker, as she watched Destratis go to work. “It’s an art form you don’t see that often.”
Using an electric chainsaw, a grinding device and a shaving tool, Destratis transformed a 400-pound block of ice into a 200-pound seahorse, the Saratogian reported.
Destratis learned the skill 30 years ago as a student at Johnson and Wales University’s College of Culinary Arts in Providence, R.I., the Saratogian reported.
“This is just as hot,” Destratis explained to the crowd, comparing ice sculpting to standing over a hot stove or grill. “It’s physical, it really is. The chainsaw weighs 15 to 20 pounds and you’re bent over the whole time.”
Several years ago, when employed by a Marriott Hotel in Boston, Destratis made a sculpture of New England Patriots and New York Giants football players squaring off prior to the Super Bowl. “Those are my favorites, ones with multiple pieces,” he said. “You’ve got be able to visualize what you’re creating, right out of your head.”
