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Thrill of the chill: Chefs show off their ice-carving skills

Military chefs changed hats halfway through the 32nd annual U.S. Army Culinary Arts Competition, swapping their white chef hats for camouflage covers for the ice carving segment of the competition Wednesday.

Coincidentally, the temperature in Petersburg, Va. — home to the Army’s Fort Lee — topped 70 degrees.

The unexpected warm weather left spectators in short sleeves squinting through the sun’s glare while the competitors in nearby tents pulled on gloves over their long sleeves to sculpt their ice.

For Army Sgts. Michael Gardner and Michael Bogle, a two-man carving team from Fort Sill, Okla., the heat forced them to use their plan B.

“We were gonna do two dolphins, but it’s hot out,” said Gardner, who earlier that day carved a gunboat with a one-man crew. For a pair of ice dolphins, Gardner said the carver must secure two pieces of ice together — not likely to work on a warm day.

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Instead, they went with the next idea that popped into their heads: two eagles guarding a nest containing three cantaloupe-sized eggs.

Other teams carved subjects ranging from snail fish to dragons to a sailboat (that last one carved by a Coast Guardsman, appropriately).

The ice-carving portion of the culinary competition is divided into three sub-categories with one, two, or three-person teams carving either one, two, or three blocks of ice.

The judging panel has at least three judges, including at least one approved by the American Culinary Federation to judge ice carving, according to a press release on the competition.

What do the judges look for in a carving team? People who are “pushing the envelope,” said Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 Robert Sparks, the project officer for the culinary competition.

Essentially, the want their carvers to create three-dimensional art that doesn’t “look like it came out of a block of ice,” Sparks said.