Backpacking Philippines: Laguna: Paete Chef Culinary Arts Festival Ice And Vegetable Carving Competition

Laguna: Paete Chef Culinary Arts Festival Ice And Vegetable Carving Competition

Paete's townsfolk re-invented themselves from wood carvers to carving butter, vegetables, chocolate, and ice years ago due to the dearth of wood to support the industry, fueled by the growing demand for kitchen artists and chefs by hotels and restaurants here and abroad.

It is by this reason there's a Paetenian in (almost) every hotel and restaurant in the Philippines working as kitchen artists. (wonder why paetenians have yet to discover food styling as a profession very close to vegetable carving)

Every 24th of July, a day before the town fiesta in honor of St. James the Apostle, Paetenians (or Paeteños) hold the annual Culinary Arts Festival: a competition of vegetable carving, ice and bar tending at the town plaza.

Vegetable Carving Competition at 10am July 24, Paete town plaza

Recognized this gifted lad as Tutubi's nephew :)

birds from pineapple, onions, cucumber, grapes, oranges, carrots et alii

a flower carved from a bell pepper

Ice Carving Competition at 1pm

Tools of the trade: saws, ice clamps, pang-ukit (chisels) of various kinds: paet (straight-edged chisel from where Paete town got its name), landay (slightly arched chisel), lukob (arched or U-shaped chisel), tres pico (V-shaped chisel). (Yes, the word paet is actually a kind of chisel and not the generic word for it. Tutubi knows how to hold, use and sharpen one but is not adept at it)

After almost an hour of chipping away the block of ice, the blocks of ice morphed into different works of ice-cold art that'll melt away in a few minutes

An ice sculpture made from several blocks of ice joined together (in physics, this process is called ice sintering) to create the larger block required for the ice structure. This is not an entry in the competition as it's sculpted by professionals. Notice also the Emperador bottles, one of the sponsors of this annual event.

The red and white canopy provided some relief from the heat of the searing sun and acted as diffuser from the harsh lighting available.

The winners of the contest were awarded trophies and training/employment opportunities in some Manila hotels.

Wasn't able to take pictures of the bartending contest held later. Went instead to Kape Kesada, Wawa Park and nearby Exotikk Restaurant.

The 2006 edition of Ice Age in Paete is availablehere

Pictures taken using Canon EOS 300D either with the super kit lens or the nifty fifty

If ever any of the readers is looking for an ice carver for weddings and other events, just drop a comment and Tutubi may be able to find someone to render the service for you.

Labels: Art, Calabarzon, Laguna, Paete

posted by GingGoy @ 8:22 PM,

21 Comments:

At Aug 13, 2007, 9:01:00 PM, Gita Asuncion said...: it must have been a rare treat to watch those talented crop of our youth at work! very nice shots!
At Aug 14, 2007, 1:03:00 AM, Photo Cache said...: i enjoy looking at food carving. it must be a fun festival. nice capture. wonderful
At Aug 14, 2007, 5:47:00 AM, carlotta1924 said...: those food carvings are simply amazing. takes great talent i guess. wouldn't mind if i could also learn how to carve ice. =)
At Aug 14, 2007, 1:09:00 PM, Anonymous said...: I enjoyed the photos. I've never been to a food carving competition before but from the photos, I now know what it's like.

;)

The carvings are simply beautiful!
At Aug 15, 2007, 7:48:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Thanks for dropping by my place. :)

Both the food & ice carvings are beautiful.

Thanks for sharing.
At Aug 16, 2007, 3:57:00 AM, slim whale said...: feast for the eyes and the stomach.

those ice sculptures remind me of our own impermanence. beauty held in a fleeting vessel.
At Aug 16, 2007, 4:23:00 PM, Anonymous said...: pagatapos nilang pagandahin sobra n\ang presentatin sa pagkain, parang ayaw na kainin minsan kasi sayang ang napakagandang pagkakagawa sa pagkain :)
At Aug 16, 2007, 6:43:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Ay, ang galing grabe! All those talent came from Paete? All those ice, and food carving are really world-class.
At Aug 17, 2007, 12:34:00 AM, -= dave =- said...: Whoa! So the talents are in Paete. Now I know where to look.
At Aug 17, 2007, 2:29:00 PM, Mari said...: Wow, those are amazing art; a feast for the eyes...and palate.
At Aug 18, 2007, 11:19:00 AM, Sidney said...: Sayang I wasn't there. What a nice event. Thanks for the pictures.
At Oct 8, 2007, 4:45:00 PM, Anonymous said...: way to go tutubi, namumukhaan ko pangkin mo,
houston
At Jun 23, 2009, 9:40:00 AM, ednel basa said...: I am proud to be part of this community with lots of talents;Chef Nelson Basa of Edsa Shangri-la Manila
At Jun 23, 2009, 9:42:00 AM, ednel basa said...: I am proud to be born in paete. The town of carvers; From Chef Nelson M. Basa
At Jul 26, 2009, 2:11:00 AM, rico said...: hi, awesome pics you have here, was surfing for some possible ice sculptor services for a 2010 wedding and i happened to see this blog, quite an old one thou so not sure ill still get a reply on this, but just in case if you could recommend numbers of these artists i can speak with and hire for a weddin event kindly shoot me a mail at ricoteeya@gmail.com. thanks much!
At Jul 26, 2009, 2:16:00 AM, Anonymous said...: hi, can i kindly ask for referals for these gret ice sculptors, need to hire their services for a wedding event. if you could kindly email numbers/contact person at ricoteeya@gmail.com. many thanks!

rico
At Dec 22, 2011, 12:23:00 PM, ICe Castle said...: It is such a wonderful competition with magnificent work of art from the vegetables/fruits to the ice sculpture. They are both stunning in their own way since we are all very much taken a back with this designs and creativity.
At Jan 1, 2012, 9:00:00 AM, Glen Darby said...: Have a Happy New Year and a Prosperous 2012 ahead.
At Apr 24, 2012, 3:25:00 PM, Anonymous said...: hi i'm looking for an ice carving supplier for a specific event..could anyone give me contact details.
At Jan 29, 2013, 3:22:00 PM, Gaila said...: Same here!Looking for a food/ice carving speaker for a regional convention.
At Aug 21, 2014, 8:24:00 PM, alvino said...: Grabe ang galing naman nila jan. I am also a vegetable carving here in abroad pero ok din gawa nila.

Laguna: Paete Chef Culinary Arts Festival Ice And Vegetable Carving Competition

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