melon carving

Besides small things like mushrooms and potatoes, Chef Oakley can also carve all manner of decorations. In advance of us preparing platters for the Fall Semester Buffet in the PCR, he showed us how to carve melons.

To cut a honeydew into a flower, first cut petal shapes (almost like an elegant zigzag) around the circumference. This actually could make two flowers, since the top and bottom turn out the same (although we shave the petals off one half and upend it to make a base for the other).



Then trace petal shapes within the original petal shapes.



Cut into the outer layer of flesh for each petal and fan the petals outwards.



To finish, Chef took a small ice chisel (he does ice sculptures too) and carved lines inside.

Oh, and Chef also carved a poinsettia out of a watermelon too. So beautiful.