As the art of fruit and vegetable carving becomes more and more popular, it still holds true as a “passion” career.  Many students have come to me over the past few years saying “I love this stuff!  I want to open my own company to do this full time.”  I just shake my head and think to myself “If you only knew.”

We’ve all heard “If you love your job, you will never work a day in your life.” This is not completely true in the world of fruit and vegetable carving.  I know of only a couple of individuals that solely depend on their skills, marketing ability and tenacity to support themselves financially in the fruit and vegetable display/garnish world. When I clarify further, I hope you will understand why this art form is truly for those of us that strive to live our passion.

Let’s add some qualifying parameters to consider whether someone feels that this grand art is their “job”:

1)    The art of fruit and vegetable carving acts as 75% or more of your monthly income

2)    You work in the culinary field  

3)    You have a an LLC or at least a DBA, and

4)    You are not retired from a former profession and have retirement income from it

These are very simple yet effective parameters to establish your status. Now as for myself, I work in the culinary field through multiple avenues.  I have an LLC and a DBA, but the art of fruit and vegetable carving does not earn 75% of my monthly income. 

There are two people that I know of that fit the criteria of Fruit & Vegetable Carving being  their job. The first is an American that travels, sells tools, competes, teaches, and carves displays.  He is an excellent marketer and is a great carver.  He is a Certified Executive Chef who caters but his main focus and income comes from this art.  The second is an Asian gentleman that I met at the Culinary Olympics in Germany. This gentleman derives the majority of his income from teaching his art to others and selling tools.  He doesn’t do many actual displays but rather travels the demo circuit all year long.  These guys are making it happen for themselves but it comes at a very difficult cost considering all the travel and business issues that they suffer.  With one of the gentlemen, it sometimes shows in how he conducts himself, but to each their own.

Getting back to the passion aspect, I can show 500 culinarians that are first and foremost just that: culinarians.  They love carving because it gives them a creative aspect that cooking doesn’t.  As with any passion-driven activity, carving takes you away from where you are or what you are doing and frees you!!! 

I have seen many chefs pick up the little knife for the first time and a whole new adventure starts for them:  a spark, a twinkle, or dare I say it a “light bulb” turns on!  But they know that is all it is:  something they can use as inspiration or an escape.  Either is fine for them, but it is not a new job.  I have been a “jack of all trades” for most of my life because I never took the time to really become the best I could be at anything.  Whether it was ADD, ADHD, Dyslexia or the manic depressive in me, I don’t know.  But what I do know is that this industry (culinary) has so many beautiful opportunities that are profitable it if they are sought out and identified.  I have been blessed because of the timing of when I entered this field as well as the people that looked out for me while I was in school.  They mentored me quickly and somewhat firmly even though at times I didn’t want to listen.  But it is drive that has taken me to where I am today and the others that has kept me from going where I should be. 

Yes the Food Network makes it look like all you have to do is go to culinary school and then you appear on a TV reality show and you are set for life.  Yes I fell into this and when the production company called the first time I asked “Who are you and who put you up to this?”  But for most part, is this really a passion or a food lust?  How many people are out there that have quit their jobs, put themselves through culinary school ($40K minimum) and are barely making it or not making it because they had to take a $10.00 per hour (if they are lucky) line job?  TOO MANY TO COUNT!!! 

Passion, it’s what we all should look for in life.

Falling in love with something is great, euphoric, and tingling but not realistic is some cases.  Fruit and vegetable carving is one of those passions.  It can brighten your day, it can brighten others day, but it just can’t pay the bills.  Use it for what it is:  an inspiration or a way to get away from reality, but be realistic about what it is.  I have, and I had all the right things going for me.

Welcome to the new Artisans in Culinary blog page.  I hope to keep you all updated on the what’s happening side of everything art and culinary related as well as some of the other more basic and mundane things every now & then, even I just need to vent!  Does anyone else feel that way, oh maybe a few hundred million of us?

Well let me start with a little about myself for those who do not know me, and trust me you will probably really never understand me.   I grew in Waterford, Michigan with goals of being a professional golfer, obviously I’m not but I can still knock it out there and enjoy playing for the fun of it.  I am located in Northwestern Oakland County of Michigan but work everywhere because that is where it is at.  After working for many years in criminal rehabilitation and construction, I enrolled myself into culinary school at Oakland Community College (OCC).   A  few restaurants, country clubs and caterers later,  this is what you’ve got:   a three time Food Network Challenge winner, IKA Culinary Olympic medalist and decent ice carver.

Now, not everyone can follow my path and accomplish what I have so quickly.   I have had to sacrifice many things, passed on others and lost a lot of sleep at times to get where I am going.  My years in corrections and construction has given me many tools to use as a younger middle aged man changing careers and trying to make something better of myself like patience, passion and absorbsion.   Yes I know absorbsion is not a real word but I’m going to use it anyway because there is a factor related to it in your life that you must use on a daily basis in everything you do.   A sponge is what I tell students (and others) that they should act like when in situations that they don’t feel comfortable or secure, this is the absorbsion factor.  I tell them that the more they allow themselves to absorb what is happening around them and not avoid it,  the more experience, knowledge, and confidence they will have in the future no matter what field of employment they choose, situation they are put or put themselves in, and in life in general.

My rule for each day: Laugh, learn, and get outside of your box.

I love the culinary business, all aspects of it but the artistic side keeps me motivated and waking up in the morning.  Not only because I can be creative but because it is an excellent way for me to use all the skills and experiences of my past whether it is customer communication, color and texture combinations or building a whacked out structure to wrap fruit and vegetables around.  Going to Germany in 2008 to compete in the IKA Culinary Olympics really opened my eyes to the art of culinary.   A large part of the week long competition is based on how well the countries teams cook food but the majority is about how it is plated and presented to the judges.  Chef’s can talk all day about flavor balance, texture, and moisture but if you are not pleased with the plate put in front of you, it will be harder to satisfy your primal instincts of dislike.  The first thing we do as humans is try to find the negative in what we are being faced.  The food we eat is no different.  Those who can see the things put in front of them as a whole and not just the negatives (or positives), I salute you! That is needed more these days from everyone.  Sorry I digress, everything at the Culinary Olympics is put on display, everything!  Hot food, cold food, sugar, chocolate, everything and it is judged a majority of times on what it looks like.  Oh did I mention Fruit and Vegetables, just as a side note in 2004 (held every four years) there were just under 100 entries in F&V Carving for the four days of judging and in 2008 there were that many the first day of the week.  This is something you don’t eat but the popularity of it quadrupled in four years and that doesn’t take into account all those culinarians and artists that did not attend the Olympics.  Well enough about this subject, I will save more for a late entry.

My company motto: “To experience the meal, we must eat with all of our senses”.

How quick I go from an intro to a rant!  Get used to it!  Talk to you later!