Putting sparkle into ice

Carving a dancing elephant from a block of ice proved no problem for Jagoda, the Hilton Hotel's kitchen artist. In fact, it took him only 42 minutes.
As we watched Jagoda do it, executive chef Raman Khanna explained how food carving was an art which had spread from the Far East and kitchen artists were being hired by hotels and restaurants in other countries, with skills which allow not only ice but butter, fruits and vegetables to be fashioned into figures and shapes in keeping with the theme of the event.
According to the customer's requirements, chef Khanna and his artist have to decide on an appropriate design, like the two dancing elephants flanking figure 50 and ice vases with real flowers that were displayed at a recent Indian Embassy function.