Press Releases
California Culinary Academy Chef Instructor Keeps Cool at International Ice Art Championships
Chef Mark Davis and Team Take 2nd Place at Prestigious Annual Competition
FAIRBANKS, AK (March 7, 2009) - After braving below freezing temperatures for hundreds of hours over two weeks, California Culinary Academy (CCA) Chef Instructor Mark Davis returns to San Francisco with a silver medal for his participation in this year’s world ice carving competition held in Fairbanks, Alaska.
Chef Davis’ winning multi-block sculpture, titled Swimming Lessons, competed against 18 other entries in the “realistic” category and featured a 20-foot tall sea turtle and her brood in an underwater scene. Working with regular carving partner Ed Winslow and a team from Mongolia, Chef Davis molded 40,000 pounds of ice into a breathtaking carving over the course of five days. The team took over 70 hours to complete their piece, working through snowstorms and enduring temperatures as low as -4º F. “The work was intense,” commented Chef Davis, “but the end result made it all worthwhile.”
The inspiration for Swimming Lessons, came from the team’s Mongolian partners, though it was Chef Davis’ formidable engineering and artistic skills that allowed the group to execute their vision. Included in the sculpture were several perfect spheres, largely considered to be the most difficult shape to accomplish in ice carving.
In addition to the multi-block competition, Chef Davis worked with Winslow on a singleblock sculpture titled Siena. That piece depicted a woman carrying a basket full of food and wine, representing a bountiful California harvest. “We were inspired by the generosity of nature in California,” stated Davis. “Plus, reminding us of our home state helped push the intense cold in which we were working out of our minds.”
Chef Davis has competed in Ice Alaska seven times since 1994. This year’s win represents his second silver medal in the annual world competition. He also has collected three bronze medals over the years. In addition to their participation in Ice Alaska, Davis and Winslow have competed twice in the renowned Harbin, China ice competition. Davis was on the United States Ice Carving Team in both the Nagano 1998 and the Utah 2002 Winter Olympics.
Chef Davis resides in Truckee, California and has worked for California Culinary Academy since 1991 as a chef instructor and formerly as its Executive Chef. He currently teaches garde manger to students in the school’s Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts program.
On Tuesday, March 24, at the Ferry Building in San Francisco, Chef Davis will display his skills to kick off the city’s participation in Earth Hour. For information about San Francisco’s Earth Hour celebration, visit www.earthhourus.org/sanfrancisco. More information about the World Ice Carving Championships can be found at www.icealaska.com.
About California Culinary Academy
California Culinary Academy (CCA) was established in 1977 in San Francisco and formed a partnership with the world-renowned Le Cordon Bleu in 1998. Today, CCA, at 350 Rhode Island in Potrero Hill, offers an Associate of Occupational Studies degree in Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arrts and a Certificate in Le Cordon Bleu Pâtisserie and Baking. CCA is a member of the Career Education Corporation (NASDAQ:CECO) network of universities, colleges and schools; and is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). For more information, visit www.caculinary.edu.
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