LOCALadk Magazine

62 Winter 2019 LOCALadk Magazine LOCALadk A Cool Culinary Craft You might be wondering about the connection between ice sculpture and cooking. According to most histories of ice as an artistic medium, the first ice sculpture to be created by a chef was a swan crafted by the famous French chef Au- guste Escoffier, to showcase a special dessert he made for a Paris opera singer. Since then, so the stor y goes, ice sculpt- ing has been a traditional part of culinar y training programs, with many of the best ice sculptors coming from a culinar y background. For the staff at Fort William Henr y Hotel and Conference Center, the Ice Man, aka Charles Jones of Hudson Falls, is their go-to ice sculptor. Fort William Henr y front desk man- ager, Christy Romaine, remembers Charlie Jones from high school, where he taught students culinar y arts. Today, Char- lie is retired from teaching and pursuing his frosty passion full-time at his studio in Hudson Falls. Jones, a Culinar y Institue of America graduate and cer- tified executive chef, has approximately 90 clients for the coming winter season. He has created a niche, with other chefs coming to him to fill their sculpting needs for wed- dings, parties, and other special occasions. This year, Jones expects to use between 125 and 140 three hundred–pound blocks of ice, which he gets from his supplier, Maplewood Ice in Whitehall, N.Y. "They are a partner that we literally could not do without," says Jones. The whole process of creating an ice sculpture takes ap- proximately 10 working hours, from developing the concept and design to executing the work. Jones' studio is set at a brisk 19 degrees Fahrenheit, and the ice is stored at 5 de- grees below zero until it's time to begin sculpting. It is then wrapped, palletized, and loaded onto trucks for deliver y. While most people would prefer to visit ice bars on a chilly but sunny day, Jones says that the ideal conditions to ensure the longevity of ice art is 20 degrees, and definitely not sun- ny. "There are four things that will destroy ice: temperature, wind, rain, and sun. Ice will melt from the inside out and will cr ystalize as it breaks down," he explains. Ice Bars Warm Up the Local Economy in Winter Ice bars and festivals have become a great way to warm up local economies in the winter months, advancing Lake George's mission to become known as a year-round desti- nation. My first experience of a Lake George ice event was in 2017, when I spent a weekend at the Sagamore with my daughters, their husbands, and some friends from nearby Hunter, N.Y. For my youngest daughter, the 3 1/2-hour trip from her home in New York City was nothing out of the or- dinar y.

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