Culinary arts students sharpen pumpkin skills Freshmen carve jack-o’-lanterns for charity at SUNY school
BY R.J. KELLY Gazette Reporter
Considering there aren't many pumpkins growing in her home community of the Bronx, Sydney Hill wasn't exactly in her element as she and about 60 freshman culinary arts students at the State University of New York at Cobleskill practiced their knife skills Wednesday to carve scores of jacko-lanterns.
"I've never even touched a pumpkin before," Hill said.
Not even pumpkin pie has ever passed her lips, she said, although she reluctantly said she might consider tasting one.
"Pumpkins are not my thing," Hill said.
But the pungent smell of the freshly gutted squash filled a kitchen classroom at Champlin Hall as students in Assistant Professor JoAnne Cloughly and Professor Bill Daly's basic food preparation class spent several hours turning the pumpkins into all manner of artistic and sometimes fiendish faces.
SUNY staff harvested about 80 pumpkins donated yesterday from the Barber and Shaul's farms in Middleburgh, Cloughly said.
About half the completed jack-olanterns will be used today to light the way for area children and students attending a free community trick or treating event on the Cobleskill from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the area around Bouck Hall and at several residence halls on the college campus. Children younger than age 12 must be accompanied by an adult.
On Friday, the rest of the glowing pumpkins will decorate the great cave room 156 feet below ground at Howe Caverns in Howes Cave, off Route 7 a few miles east of Cobleskill.
Friday's Howe's Caverns 24 th annual Halloween haunted cave 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. will benefit the Animal Shelter of Schoharie Valley and the local Cornell Cooperative Extension Service. Costumed participants are welcome.
All proceeds from the $10 adult admission and $5 for children under age 13 will go to the two organizations, according to Howe's Caverns manager John D. Sagendorf.
Over the past 23 years, the caverns' event has raised about $200,000 for local nonprofit organizations, according to Howe Caverns spokeswoman Kathy Condon.
SUNY students used tracing kits Wednesday, as well as free-hand skills to create jack-o’-lanterns.
Some of the jobs involved technical problem-solving, as student Tom Verhangen of Rochester tried to figure out a way to put an oilfueling tube to light up a 40-pound pumpkin he was turning into a Polynesian tiki god.
Verhangen hoped to then mount the tiki on a pole and add a Hawaiian shirt.
Bronx resident Akilah Jones used a cartoon design to carved a likeness of the animated dog Scooby-Doo.
After completing her associate's degree in culinary arts, Jones said she hopes to go on to get a business degree with the idea of becoming a chef in her own business.
The students will be graded on their knife-cut skills, said Cloughly, who is also executive chef at the Howe Caverns restaurant. Prizes will also be awarded.
Publication:Schenectady Daily Gazette
Date:Oct 26, 2006
Section:Local News Page:15 |
