Looks good — tastes good, too

It was the first time members of Sussex County Community College’s Hospitality Club tried to create edible centerpieces, but you wouldn’t know it from the results. They crew set to work in the commercial baking kitchen at the Sussex County Technical School, recently. All were volunteering their time for a community service project. Their arrangements ranged from simple to outrageously intricate. “If you are a chef in charge of the entire event’s meal you have to budget the amount of time you can spend carving fruit,” said technical school instructor Chad Gasiorek. “If you are working exclusively on the arrangements there is no limit to the detail you can include.” While some culinary artists may work with exotic hand- and even power-tools, Gasiorek sticks with the basics. “I can do the work with just three different sized knives,” he said. The students started out making bird figures from sliced apples and quickly moved on to the watermelons. The hardest part seemed to be getting up the courage to make the first cut. After that the melons were hollowed out and using paring knives, the detail work began. After three hours, the edible masterpieces were complete and ready to be donated to the Sussex County Adult Day Care Center, where they were served for lunch. The building blocks of edible centerpieces 8 watermelons 8 cantaloupes 6 honeydew melons 1 flat of strawberries 8 apples 6 pineapples 12 kiwis 2 pounds of green grapes 2 pounds of red grapes