Two chefs with a knack for turning blocks of ice into crowd-pleasers carved a patriotic display on Main Street during Wilton’s fifth annual Winter Festival on Feb. 14.
Friends David Soha and Dennis Hickey, who operate as Ice Breakers, have created sculptures for the festival since its inaugural year. This year’s three-piece installation celebrated the nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary.
One piece featured the number “250,” with Soha carving a heart into the center of the zero. The second element depicted a bald eagle perched on a block engraved with “1776.” The third showcased an American flag attached to a flagpole, with a star jutting from the flag and a base block engraved with three stars supporting the design.
“We’ve been carving ice for about 30 years,” Soha said. “We started back in 1996 while working together as chefs at The 99 Restaurant in Hooksett.”
The pair became involved in ice carving through the American Culinary Federation, helping with events hosted by the group and participating in First Night New Year’s celebrations.
“We didn’t really get serious about it until the early 2000s, though,” he noted. “We became gypsy carvers. We’d travel to competitions and learn as we went.”
Hickey said they were self-taught. “Everything we learned was by doing; there were no books.”
“We have a shop located in some mills in Manchester,” Soha said. “But we’re still chefs, carving is our side business. It’s really just a paid hobby.” Ice Breakers has operated out of the shop at 400 Bedford St. for 15 years.
Hickey said ice carving originates from the culinary arts. “It comes from buffets. Ice is food, right? Chefs always use it to decorate.”
The duo produces its own ice using a Clinebell machine, a specialized freezer designed for making clear blocks used in cocktails and sculptures. When carving, they use a small chainsaw for rough shaping and an electric rotary tool for detail work.
Weather can pose challenges. Though outside temperatures play a significant factor in a sculpture’s longevity, even in sub-zero temperatures, the sun can damage it.
“Solar damage happens through light refraction,” Hickey said. “The ice crystals inside deflect the sun’s rays, causing the internal ice temperature to rise in certain areas. Cracks form as a result.”
To protect the ice from solar damage while sculpting, they put up makeshift foam shields.
The festival also featured s’mores, hot cocoa and a winter farmer’s market inside Town Hall. According to Wilton Main Street Association President Alison Meltzer, the festival replaced Wilton’s annual Winter Carnival.