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People On The Move: Kevin O’Malley
04/21/2009
ICE SCULPTOR
While many people desire an office-related profession in a warm and comfortable environment, Marlboro resident Kevin O’Malley prefers to be in almost arctic temperatures while committing himself to his life’s work — the very cold art of ice sculpting.
Ice sculpting has been around for more than 200 years, originating in France and causing all the rage in Japan. Originally, the only use of ice was for practical purposes, such as keeping food cold. According to O’Malley, ice sculpting has only recently come to light as an art form: swans, hearts, horses, molars, and even ticks have been created from ice to suit any occasion, making these frozen sculptures a part of art history.
With more than 25 years of experience in ice sculpting, O’Malley has answered every request for the type of sculpture needed, no matter how big, small, unusual, or breathtaking. He is heating up the business with his dedication, passion, and beautiful carvings perfect for any event with his business, Ice Sculptures by Kevin O’Malley, operated out of Ice King, Inc., in Tinton Falls. It is here that he sculpted the horse and living logo represented in the photo above, in a mere 20 minutes!
After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in New York in 1978, O’Malley took a job with Hilton Hotels, which sent him around the country to study the skill. “I had always seen myself somewhere in the culinary/food service profession. What’s funny is when I was going to school at the Culinary Institute of America I was introduced to the art of ice sculpting a total of one time, much like most culinary schools. It was then that I wanted to learn more about how to sculpt ice, and when I took the job at the Hilton Hotels I was able to train with some of the most top-notchJapanese chefs in the field,” O’Malley said.
O’Malley’s skill in the ice business was becoming well-recognized, landing him a variety of job offers, many compliments, and some of the highest honors in the trade. To achieve such greatness, O’Malley dedicates himself to working with 300-pound blocks of ice, electric and hand tools, computer-assisted design, tight deadlines and, most of all, very demanding physical labor — not to mention working in a freezer. But to O’Malley, the objective of the job is fun, creative, and interesting. “The job definitely has a lot of physical demands and you really have to do this week-to-week to really grasp it. Ice sculpting really isn’t for everyone because of the things that go along with it, but I enjoy doing it and making the customer happy,” he said.
Although O’Malley has accomplished a great deal in the field, it took a lot of hard work to get there. Once his Hilton Hotels position had him more familiar with the trade, he practiced it often, making him almost a master in ice sculpting — which was well- recognized by Helmet, Head Chef of the Pegasus in the Meadowlands, who offered him a position. Soon fterwards, O’Malley was receiving offers from around the country. He took a job in the Hell’s Kitchen section of New York, where he learned the ins and the outs of the business. Word of mouth spread about O’Malley’s work as an ice sculptor and as a Garde Manger, and he was soon working for the Helmsley Hotels and doing odd sculpting jobs for companies around the area. He also coauthored two garnishing books in 1985: Apple Garnishing and Melon Garnishing.
Nowadays O’Malley works four days a week as a Professor of Culinary Arts at Hudson County Community College in Jersey City and is working on his master’s degree at Fairleigh Dickson’s University School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management, all in addition to running his business. He is happily married for17 years to his wife Anita and they have two children — Amy,10, and Bryan,15.
O’Malley hopes to fine-tune the business in the near future and continue to create designs that are bound to make his customers happy. For more information on O’Malley or on how to place an order, visit www.icesculpturesbykevinomalley. com or email him at komice@optonline.net.
STATS
FAVORITE RESTAURANT
Restaurant Nicholas
FAVORITE MUSICIAN
Frank Sinatra
FAVORITE MOVIE
The Great Escape
THREE PEOPLE YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE DINE WITH
Owner/chef of the French Laundry, Thomas Kheller;
definitely the Pope;
and my wife, Anita.
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