Behind The Blade

Two Carvers-turned-chefs Trace Their Celebrated Career Paths From Working With Wood to Sculpting Food

- Angelo Comsti

Food carving is an art not many are lucky to exercise, since it requires attention to detail, control, vivid imagination, and tons of patience. Fortunately, for many people in Paete, Laguna, these disciplines have been instilled in them since they were young. It is the carving capital of the Philippines, after all.

SIMILAR PATHS

Edgar Davac was 10 years old when his father started getting him involved in their family’s wood carving business. It was a natural progression for him to turn it into a living, like many of his kin. However, when a ban on cutting down trees was passed, he had to seek another job. Well, Davac didn’t have to look that far. Armed with his uncle’s tools, he proceeded to an ice plant in Sta. Cruz, bought a whole block of ice, and practiced his craft, this time in a new medium.

At 25, he was hired by Via Mare to do the backdrop for a teachers’ convention. The job involved carving old churches on Styrofoam boards. His bosses recognized his talent, and so they transferred him to the cold kitchen to carve ice and vegetables and eventually do salads and sandwiches. Not long after, Davac took the opportunity to work for a luxury cruise—a profession that lasted for 15 years—before he went back home and applied at The Bellevue Manila, where at 50 years old he continues to serve as a kitchen artist.