ECC students create ice bunnies for Easter

Students in a beginning ice sculpting course at Elgin Community College carved Easter Bunnies, eggs and baskets out of ice Friday using chain saws and chisels.

ECC is among only three Illinois colleges - Kendall College in Chicago and Joliet Junior College are the others - to offer an ice sculpting class, said Patrick Stewart, culinary instructor.

"I had to work for about a year to get this ice carving class on the program," Stewart said. "We had to use various grants to get some of the tools that we're using because (they) are expensive."

It's the second year ECC has offered the class, which mostly involves hands-on lab work and offers students opportunity to practice the craft.

"Ice carving is pretty unique," Stewart said. "There's less than 1,000 ice carvers in the United States right now. I wouldn't say it's the most marketable skills to learn, but it's unique and the one thing that benefits the culinary students is that it looks great on their resumes. That employer knows that this person is creative and that's a great skill to have in the culinary arts."