I can’t do without my penknife, says food artist
Forty-year-old Elvis Ekeke is the craftsman behind the decorative food pieces at the Hilton Hotel, Abuja. In this interview he spoke about his passion for the art.
How did you start doing fruit craft; what exposed you to it?
When I got into the Hilton sometime in 2000, I was moved to the kitchen department. But I actually started in 1998 after my first two years as a pure artist, not a kitchen artist.
What was your specialty as an artist?
Painting. But when the manager approached me with the offer of coming into the kitchen, I thought it was something I could not do. I felt that as an artist, what would I do in the kitchen? I felt the kitchen was just about cooking and chopping vegetables. But then I saw a different part of it. I came to work one morning and saw a male kitchen artist from Dubai, carving. I was impressed because he was wearing a chef ’s uniform. I looked at him and said “a chef doing art?” He laughed and replied, “Before being a chef I was an artist.’’
I really liked what he was doing, so I helped him out. He also talked to me about joining the kitchen team. I didn’t like it that time. When I got in, it was difficult at first. I felt it was not my thing; it was a woman’s thing to cook.
So just like that, I got into the kitchen. He taught me how to carve my first watermelon. After I was done with it, he told me I was a natural artist and didn’t need to learn that much. On my way home I bought a watermelon because I don’t like to see someone better than me in art. With that, I improved on it and the next time we needed to carve, he was so surprised that I had three different styles. So, personal development came in. I was always carving, going online to research. Then I got to know about different fruits. From then I loved kitchen art.
Where did you study art?
I didn’t really study art. I was born an artist. I was celebrated as best junior artist in Benue and Benin. I was always winning one competition or another. With that, I knew I had something in me. Whenever my teachers were going to submit their lesson notes I would draw the heart, the digestive system and so on.
What is the most exciting thing for you about kitchen art?
The fact that I can put smiles on people’s faces even before they see their meals. There was a time a lady came to the restaurant. According to what she told me, she had issues with her husband and wanted to eat out. Then, we had apumpkin carving. She saw it and asked the waitress who did it and was told I was the one. She came back looking for me. I don’t remember her eating, but she was happy. I talked to my chef to do a daily display and he accepted. That was the peak of the hotel when it comes to display in the kitchen. We had different companies asking for kitchen craft and I have had people calling me to also do fruit kebab.
What is the easiest fruit to play around with?
Watermelon. This is because of the size, texture and the colour. If you peel the hard surface, there is the whitish part before the red, which appeals to different colours.
What goes into being a specialist in kitchen craft?
First and foremost, you have to be an artist. I’ve trained a lot of people in other hotels around Abuja. But I think it is good to be an artist before the kitchen craft comes in. One of my best students is someone I trained in the kitchen. He understudied me, and when an opportunity came up, he did not hesitate to work with me. He liked the art the more. He had that pride of being a chef and an artist. That really made him to be a good kitchen artist.
Have you ever stayed on the sideline and watched people admire your work?
I had a video done on me and my assistants. That was during the Halloween. We were carving pumpkins. I had someone do the video. Afterwards I went back and watched it. It was really nice. The fact that I had a lot of younger upcoming artists looking up to me is amazing.
What is the most difficult piece you’ve had to work on?
That would be sugar craft. He was the millennium cake for the hotel. We took it to the Presidential Villa. It was almost 12 feet high. It took a week to complete, putting in a continuous 12 hours daily.
How far do you see your craft taking you?
I’ve had an opportunity to work in Dubai and Kuwait. Once I had a chance to do food art in some Chinese, while in Dubai. I like going to Dubai. I had this fear. I’ve seen Chinese craft on fruit and ice. They are very good. Coming from this region, kitchen craft is something foreign, so going there is taking you away from your comfort zone. I really wanted that, but there was this fear of missing friends, family, office and also competitions from those far better in their field of expertise. I decided to challenge my self and also develop this thing in Africa, in Nigeria.
Beyond secondary school, did you have any other training?
I just started reading Public Administration at the National Open University of Nigeria. Honestly, I just wanted something I could mix my job with. I actually feel bad that I’ve not done that.
What is the most tedious part of your job in the Hilton?
I will say every new thing comes with a new challenge. As it is now, my bosses see me as a magician. I like it when I deliver. Most of the times, they don’t know I go into my cage and pray. I have never failed when it comes to art, and I don’t want that now.
What tools do you work with?
We have a set of cabin tools, but what is really special is a small penknife that does everything. But as it is today, we all improvise when it comes to our penknife. If you give a carpenter a new saw today, he might not use it. He will go to that old saw because he is used to it. So everybody tries as much as possible to develop their own penknife to make it suitable. I have my penknife in my pocket. I take it everywhere. I was once arrested by a policeman who saw a knife in my pocket, and I had to prove it was not a weapon.