Southeastern NEWS

                                                       Southeastern Louisiana University
                                           Public Information Office
                                           publicinfo@selu.edu
                                           SLU 880, Hammond, LA 70402
                                           504/549-2341/fax 504-549-2061
    Date: 3/1/99
      Contact:                           Christina Chapple   125

Editors: Photo accompanies release   Please note local interest
SLU'S CHEFS EVENING FEATURES "COOL" DECORATIONS
     HAMMOND   These days, decorations at Southeastern Louisiana University banquets
and receptions are cool. Really cool.
     For instance, at the Alumni Association's annual Awards Evening last November, a
lounging lion glittered regally atop a flowery pedestal. Huge vases, shining like cut glass,
adorned buffet tables at a reception unveiling the renovated War Memorial Student Union.
     And when guests enter the "tropical paradise" of the University Center for Chefs
Evening, the Southeastern Development Foundation's annual food festival fund raiser, on March
7, they'll be greeted by a dolphin with an icy little smile. 
     The lions, vases, dolphins and other cool creatures and objects are being hewn from 300-
pound blocks of ice by employees of Aramark, which provides Southeastern's food services.
Food Services Director Hershall Bergeron and Allen Duhon, manager of the campus' Cayman
Caf‚, are among the Aramark artists creating icy art.
     "We take pride in what we do," said Bergeron. "It's all part of creating food with
personality."
     Bergeron and Duhon recently demonstrated their ice carving skills at the university's
February Pride Day celebration, which, appropriately, had a "Winter Fest" theme. Bergeron's
contribution was a glacial swan, while Duhon whittled out a vase. The men use small chain saws
to carve the basic shapes, then wield special chisels to refine and detail the objects.
     It's not a quick, easy, neat   or dry!   job. To shield himself against the ice chips and
shavings that turn carvers into human snowballs, Duhon dons chest-high waders, knee pads and
two pairs of gloves before putting blade to ice. Bergeron takes a more casual approach, 
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ICE ART   Add One
tackling his ice block in nylon jogging pants and tennis shoes.
     Aramark employees are given a crash course in ice carving at the Culinary Institute of
America, explained Bergeron, who has been at Southeastern since July 1998. The Port Allen
native previously was at McNeese State University, where he opened up Aramark's operations in
1989. Duhon, who is from Lake Charles, is a University of Southwestern Louisiana graduate.
     Bergeron said one of his most challenging assignments was a shrimp boat which graced a
buffet at a Dean of Students convention at Northwestern Louisiana University.  "I just dibble in
this," he insisted, as he chiseled away at the swan. "Allen's the talented individual. He puts a lot
of pride in it. The lion he did for the Alumni banquet was one of the best things I've seen."
     In the case of a major boo-boo, ice can be "glued," Bergeron said. A mortar of crushed
ice and salt is applied to the break, which is then fused back together by melting the ice with a
hair dryer. Imperfections are camouflaged by strategic sprigs or flowers and greenery.
     Bergeron said he and his Aramark colleagues get orders for  three or four ice sculptures a
month either for campus events or for functions handled by Aramark's outside catering service,
Classic Fare. The sculptures have about a three-day life span, gradually melting away in
proportion to the design, he said.
     Bergeron's "cool" dolphin will be part of the decorations that Chefs Evening patrons will
see as they enter the University Center. The food festival is scheduled for 5-7 p.m. in Twelve
Oaks. For $35, patrons can enjoy the specialities of more than three dozen of the Northshore's
best restaurants, wineries and breweries, including Aramark, which plans to offer a "true
Hawaiian cochon du lait," Bergeron said.
     Proceeds from Chefs Evening benefit university scholarships and academic programs.
     Chefs Evening tickets are available at the Alumni Center on University Drive, 504-549-
2239 or 1-800-SLU-ALUM.                  
                            - SLU -
     This press release is available on the World Wide Web:
      www.selu.edu/NewsEvents/PublicInfoOffice/newsp99.htm