By Joan Obra / The Fresno Bee

Forget what they say about not playing with food — or knives. Ray Duey does both, and the results are unexpected. A turnip turns into a daisy, an eggplant into a leaf and an avocado into a hand grenade.

Duey, an acclaimed produce carver from Torrance, recently showed off some of his tricks at Fresno State. It’s his second class for local members of the American Culinary Federation Chefs Association. The first was so popular, the crowd clamored for more, says Bruce Staebler, president of the association’s San Joaquin chapter.

There’s a reason these folks want to carve flowers from food, and it’s not just the cool factor. This Far Eastern culinary art is spreading from cruise ships to more hotels, country clubs, restaurants, and casinos. Money is to be made in this trend, and accomplished carvers such as Duey can make $250,000 a year. The typical salary, he says, is between $40,000 and $70,000.

Duey draws more business by challenging himself with different carvings, such as a butterfly from a grape. He also pays attention to pop culture.

“Of all the carvings that you should master this year, you should have ‘Shrek’ down to a science,” he says to his class. “You should have ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ down to a sci- ence. You should have ‘Spider-Man’ down to a science.”

If the professional cooks in Duey’s class heed his advice, local diners may see more edible art on their plates.

But Duey also has a message for home cooks: Some of these carvings, including the turnip daisy and eggplant leaves, are easy enough for them to try. See for yourself in this story on fresnobee.com. You’ll find a video of Duey carving and another one of him teaching.

Both videos show techniques that differ from chopping, mincing and dicing. Instead, carving requires making curved cuts with small, sharp tools. Check them out at chefgarnish.com, Duey’s Web site. In the products section, there are u-and-v cutters (that make u-and-v shapes) and Thai-style flexible knives. Both help save the wrists from fatigue, Duey says.

He also offers tips for buying produce. Any fruit and vegetable can be carved, as long as it’s firm.
“You want them to have no give to them at all,” he says. For example, if a melon is ripe enough to have an aroma, it’s too soft to carve.

If you buy some tools and create something beautiful, Duey even has advice for preserving your handiwork. Spray it with original PAM cooking spray. It will prevent carvings from drying out or turning cloudy when refrigerated.

Covered with a wet paper towel and plastic wrap, a melon carving sprayed with PAM can keep in the refrigerator about a week — enough time for you to practice a more complex piece.

“Once you’ve mastered the technique and you are not afraid,” Duey says, “you can take it to the next level.”