Bilal Dar
Few people are fortunate enough to practice the art of food carving since it takes a lot of patience, control, attention to detail, and imagination.
The practise of creatively preparing, cooking, and serving food is known as food art. Even now, carving fruits and vegetables is a very popular tradition in Thailand and other Asian and European nations.
In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, those who want to try their hand at food carving should meet the Handwara man, who is skilled at creating decorative food garnishes and has the ability to carve delicate patterns into the soft flesh of fruit.
Amazing design carver Javeed Ahmad Malik uses his skills to create significantly delicious fruits and veggies. He carves beautiful designs out of fruits and vegetables that are so intricately detailed that they almost seem too nice to eat.
“When I hold my knife, my mind surrenders to my heart and transmits directly to my hands, giving the embellishments many forms. It’s magical, almost,” Javeed said in a chat with Webstory.
His food carving designs demonstrate this enthusiasm; the level of precision he can produce with equipment like knives, scalpels, peelers, and melon ballers makes them appear too wonderful to eat.
Whether it’s watermelon, grapes, apples, or other fruits, this Handwara man is able to transform them into stunning works of art. Forget a plate; Javeed’s food carving deserves to be in an art gallery.
30-year-old Javeed said that as a chef, he has served several top hotels in Kashmir. He is currently a faculty member at the Food Craft Institute in Jammu, where he teaches food craft art.
Malik, who hails from the Panditpora area of Handwara in North Kashmir, has his master’s degree in tourism and travel management and a diploma in food production from the Institute of Hotel Management in Srinagar.
He has a diploma in ice-carving from Chennai and a short-term course in fruit and vegetable carving from Thailand.
Malik said that he was inspired by a professional executive chef who was a member of a guest team affiliated with the film industry at the Pahalgam hotel, where he used to be a trainee.
He said earlier it was very hard to motivate his family, but with the passage of time they supported his passion and whatever he has achieved today is due to their blessings and cooperation.
He claimed that many of the primary lines in our industry, such as carvers, have a bright future, and that everyone in the hospitality sector wants to improve the presentation of their cuisine.
He claimed that artists typically had skilled hands and used them to create marvels. According to him, carving artwork on fruits and vegetables has grown in popularity among partygoers and this practice is the need of the hour in Kashmir hotels.
Javeed, in a message to youth, especially those who want to excel in the field of hotel management or the tourism industry, said that people, especially the unemployed youth of J&K, should go for the skill courses.
“Youth with skill can do wonders in any field, and hotel management is also a great opportunity to end the crisis of unemployment here in Kashmir,” he added.
