Alfred Dizon, 53, has spent the last three decades carving marvellous creations out of fruit and chocolate.
He’s originally from Paete, Laguna, dubbed the ‘Carving Capital of the Philippines’, and learnt the impressive skill from his family.
Alfred has transformed his talent into a career and spent eight years carving fruit onboard Marella Cruises.
He uses a range of materials as the base of his designs, including ice, vegetables, cheese, and chocolate.
The cruise worker’s art takes centreplace on Marella Explorer’s buffet displays and special events.
Anything from intricate floral patterns on melons to elaborate ice sculptures of dragons, dolphins, and swans – Alfred has carved it all.
But the strangest creations for Alfred proved to be two items in particular.
He reveals, ‘The weirdest thing I’ve carved? A guitar and a ship — not your usual fruit designs!’
Alfred Dizon (pictured), 53, has spent the last three decades carving marvellous creations out of fruit and chocolate
Alfred has transformed his talent into a career and spent eight years carving fruit on board Marella Cruises
As for Alfred’s largest carved venture – it was on a watermelon, which the cruise worker explains is the perfect canvas for both size and texture.
‘My brother and relatives taught me,’ Alfred shares.
‘In Paete, carving is part of our culture. It started with wood, but I found my passion in food.’
The professional carver has worked on a variety of canvases and explains, ‘Each material has its own challenge.
‘Ice is slippery and chocolate is fragile.’
Carving fruit is a quick task for Alfred, who says he work on any fruit ‘in about 10 minutes’.
His favourite fruit to work with are melons, including watermelons, honeydew, and cantaloupes.
These are the best and easiest to carve due to their firmness and vibrant colours that come out in the carvings.
The cruise worker’s art takes centerplace on Marella Explorer’s buffet displays and special events
Anything from intricate floral patterns on melons to elaborate ice sculptures of dragons, dolphins, and swans – Alfred has carved it all
For Alfred, he loves that his work creates memories for guests onboard the cruise ship.
Many stop to admire Alfred’s jaw-dropping creations and are intrigued by them being made from ‘every day ingredients’.
‘It’s not just about making food look good,’ he says.
‘It’s about creating a moment — something memorable that adds to the experience of being onboard.’
