Mt. Airy iceman brings art to the Hill

by Frank D. Quattrone
Posted 1/26/23

He first picked up a chainsaw, his artistic weapon of choice, while studying the culinary arts at New York’s Parsons School of Design.

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Mt. Airy iceman brings art to the Hill

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He first picked up a chainsaw, his artistic weapon of choice, while studying the culinary arts at New York’s Parsons School of Design. At the time, Peter Slavin was already working as a chef at the Big Apple’s famed Rainbow Room. He spied a worker on the loading dock sculpting a piece of ice and was immediately captivated by the man’s energy and artistic designs.

After zealously shadowing the man for a time and becoming a willing acolyte, Slavin arrived at a crossroads. His high school guidance counselor had advised him to continue his pursuit of the culinary arts because he’d never be out of work. So he did. But the prospect of working with ice never left him, and as he became a full-time chef, he soon began decorating his dishes with mini ice sculptures.

With ice clearly in his veins, Slavin started to enter - and win - ice sculpting competitions all around the world. This was less daunting than it might seem, as he helmed major hotel resort kitchens in outposts as far-flung as Hawaii, Switzerland, and New York’s Grand Hyatt.

Finally, after 14 years at a Grand Hyatt in California, Slavin decided to move back home to this area, where his passion for ice sculpting never stopped. He even fashioned one for Philly’s famed French culinary impresario Georges Perrier. 

Soon enough, the longtime Mt. Airy resident decided to open his own ice sculpting shop, Ice Sculpture Philly, with a studio in West Philadelphia (www.icesculpturephilly.com). That was about 20 years ago. Today, his company is a thriving business, creating customized ice sculptures of all sizes for weddings, parties, and festivals, from logo-inspired corporate centerpieces to personalized statues.

Slavin is the head honcho, of course, but praises his team of full-timers, including dedicated women Charlee Mares and lead sculptor Gabriella Santoro. Oh, yes—and his underpaid but overworked CMC Robot Machine, “who lives in the freezer,” Slavin said, “and does 60 percent of the sculpting for us. He’s even more precise than I am. He mimics my every move. I draw a circular design on a piece of paper in my own style and he remembers it. Amazing worker!”

The biggest challenge in ice sculpting, according to the world-renowned Slavin, is the medium. “It’s frozen water, after all. It changes as soon as you take it out from the freezer. It’s like human skin and falls prey to the elements, from humidity, heat, and wind to air-conditioning. And when you do a huge sculpture, it’s even more daunting.”

Those enticed to encounter the latter can do so this weekend, when Slavin and his team bring their frozen art to Chestnut Hill on Ice. Slavin says be sure to stay for the ice bonfire at 5 p.m. on Saturday, when a 12-foot-tower of ice will bring the two-day festival to its flaming conclusion.