Centuries ago in the epic Indian literature of ‘Mahabharat,” there is a story of a boy named Eklavya who passionately wants to learn archery from a teacher named Drona. When he approaches Drona, the teacher refuses to teach him. Eklavya makes a statue of Drona, teaches himself archery and becomes the best archer that ever existed. When Drona finds this out, he asks for his tuition fees from his student. Eklavya readily agrees to give whatever his teacher wants. The teacher Drona asks Eklavya to cut his right thumb and give it to him. Eklavya, bound by his promise and love for his teacher, cuts his thumb and offers it as his fees.

  A different kind of Eklavya lives in Columbus, Ohio. Brian Edwards was interested in learning ice carving. After meeting a renowned ice carver, Edwards pursued him for three months in hopes of learning ice carving from him. Brian became his apprentice, but after two years destiny brought both teacher and student to the juncture where the teacher asked for his “fees.” He wanted Brian to abandon his best friend and fellow apprentice. Either Edwards could continue learning from this teacher by abandoning his best friend, or he had to lose a chance of further learning.
  This 21st century Eklavya chose to stand by his best friend and gave up the apprentice position. However the zeal and passion of Eklavya is visible in Edwards when he says that the best respect he can show his teacher is by competing against him in a show and proving to the teacher that he is the best.

  Brian “Tater” Edwards is a former Marine and a professional chef who runs his kitchen with military discipline and perfection. He is a man fiercely passionate about his art and believes in putting on a “show” when he is carving ice to entertain his audience. Edwards carves fruits and vegetables, as well as sand and ice. Edwards does not believe in going home and watching sports on TV like an average 29 year old, but instead looks forward to going home and carving pumpkins in his garage.
  Leave Brian with a pumpkin and you will find him whispering to it, asking the pumpkin what he wants to be that day. Together the pumpkin and Brian create myriad expressions. Some days the pumpkin wants a smirk; a smirk which says “Really! material things is all that is important to you guys?” On other days, the pumpkin wants to be angry at the people who don’t value family bonds. On some other days the pumpkin is joyful, because it wants to show the joy on his daughter’s face when he bought a new house. Brian and the pumpkin family have won various local competitions such as Jack Hanna’s pumpkin carving championship and the Solebrate Food and Music Festival.
  If pumpkins are his friends, then ice is a portal of spirituality. With a motto of “Think twice and cut once” Edwards and his best friend and partner David “Pablo” Smith create abstract art. Bit by bit, chipping the -5 degree ice with his bare hands. Every nook and cranny, every curve, he is feeling it, becoming one with it. This duo achieve mind boggling feats in ice carving. As the ice chips away one piece at a time to become an award winning presentation, Edwards slips bit by bit into a place of inner peace and tranquility, ultimately reaching inwards into his Zen.
  With focus and passion in eyes and hands turning blue, thousands of pounds of carved artifacts of ice gets glued together and along with it, energies of "solid water” and the dual soul energies of these friends fluidly melt together to become one. The result of course is brilliant. After participating in several competitions such as Fairbanks Ice carving, Crystal Classic Winter Festival and awards under their belts, Edwards and Smith are gearing up to enter the BP World Ice Art Championship 2016 in Fairbank, Alaska. They will be competing not only with several world champions but also with the world renowned Japanese ice carver Junichi Nakamura.

  Edwards is a guy who got into carving as a little boy by holding his grandmother’s fingers and following her everywhere in the kitchen, a little boy who sat next to her keenly observing when she used to carve fruits and vegetables. He is now a grown up man who fondly bullies his Dad in the kitchen while preparing a birthday meal for his Mom, a guy who buys a house only to satisfy his daughter’s first dream. He is a home grown artist,who would soon be world renowned. It was surely a pleasure to get to know him. Here’s wishing him all the best for the world championship.
  Brian “Tater Edwards (artist and chef) can be contacted at info@frostion.com, 614-789-3547 and his website is frostlion.com.