Elena Petrossian and Verónica González, founders of art-food duo AnanasAnanas—who have created interactive culinary experiences for brands like Prada, Cartier, and Dries Van Noten—say that working with ice resonates with them because, like food, it is temporary. Many of their recent projects have pushed the boundaries of its scale and use. “We designed 3,000 pounds of clear ice stacked with seafood, dried eucalyptus branches, shiso leaves, and draped fabric,” Petrossian says, referencing a sculpture AnanasAnanas completed a few years back. “We’ve reimagined ice sculptures from ’60s cookbooks as well as pulled inspiration from big ice blocks we’ve seen in Mexico, like the Francis Alys piece ‘Sometimes Making Something Leads to Nothing.’”
Photo: Shelby Moore / Courtesy of AnanasAnanas
Sophie Dalah, of the Los Angeles-based catering company Sophie’s Table, agrees. Having created dozens of interactive ice offerings at events, she also values the uniqueness of it. “No matter how many times I work with it, it never ceases to amaze me,” she says.
“I’ve always been drawn to making visions come to life in different ways,” Dalah continues. “Recently, for Rhode, we made ice cubes in the shape of their newest products to go into guests’ drinks. For Saie Beauty, we froze their products into ice sculptures. For Staud, we showed off a giant ice clam at the top of our seafood tower. We’ve also done martini luges with frozen olives inside of them, different custom and colored ice cubes, and so many unique things that just make everyone smile.”